Pistahan sa Toronto, 2022

Pistahan sa Toronto is a cultural event that the FCT holds in June to commemorate Filipino Heritage Month and Philippine Independence Day. Formerly a two-day event held at Nathan Phillips Square, the FCT kept Pistahan festivities local this year. The first Pistahan since June 2019 was held on June 5th, 2022. This was a day-long event where attendees got to taste Filipino cuisine, browse the marketplace, and watch entertainment.

Many city officials were in attendance, including: Councillor of Ward 23, Cynthia Lai; TCDSB Ward 8 Trustee Garry Tanuan; MP Rechie Valdez; MP Shaun Chen; and MPP Raymond Cho. Attendees got to know these politicians and celebrate the Filipino community with them.

The marketplace is a key component of all Pistahan events. It gives Filipinos the opportunity to market their products and services to the greater community, and better understand the community services available to them. Our busy marketplace included vendors such as: Aki’s Bayong, a hand-made bayong business; Workforce Solutions Employment Agency; Eon Insurance; Maccil Marketing; the North Scarborough Vaccination Team, and WoodGreen Settlement Counselling. The products and services they offered were put on display in colourful booths for attendees to peruse.

And of course, Pistahan isn’t Pistahan without entertainment! Throughout the event, performers such as the BFNE Line Dancing Group, Flerida Pardinas, the Voice of Summer, and the Filipino Martial Arts group got to showcase their talents in the Centre parking lot. They kept the crowd singing and dancing along all day.

Pistahan 2022 would not have been possible without the help of donors and volunteers. The FCT is incredibly grateful to all who contributed to make this event possible, and we hope to see you all at Pistahan next year!