SASKATOON — Residents were treated to a Filipino-style street party during the three-day Filipino Music and Food Festival last weekend, where a portion of 23rd Street near the Saskatoon City Hall was closed off.
Organized by Stage One, the event attracted not only Filipinos but other nationalities that call Saskatoon their home, as well as visitors and performers from Regina, Rosthern, Prince Albert, Warman, Martensville, Meadowlake, Humboldt, Kindersley and Rosetown.
Visitors were treated to three days of music and food where various groups entertained the crowd with dance numbers and songs, a fixture of Filipino gatherings and parties in the Philippines or Filipino communities established overseas.
Fifteen vendors offered Filipino staple food like stir fry noodles, spring rolls, dumplings, roasted pig, fried or roasted chicken, and desserts like puto (a mini rice cake) and ensaymada.
Other Filipino snacks offered were the Ilocos empanada and for the adventurous type balut (a fertilized duck egg), isaw (pork or chicken intestines), and kwek-kwek (boiled quail eggs).
Twenty non-food vendors sold various items, from Filipino formal wear barong and Filipiniana dresses to toys.
Ferdinand Mendoza of Stage One thanked not only the Filipino communities in Saskatchewan but everyone who joined them during the three-day festival, which attracted an estimated 1,000 visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“It took us over six months to organize and prepare for this event as it was simultaneously being planned with the Humboldt Music and Food Festival. The Humboldt Filmfest was held on June 24 and 25 as part of the celebration of the Filipino Heritage Month,” said Mendoza.
The following events they will organize are Oktoberfest and Paskong Pinoy (Filipino Christmas) in December.
