6 September 2019, Calgary – Consul
General Zaldy Patron led the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate
General in Calgary in attending the opening ceremony of Fiesta Filipino 2019 at
the Olympic Plaza in Calgary, Alberta on 31 August 2019.
Fiesta Filipino,
which started five years ago, has become the biggest Filipino cultural festival
in Calgary. It promotes Filipino arts,
culture and traditions through live stage performances and also showcases
Filipino foods and Philippine products in various booths. Despite the rain in
Day 2 of the three-day event on 30 August to 1 September, more than 40,000 people
came to celebrate Fiesta Filipino.
This year, a
Philippine Cultural Exhibit was made part of the Fiesta Filipino. Held at the
Arts Common, a few steps from the Olympic Plaza, the exhibit showed Filipino
paintings, fabrics and Filipiniana clothes. There was also an audio-visual
presentation of Philippine history. The Philippine Consulate General’s bust of
Dr. Jose Rizal and copies of his two novels – Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo – were part of the display and became among the attractions of
the exhibit.
Consul General
Patron thanked the Philippine Festival Council of Alberta (PFCA) and its
network of Filipino organizations, volunteers, performers, vendors and sponsors
for organizing the annual Fiesta Filipino to showcase Filipino culture and
heritage. He also lauded the Filipino community for their positive
contributions to the Province of Alberta and Canada.
