National Multiculturalism Day returns to in-person celebrations in Maple Ridge

The annual National Multiculturalism Day is returning to Maple Ridge on Saturday, June 25 to celebrate the diversity of Ridge Meadows. 

A range of family activities and performances are lined up for the day, organized by the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Local Immigration Partnership. Although the national celebration is on Monday, June 27 the local event is happening on the weekend.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. and include dance performances from a Peruvian folk dance group, a Bollywood South Asian dance group, and a Bulgarian dance group.

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Special Tae Kwon Do performance by Jeong, drumming and the colourful festivity of Holi will be part of the day’s programming.

After two virtual events due to the pandemic, the organization is excited to return for in-person celebrations.

“We are hoping to see close to 2,000 people at the event as we had 1,500 attendees when we last gathered in 2019,” said Carolina Echeverri, coordinator of local immigration partnership.

National Multiculturalism Day is federal recognition of the diverse cultures and communities that call Canada home. Despite the restrictions of the pandemic, people around the world sent videos of their traditional clothes and shared recipes from their kitchens.

“We reached out to the community to send us performance videos of dances and [cooking] and we put them together on our website and social media. People from around the world sent us 48 videos to share with the community,” Echeverri added.

However, this year as the event returns into the real world, people have been reaching out to her, she shared.

Local organizations will be present in Memorial Peace Park along with face painting for children and a bouncy castle.

Haney’s Farmer Market and additional food trucks will be present with food and drinks.