On Aug 10, the Chinatown Street Festival was back (and better than ever!) Not only did it spruce up the area vibrantly, the festival exhibited how well the collaboration went in the community after the flood. Here are my highlights:
Volunteering – For starters, with an awesome t-shirt design, we recognized all the communities where the flood waters were literally on their doorsteps. I’m looking forward to seeing people who have snapped em’ up for $20 at the festival. Since for most of the time I was on a volunteering shift, it was great knowing I helped set up tents and just took it a step further from just attending every year.
Lanterns, lanterns everywhere – Having these red lanterns hanging from all the light poles and trees in the area really helped to push out the festive vibe that almost reminded me of the Chinese new year. Being a lucky colour, the cheerful touch of red embraces the Chinese culture more than anything.
TD’s awesome zodiac pins/magnets – A lot of visitors were attracted to TD’s booth at the festival, and I ended joining the lineup to figure out why. Turns out they were giving out these pins with the zodiac animal of your choice, which also carried a Chinese new year kind of feel. 😀
Harmony Guzheng Ensemble‘s performance – A Guzheng performance evokes the fascination at the emotional notes produced by the zither instrument. Under the perfect shade, the melody brought visitors like me and the music kept me there for a good period.
Sumo wrestling – The fact that participants had to fit themselves in the sizable suit along with the “hat” was just too hilarious to watch, period.
Stage performances – By the time I got back to the stage to enjoy the performances, lots of keen people were already gathered around. I didn’t end up being there for too long, so you might just have to put up with that not-so-perfect photo. The costumes and dances that I saw had a lot of historical facts embedded in the presentation.
Back alley adventures – Booths like the one for our recycling program and a small stage were actually held inside an alley right beside the Silver Dragon Restaurant, adding on to the on-street area. I enjoyed exploring a new, “hidden” part of Chinatown, a new source of fascination for an area I’ve been to countless times.
Nenshi’s appearance – It was a great idea for our mayor to have come to the festival wearing Chinese-styled clothing, although I was too far away to hear most of his speech. Just having his endorsement is encouraging.
Next year, we’ll see how the Chinatown shops have stepped past the repercussions of the flood. Before I go, please navigate to our yycstreetfestivals tag for more Cowtown festival chronicles. 🙂