Thousands of people gathered at Albert Campbell Square on June 6 and 7 as the Pinoy Fiesta & Trade Show returned to Scarborough, Ont. for a weekend of Filipino food, culture and entertainment during Filipino Heritage Month.
The free two-day festival featured more than 50 vendors, cultural performances, community organizations and special guests, including Kapuso actor Michael Sager.
Held days before Philippine Independence Day on June 12, the event celebrated Filipino heritage while highlighting the growing presence of the Filipino community in Canada.
For organizer Rosemer Enverga, president of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF), the festival is about preserving Filipino culture and passing it on to future generations.
“This is one way of informing and making sure the future generations will know (and follow Filipino) history,” Enverga said.
June is recognized as Filipino Heritage Month in Canada, with communities across the country marking the occasion through festivals, educational events and Independence Day celebrations.
At Pinoy Fiesta, that mission was reflected in cultural performances, community exhibits and activities highlighting Filipino traditions.
The festival opened with prayers and the ceremonial unfurling of a large Philippine flag, bringing together community leaders, elected officials and attendees in a tribute to Filipino identity and heritage.
“We have to continue the legacy our ancestors really fought for and sacrificed for,” Enverga said.
Pinoy Fiesta Origins
The event has also expanded significantly over the years.
After spending about a decade at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Pinoy Fiesta moved outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year marked the fourth outdoor edition and the second consecutive year the festival was held over two days.
“It’s grown so much. Before, it was only one day, and now it’s two days,” Enverga said. “One day is not enough anymore.”
Food remained one of the festival’s biggest attractions, with vendors offering Filipino favourites such as barbecue, pancit, lumpia, halo-halo and regional specialties.
A&C Lecharon ATBP
Among the vendors was A&C Lecharon ATBP, a family-run business making its first appearance at a Filipino festival.
“Our main product is called lecharon,” said owner Ayleen Apolinario. “It’s basically a slow-roasted pork belly with crispy lechon skin.”
The business, launched in 2019, specializes in Filipino pork dishes, including its signature lecharon and sisig tacos.
For Apolinario, participating in Pinoy Fiesta represented more than a business opportunity.
“My wife is a chef, and this is actually her dream to join a food festival,” she said.
“We wanted to share what we create with the public and see if other Filipinos would also enjoy our dishes.”
The response exceeded expectations.
“We are overwhelmed because the food was actually a hit for the people, ” Apolinario said.
Apolinario said events like Pinoy Fiesta provide an opportunity for small Filipino businesses to connect directly with customers and the wider community.
“It does help us connect to the community,” she said. “Some of our loyal clients are actually here as well, supporting us.”
‘We came for the food’
For attendees Frank Dela Cruz and Christine Caranto, supporting those businesses was one reason they attended.
The couple said they were especially excited to visit a vendor selling ube halaya after receiving one of its products as a gift last year.
“We came here mostly for the food,” Dela Cruz said. “And just to experience everything that’s going on.”
Dela Cruz said festivals like Pinoy Fiesta help strengthen community ties while introducing Filipino culture to people outside the community.
“(We’re) supporting the culture and everything, supporting the rest of the Filipino community here as well,” he said.
Having grown up in Canada, Dela Cruz said cultural events provide an opportunity to share Filipino traditions with friends from different backgrounds.
“A lot of my friends are not really Filipino,” he said. “Being able to showcase the culture, the food, everything really that is to be Filipino, it just helps to have these kinds of events.”
The festival also featured new programming aimed at younger audiences, including Pinoy Got Talent and a revamped Kultura Dance Showdown that blended traditional Filipino cultural elements with modern dance styles.
“Hopefully, we can instill in them what we’re going to leave behind,” Enverga said.
As Filipino Heritage Month celebrations continue throughout June, Pinoy Fiesta once again brought together community members, entrepreneurs, performers and families to celebrate Filipino culture while helping ensure its traditions continue to be shared with future generations.
Luis Miguel De Castro is a Changing Narratives Fund-Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Mabuhay Canada and a journalism graduate at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. Originally from the Philippines, he is passionate about community storytelling, multimedia journalism, and amplifying Filipino voices through meaningful local coverage.
