The Philippine Integrated Community of Kingston Ontario (PIC-KO) will be hosting its second annual Filipino celebration this Saturday, June 20, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Confederation Park in front of Kingston City Hall.
“We are ready,” said PIC-KO founder and chair Rechell Cabresos Bernales of the event called the Philippine Independence Day Civic Celebration.
“We have performers, dancing, singing competition, and the Little Miss Philippines Kingston contest.”
Bernales said that over 2,000 guests joined their debut celebration last year, held in the same location.
Guests from the Philippine embassy will open the festival, followed by a singing contest with the theme “Himig ng Kalayaan” (songs of freedom), a food tasting contest, cultural dance performances, with over 25 vendors participating.
Traditional Filipino games will be played, as well as cultural performances by student volunteers.
Kingston has seen significant activity from the Filipino community in the last couple of years, with PIC-KO’s inaugural event in June 2025 and this year’s Mabuhay Festival held last weekend.
PIC-KO’s event marks the second Filipino event in Kingston within a week of each other.
According to Statistics Canada 2021 census, Kingston has over a thousand Filipinos living in Kingston.
PIC-KO’s special guest will be Philippine Ambassador to Canada Jose Victor V. Chan Gonzaga.
The program will proceed as follows:
10:30 am – Main Program
11:00 am – 2:00 pm Kakanin (rice cake) Showdown
1:00 pm – Himig ng Kalayaan Singing Competition
2:30 pm – Little Miss Philippines Kingston
The non-profit will also host a Gala Night on Saturday, July 4, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Crossroads Hall, at 690 Sir John A. Macdonald Blvd. in Kingston.
PIC-KO’s mission is to unite and empower the Filipino community in Kingston by promoting cultural heritage, delivering community programs, supporting newcomers and families, and fostering collaboration, civic engagement, and intercultural understanding.
