In celebration of Abbotsford’s cultural diversity, community members can head to AbbyFest, the Abbotsford Multicultural Festival, which runs all-day Saturday at the Ag-Rec Building at Exhibition Park.
The event included; cultural demonstrations, entertainment and food from other cultures.
AbbyFest is now in its sixth year and brings together a variety of cultural groups, community leaders and dignitaries to promote inter-cultural relations in Abbotsford.
The event opened with a First Nations welcome and a parade of nations, exhibiting the many flags of the world.
Mayor Bruce Banman welcomed visitors, emphasizing the important of diversity to the Abbotsford community.
“Twenty-seven per cent of us are… first generation immigrants that have come from another country and chosen Abbotsford for a place to live. We speak almost 40 different languages that are official recognized.”
He said events like AbbyFest are key to celebrating Abbotsford’s successes in building multicultural relationships.
“We respect each other’s culture, we respect each others belief… we are truly a great city that way.”
The day’s activities will include Chinese cultural sword dancers, Middle Eastern belly dancers, German singing, Latin music and more.
AbbyFest strives to encourage inter-cultural understanding among Abbotsford diverse community.
The Ag-Rec Building is located at 32470 Haida Dr.
Today’s event: Here is a short video clip of the 2013 AbbyFest event.
