SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Filipino & Music Food Festival wrapped up Aug. 10, and despite intermittent rain, hundreds attended the daily festivities at Kinsmen Park.
The three-day festival, now in its fifth year, drew Filipino vendors not only from Saskatoon but also from other parts of the province, including Regina and Rosetown. The event offered more than food, with various Philippine-made products, such as traditional clothing, also for sale.
The festival featured Filipino musicians, from bands and solo singers to dancers and other performers, including the Filipino Heritage School and the Philippine Cordillerans of Saskatoon, who showcased traditional dances from Indigenous groups in the mountains of northern Philippines.
The food selection went far beyond chicken adobo. Offerings included spring rolls with meat or vegetable filling, Philippine-style stir-fried noodles, lechon (roast pig), and popular street foods such as isaw (grilled pig or chicken intestines) and kwek-kwek (deep-fried quail eggs in batter).
Regional delicacies were also on hand, such as the orange-hued Ilocos empanada from northern Philippines, made from a rice wrapper filled with local Vigan longganisa (sausage), boiled egg, and vegetables like green papaya.
Dignitaries in attendance included MPs Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre) and Brad Redekopp (Saskatoon West), Saskatchewan Senator Tracy Muggli, Saskatchewan Legislature Speaker Todd Goudy, MLAs Michael Weger (Weyburn-Bengough), Vicki Mowat (Saskatoon Fairview), April ChiefCalf (Saskatoon Westview), Hugh Gordon (Saskatoon Silverspring), Tajinder Grewal (Saskatoon University-Sutherland) and Brittney Senger (Saskatoon Southeast), along with Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block, Ward 2 Councillor Senos Timon, and Philippine Honorary Consul for Regina Pete Escanlar.
