The Yorkton Festival of Cultures is in its second year, and the event is growing steadily. With eleven booths and a total of fourteen cultures showing off their food, dance, music, art and other important parts of their culture, the event was bigger and better than ever before.
Edith Montesclaros with the Yorkton Newcomer Welcome Centre, which organized the event, says that the goal is to keep growing year after year, in order to foster a better understanding of different cultures in the area. She says that the event has been great for getting people talking to each other and learning about the different people surrounding them.
"This morning, it was so fantastic. I was in the kitchen this morning, and there were people from Morocco, people from Jamaica, people from the Philippines, and other countries, and they were interacting. That's the main part of the festival, to interact with other cultures," Montesclaros says.
She says that the support from the community has been excellent, with a full theatre for the dance and song part of the program as well as busy booths throughout the event.
She says that there is something for everyone at the event, and with it growing over last year the experience is a bit different each time. Since she is a relatively new to the country herself, Montesclaros says that some of her most rewarding moments have been learning about the more established communities in the area.
The goal for the coming years will be the same as it has been this year, with the event growing and more cultures participating. Montesclaros says that they learn a bit more every year, and that the festival has plenty of room to grow.
