ALBERTON, P.E.I. — Just as Canada’s population is diverse, so too is the performance line-up for the DiverseCity Multicultural Festival taking place on Alberton’s Main Street this Sunday.
“What we basically do is we offer eight hours of continuous performances – so it’s dance, it’s music, it’s demonstrations. There’s tai chi, there’s martial arts,” festival manager Mark Carr-Rollit said, outlining a partial listing of events.
The festival will take place on Main Street Sunday from noon until 8 p.m. For the special occasion, the street will be closed to traffic.
The festival got its start on Charlottetown’s Victoria Row, 12 years ago, attracting 400 to 500 people. It has since expanded to festivals in all three of Prince Edward Island's counties.
Alberton was a host municipality for the first time last year, attracting about 1,200 people.
Carr-Rollit said the festival continues to grow. Charlottetown’s 13th annual festival last month attracted about 16,000 people, and Montague hosted for a fifth time last Sunday, attracting between 7,000 and 8,000.
“There are performers from all different cultures: Acadian, Irish, Scottish, Iranian, Afghani, Indian, you name it,” Carr-Rollit said.
There will be several food and product vendors in attendance as well.
Charlottetown-based ‘I and the Village,’ will close out the program with a lively street dance. 'I and the Village' is a high-energy dance band. The 10-piece band with its Caribbean influence is rhythmic and includes horn, percussion, and harmonies.
“It’s a very diverse festival,” acknowledges Alberton’s special events coordinator, Garth Davey who is expecting at least 15 acts to share the festival’s stage.
DiverseCity is the largest multicultural festival in Atlantic Canada and is organized by the P.E.I. Association of Newcomers to Canada.
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