Summer is on its way out and so is the rumbling around festivals. But could you imagine a world for Filipinos without any festival at all — as in AT ALL?
I could not. Filipinos would disappear from the planet the moment Euphrosyne, the goddess of mirth, takes away singing, dancing, beauty pageants, and anything to do with fun and entertainment. Addicted as we are to merrymaking, we all should be thankful to the people who organize these events.
There are about 300,000 Filipinos in the GTA and not even the number of festivals we already have could quench the thirst of all these people. There is a big pie that needs to be entertained. By ratio, we still need more festivals! Sige pa, kailangan pa. As Mabuhay Festival organizers claim marami daw pina-uwi dahil masikip na sa Metro Convention Centre.
(If I have the stamina and the wherewithal I will hold one at Wilson and Bathurst, the bastion of anything Filipino.)
In other words, there is no shortage of viewers. In a free market, the best will always win. And even the runner-ups would still have their share. So stop bickering. Whichever group comes up with the most attractive package and delivers the goods will eventually get the trust and patronage of consumers. Just do your best and let the market decide. That’s how it is in a free market like ours.
The two most recent ones, and probably would be the last for the year, were the Kalayaan Festival in Mississauga’s newly opened Celebration Square, right beside Hazel McCallion’s impregnable home turf, the City Hall, and the Filipino Making Waves Festival on Dundas Square (Yonge and Dundas) by the Eaton Centre, heart of downtown TO.
The Kalayaan Festival spearheaded by Juliet Perez debuted on July 30 under a scorching sun. The venue is an open air area affording no place to hide from the sun except the little shade provided by the shadow of the stage’s canopy.
The back of the stage is towards the southside of the quadrangle with the booths lined-up all around. I was surprised, nay amazed, to see a number of exhibitors that I personally know like Dennis Darilag with his two boys in their booth of Pinoy-themed t-shirts. As expected FV Foods was a crowd drawer with Orcel’s Foods not far behind. At eleven in the morning the square was starting to fill some coming from the condominiums close by. When Banda Pilipino blew the horn and beat the drums the parade around the quadrangle began.
The two were different and similar. The Kalayaan Festival exuded the country atmosphere of a town fiesta more attuned to the more laidback lifestyle of the city. FMW on the one hand fed the city’s beat and the exuberance of youth. The similarity rests on the supportive presence of other festival organizers in both such as the Philippine Independence Day Council, Fiesta Filipina, Culture Philippines, Miss Manila (this year’s winners were there), to name a few.
Well, it is the way it should be; support each other, share resources and celebrate together. We hope to see more of cooperation rather than breaking-up and destroying each other. Stop feeding the little monkeys in your mind because all actions come from our thoughts.
“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.” Bill Meyer said that and I could not help but agree.
See you next year at the festival. Which one? Your call.
