Taste of Asia 2019: Taste of Asia 2019, a festival for foodies and fans of the Asian cultures, concluded on a high note.

The much anticipated annual festival — Taste of Asia Festival 2019 was formally concluded on June 30, 2019. Co-hosted by the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM),
APMC, and City of Markham, supported by the Canadian Federal Government, York Region, and our presenting sponsor TD Bank Group, the Taste of Asia Festival 2019 has reached its
17th milestone.

Opening Ceremony
With traditional Chinese lion dances and eye doting, the Taste of Asia Festival 2019 officially
began on Saturday, June 29, 2019. Attendees were welcomed by many attractions along Kennedy Road starting at Steeles Avenue East such as the festival’s stage, the exotic car show, and midway entertainment for children all the way up to Gorvette Road.

FCCM’s Chairman, Dr. Ken Ng, was pleased to announce the Philippines as this year’s theme country. “With a series of Filipino performances featured throughout the festival, I sincerely
hope that everyone will be fascinated by the Philippines’ rich cultural colours.” In celebration of the Filipino-Canadian cultural month and the Filipino Independence Day, the Filipino national anthem was played during the opening ceremony, along with a dazzling Filipino Fashion Show organized by IPEN. 

This year’s opening ceremony was emceed by City of Markham’s Ward 7 Councillor, Khalid Usman and City of Vaughan’s Ward 4 Councillor, Sandra Yeung Racco. Honorary guests included Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Hon. Ahmed Hussen, MP Jean Yip, MP Shaun Chen, MP Jane Philpott, MP Bob Saroya, TD District Vice President, Rachael Wong, MPP Billy Pang, MPP Logan Kanapathi, Deputy Consul General of Chinese Consulate General in Toronto Mr. Zhuang Yaodong, Deputy Consul General of Phillippine Consulate General in Toronto Mrs. Bernadette Fernandez, Markham Regional Councillor Jack Heath, Markham Councillors Alan Ho, Amanda Yeung Collucci, Councillor Isa Lee, Richmond Hill Councillor Godwin Chan, etc. 

The year’s Taste of Asia Festival saw many amazing attractions in the span of three days for attendees of different age groups to enjoy:

Social Media Contests
Through Instagram @tasteofasiafest, Facebook page @tasteofasiastreetfestival, Twitter @tasteofasiafest, and YouTube FCCM, FCCM organized a series of social media contest throughout the month of June to give out prizes supplied by our generous sponsors. Many lucky winners were chosen and received prizes during the festival.

KPOP Showcase
Joining the KPOP fever, the Taste of Asia Festival 2019 was proud to host a large scale KPOP audition and contest with iMagic Entertainment as a friendly competition between different dancing and singing groups. The final winner(s) will have the opportunity to perform at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) with BOYSTORY, a hiphop youth group managed by Tencent Music and JYP Entertainment, one of South Korea’s top entertainment companies.

Featured Performances
Highlighting the Philippines, the Taste of Asia Festival 2019 has brought some amazing performances by the Philippine Heritage Band, Pinoy Fiesta from PCCF (Phillippine Canadian Charitable Foundation), the West Indian Fusion Dance Centre, MFFC (Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians), and the Afghan Woman’s Organization and FCCM’s Cultural Centre. Our annual Saturday Night Concert was crowded with fans of the local singer and Fairchild Radio Host Larry Lo, and fans here to see overseas Hong Kong star, Owen Cheung, who is well known from his TVB drama roles.