As the sun chased the rain away on Saturday morning, dozens flooded the Legislature’s front lawn for the 4th annual One World Multicultural Festival.
Hosted by Gordy Dodd, the owner of Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress, and the Greater Victoria Festival Society, the May 17 get-together spilled onto Belleville Street, between Menzies and Government. There, an array of food trucks – offering everything from Greek grub to cotton candy to Filipino street food – dished out nosh to lines of hungry attendees. Vendors also offered crafts, paintings and balloon animals.
On the Legislature’s front steps, acts kept a crowd entertained. These included performances by Chinese dragon dancers, the Vancouver Island Peruvian Band, Ugandan rapper Poncho BF, 14-year-old singing sensation Seth Muyaba and the Ukrainian Veselka Dancers.
Kids had plenty to enjoy at the free festival. Dave Wilson – better known as That Bubble Guy – showed off his impressive bubble-blowing skills to an excited group of the event’s younger attendees. Like the soapy spheres that drifted upward, Flora Delight from Levity Stilt Company stood atop towering stilts, also there to divert smiles toward the sky. While a bouncy castle and inflatable obstacle course were a hit among children, some parents took the opportunity jump and bounce to their hearts’ content.
This year’s gathering, aptly named to celebrate unity in diversity, was dedicated to the province’s Filipino community and the Victoria Filipino-Canadian Association.
