The sidewalks of Fraser St. Vancouver were abuzz with the excited exchanges of Filipino-Canadians on that warm, sunny morning of August 14. Families with grandparents, toddlers and  babies in tow, came to participate in or watch “Pinoy Fiesta 2010 Unang Hirit sa Tag-init”, the first Filipino Cultural Street Parade in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
 
My nieces and I came early and found a good shady spot to watch the parade. Pretty soon, we heard the familiar rhythm of the Ati-Atihan  drumbeat and the bright, scintillating sound of the xylophone. As the marching band approached us, we discerned the piece to be an upbeat version of Dandansoy-- that well-loved lilting Visayan folk song. At the head of the parade were the images of the Sto. Nino and of Lorenzo Ruiz, the Filipino saint, followed by dancing men and women garbed in various indigenous costumes commonly worn during the Ati-atihan festival in the island of Panay. BIBAK B.C. was also a crowd-pleaser with their colourful attire and gong playing. Representatives from Oriental Mindoro donned flowery costumes and carried banana offerings. And what is a Pinoy fiesta without beauty queens and their consorts?
 
 Don Davies and Peter Julian, both members of Parliament, and their supporters joined the parade, and greeted the crowd with “Happy Fiesta Day!” Mable Elmore, the hard-working MLA for Vancouver-Kensington with Filipino roots was there, too.
 
Filipino non-profit organizations, civic and religious associations, businesses and media groups all came together to showcase the Filipino festive spirit and give Vancouverites a glimpse of our culture and community spirit. With their floats and banners, Migrante B.C., One Filipino Cooperative of B.C., Enspire, the Aklanon Sto. Nino Association of B.C., St. Patrick’s Seniors and Youth Group, Multicultural Helping House Society, among other organizations, families, and individuals truly made it a successful first time event.
 
And since Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has declared August 14 as “Filipino Fiesta Day”, it is hoped that the event will become a yearly event. Jojo Quimpo, one of the activity’s prime movers, wrote in his blog, “The hope is for the Pinoy Fiesta to become an annual Vancouver mainstream event with the same profile as the Chinatown’s Lunar New Year parade and the Indo-Canadian community’s Vaisakhi street festival.
 
The parade culminated at the St. Patrick’s Church where booths were set up and a program planned for the afternoon. To cap our Pinoy Fiesta day, my nieces and I treated ourselves to crunchy turon, chewy fish balls, and tall cups of slushy halo-halo!
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