Multicultural Festival cancelled

KITCHENER-WATERLOO MULTICULTURAL CENTRE
NEWS RELEASE
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The Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre announced today that the 53rd annual K-W Multicultural Festival, scheduled for June 20th and 21st, has been cancelled.

Festival organizers recognized that the most of the volunteer teams, ethnic associations, and vendors who work together to make the annual event a success would not be able to prepare, rehearse and organize, even if physical distancing measures were lifted by May.

“People start preparing to participate in the Festival in March and April.” said Lucia Harrison, CEO of the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre.  “Even if physical-distancing is no longer necessary by the beginning of May, there just won't be enough time for our amateur performers to rehearse or for community groups to plan and organize their participation.   As the agency responsible for the Festival, we have a responsibility to balance all of the risk factors with our commitment to this community.  It honestly doesn't seem like a good idea to have upwards of 50,000 people come through Victoria Park while our community might still be recovering from a pandemic.”

The Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, which provides employment and settlement support services to newcomers to the community also processes nearly 20,000 interpretation requests each year.  “The demand for our services has gone up, not down, as a result of COVID-19” said Harrison.  “We're working closely with the Region, the schools, and front-line healthcare workers to ensure that everyone in our community has access to accurate information about COVID-19 and what they need to do.”

“Just wait till next year,” she added.  “It will be the best Festival yet.”

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