13 August 2015 – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto joined the celebration of the Halo-Halo Filipino Festival 2015 held last August 09 at the Artscape Wychwood Barns in mid-town Toronto.

The second annual staging of the event proved to be bigger and better than last year, with more entertainment numbers that ranged from Filipino, Latino and Chinese dances, martial arts demonstrations to cultural performances and children’s games. The Philippine Artist Group once again conducted a plein air sketching session, while traditional Filipino comfort food was available at the open-air section of the venue, including the eponymous refreshing dessert.

The Consulate General put up a booth in the event venue that featured tourism materials, as well as information on services provided by the Consulate General, including dual citizenship, passport renewal and overseas voting. Save-the-Date flyers for Winter Escapade 3 were also distributed at the booth. Philippine Consul General Rosalita S. Prospero gave a talk to the assembled audience on the relevance of Halo Halo to the multicultural scene in Canada and participated in a demonstration of traditional Ifugao dance.

Among the special guests during the festival were Canada’s Finance Minister Joe Oliver and Ward 21 Councilor Joe Mihevc. 

The Halo Halo Filipino Festival 2015 is a project of the Halo Halo Organization spearheaded by Filipino community leaders Voltaire de Leon, Rose Tijam, Rohra Ann Nacorda, Maria Guiao, Marcie Bernal and Hernani de Leon. END