On Saturday, September 26th from 2pm to 8pm, Abbotsford will celebrate its diversity for the 8th year in a row. This year we are proud to announce a new partnership with the University of the Fraser Valley allowing AbbyFest to relocate to the University grounds. Admission is free as always, AND parking will also be completely FREE through a generous waiving of all parking fees for the day by the University. The Parade of Nations, led by First Nations representatives, will kick off the Festival at 2pm.
Entertainment will take place throughout the day and will feature family-oriented dancing, music and demonstrations highlighting more than 10 countries and 6 languages, each represented by our performers. The popular Multicultural Fashion Show by the UFV International Students is once again a highlight of the day, appearing at approximately 4pm, and plenty of music and dancing from local artists.
Our main stage highlight performance will feature the Filipino band “7th Route”. Comprised of professional musicians who have previously been on “the circuit” in the Philippines, this high energy group will play your favourite contemporary North American songs and showcase numbers in Tagalog. 7th Route will get everyone dancing as the sun goes down, starting at 7pm.
The brand new UFV Student Union Building will be open on campus for food and beverages along with our returning multicultural food court. Enjoy more than 40 booths spread across “The Green” in the middle of the UFV Campus while back-to-back entertainment on the main stage will keep your toes tapping all day long. At approximately 6:00pm live music takes over the main stage and the focus turns to a party atmosphere with a lineup of professional bands.
This event caps off a week of festivities around Culture Days, a national organization dedicated to building a network of cultural connections devoted to providing Canadians with opportunities to participate in, and appreciate, all forms of arts and culture.
Culture Days raises the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. With the support of volunteer groups at the national, provincial and local levels, hundreds of thousands of artists, cultural workers, organizations and groups, volunteers and supporters self-mobilize to host free participatory public activities that take place in hundreds of cities and towns throughout the country over the last weekend of September each year.
AbbyFest is proud to be a part of Culture Days and we look forward to welcoming thousands of Abbotsford citizens ready to explore our diversity and enjoy the flavours, sights and sounds from every corner of the culture represented in our community.
