Folklorama to hold annual event virtually this year

Folklorama will be celebrating ethnocultural diverse communities in an online session from August 6 to 8 due to the pandemic.

“We’re missing the public this year, but we’re also excited to still be involved with the community somehow,” said Teresa Cotroneo, Executive Director of Folklorama.

Folklorama first started in 1970 and is now the world’s longest-running multicultural organization of its kind, with a variety of programs, events and workshops. In 2019, the organization had its best year regarding numbers, followed by its worst when the pandemic hit at the beginning of last year.

“We had to cut down our team, we had to figure out how we were going to keep the doors open as far as an organization perspective and we also had to reimagine some of our programming,” said Cotroneo.

‘Folklorama Fusion’ will be the first time people will experience the festival’s artists and pavilions without being there in person.

“We’re able to reach audiences that normally attend the festival or even those who are international and don’t usually have that possibility,” she added.

Each night will feature a different region, such as Asia and Africa in the first night, the Americas in the second, and Europe in the third.

“That’s the thing about Manitoba – we are such a multicultural community and I have no doubt that Folklorama’s legacy has kept that community vibrance alive,” said Cotroneo.

For more information about the event and on how to participate or volunteer, you can access www.folklorama.ca 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U Multicultural.