Filipino arts and eats fest goes mainstream in Toronto

Kultura arts festival in Totonto featured performances, food and handicraft KAPISANAN PHILIPPINE CENTRE FOR ARTS & CULTURE/DJ TRAN PHOTO

Crowds at Kultura Filipino Arts Festival at Wychwood Barns. KAPISANAN PHILIPPINE CENTRE FOR ARTS & CULTURE PHOTOS

TORONTO, Canada — Kain Kalye or the Filipino Street Eats Competition drew lines of eager tasters at the 9th Annual Kultura Filipino Arts Festival August 7 to 10 at Wychwood Barns.

Grazers shelled out $3 to $7 for halo-halo, longganisa, chicken and pork barbecues and other traditional Filipino dishes, from local eateries like Halo-Halo World Café, TitaFlips, Lola Kusina, Tocino Boys and Lamesa. The six-month-old Lola Kusina’s crispy siopao won the popular vote.

With “cultural pride and a progressive outlook on the Filipino-Canadian experience, Kultura Filipino Arts Festival has captured the broader Toronto public for a decade with its innovative programming of live performances, traditional and modern cuisine, curated interactive art installations and a bustling marketplace,” reports CBC News Toronto.

The Kultura Filipino Arts Festival Marketplace offered wares from Filipino-Canadian arts and crafts sellers.

Tocino Boys barbecue a big hit at Kain Kalye