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Surrey 'Festival of smiles' to celebrate Filipino heritage, culture for 2nd year

Two-day Fiesta Extravaganza June 29-30 at Surrey Civic Plaza
yamconcepcion
Yam Concepcion performs at the 2023 Fiesta Extravaganza at Surrey Civic Plaza, where the festival returns this weekend, June 29-30.

Non-stop Filipino entertainment, food, games, contests and more will fill Surrey Civic Plaza during another Surrey Fiesta Extravaganza this weekend.

Admission is free at the two-day festival, which launched at the plaza last summer and returns Saturday and Sunday (June 29-30).

"We had close to 10,000 people last year, and people come and go, maybe more this year," said Rey Fortaleza, event organizer.

Similar festivals are held in cities across Canada including Vaughan, Ont., where a Fiesta Extravaganza was first held in 2018. "We are now in 10 cities," reported Fortaleza, publisher of Filipino newspapers and a former Olympic boxer (1976, Montreal).

This weekend in Surrey, the celebrity guest will be Ariel Rivera, to perform at 5 p.m. Sunday. "He's a very popular singer in the Philippines and he also lives in Toronto," Fortaleza said. "He might visit Saturday as well, just to say hello to the community."

Advertised as "the most celebrated Filipino cultural event in Canada," festival details are posted on facebook.com/surreyfiestaextravaganza and also fiestaextravaganza.com.

 

 



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news for Surrey Now-Leader and Black Press Media
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