Toronto’s Taste of Manila to be back with gusto Aug. 17-18

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a past Taste of Manila festival. INQUIRER FILE

TORONTO — The biggest annual Filipino street festival in the world outside of the Philippines is a food festival called Taste of Manila. This year, on August 17-18, it is happening again in “Little Manila” in North York, Greater Toronto Area, home of the largest concentration of Filipinos in Canada.

The corner of Bathurst and Wilson avenues is considered to be the epicenter of Toronto’s Filipino community, a main watering hole of the vibrant, hardworking Filipinos in Toronto.

When Taste of Manila started in 2014 in the Bathurst and Wilson Avenue area, organizers hoped to get 5,000 attendees.  Well, 75,000 showed up that year.

Two years later, no less than Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau checked out the Filipino summer event whose attendance had already leapfrogged to 350,000.  Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory have also graced the event.

The original Taste of Manila concept was simple: make Canadians flock to Toronto’s “Little Manila” to feast on Philippine delicacies and savor authentic Filipino culinary delights. No 5-star Michelin chefs, just homegrown cooking from the participating vendors’ Filipino roots.

Aside from servings of the likes of sisig fries, ukoy or deep-fried shrimp fritters, Pinoy-style pork, chicken and octopus barbeque, and more versions of adobo, pancit, chicharon, lumpia, halo-halo and gulaman, there are karaokes galore, street wear and gear, Filipino arts, crafts and novelty items, street games, among others, and a two-day program of entertainment, featuring music and dance.

ABS-CBN TFC has been a partner of Taste of Manila by providing world-class Filipino performers.  More details on this to follow.

ABS-CBN’s MOR 101.9 is holding the Regional Finals of its Pinoy Pop Icon contest on August 17, 2019, the first day of Taste of Manila.

The contest is open to all unsigned Filipino singers who are permanent residents of Canada, aged 18 years old and above.  The aspiring contestants can prepare a 3-5-minute YouTube video of two songs, one in English, one in Filipino in a cappella.  They can email the video link with their full name and telephone number to [email protected] with the subject line, MOR Talent Search 2019.

Deadline for submission is on July 20, 2019.  The chosen finalists will be notified via email and will get the chance to compete at the Taste of Manila for a cash prize of CAD1,000 and a chance to become a digital recording artist under Star Music label in the Philippines.

Linofiel Eroma, chair of Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance (PLACA), Taste of Manila organizer, said, “(Taste of Manila) is one of the strongest ways to unite Filipinos to our fiestas back in the Philippines. The main takeaway of attendees and participants is a tasteful experience of Filipino culture, food, entertainment and our world-renowned hospitality.  It’s an event that brings out Filipino heritage for everyone in Canada to appreciate and savor.”