The annual Celebration Canada, an outdoor festival featuring Canadian music and food, will be returning to Taiwan on June 25 after a two-year hiatus to mark the country’s 155th birthday.
Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jordan Reeves said the event, being organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (CCCT), is the largest foreign national day event celebrated in Taiwan.
An estimated 9,000 people attended it in 2019, the last time it was held before COVID-19 swept across the globe, and Reeves said the Taiwan festival will be the only large public Canada Day celebration to be held this year in Northeast Asia.
“Celebration Canada is an expression of Canadian values, the values that Canada and Taiwan share today. It is an opportunity for Canadians, Taiwanese and all friends of Canada to celebrate the freedoms we all enjoy, together,” he said.
Praising the strong ties between Canada and Taiwan, Reeves said the two sides have built close people-to-people ties, especially after many Taiwanese emigrated to Canada in the 1990s.
Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council estimates that there are more than 150,000 people of Taiwanese origin in Canada while his office estimates that there are 60,000 Canadian passport holders living in Taiwan, according to Reeves.
Meanwhile, both sides have a lot to celebrate on Canada National Day, Reeves said, noting that prior to the pandemic, there was record travel between Canada and Taiwan, with nearly 250,000 individual trips taken in 2019.
In 2021, Canada-Taiwan trade surpassed 10 billion Canadian dollars for the first time, he said.
Canada and Taiwan also recently announced the start of exploratory discussions on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement, he said.
According to the CCCT, Celebration Canada will be held from 1-9 p.m. at Taipei Expo Park in Yuanshan on June 25 and feature Canadian outdoor culture and fashion, music and art, games, and authentic food and drinks imported from Canada. Admission is free.
The family-friendly event will again feature a “Family Zone,” with the Bouncy Castle for kids, face painting and tattoo sticker booths, and a hockey area.
A raffle will also be held for prizes including airline tickets to Canada and limited edition t-shirts, the CCCT said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel