Toronto is getting its first-ever Filipino Christmas market
You probably know all about the Toronto Christmas market at the Distillery, but this year the city is getting something totally new: a Christmas market that's totally Filipino. It's also totally free to attend.
The Christmas Goods and Food Bazaar happening soon is intended to make people feel like they're really in the Philippines for the holidays, with lights, Christmas parols, carolling, and a marketplace.
The event is slated to have a carolling performance, display of parols, and over 50 booths to shop at as part of the bazaar, plus all-day programming from Filipino talent. There's a raffle and vendors serving Filipino food like puto bumbong (steamed rice cakes), hamon (Filipino-style ham), pansit (noodles), sapin-sapin (layered dessert) and queso de bola.
Vendors will include FV Foods, Ensanemada and Albi Sushi. For activities, there'll even be contests for carolling and parols.
If you're not already aware, it's common to start getting in the Christmas spirit early in Filipino culture. While a Christmas market in October might seem early, many Filipino households already have trees and decorations up.
The holiday season really begins in the culture when it first starts to get cold, affectionately referred to as the Ber season. The latter starts in SeptemBER and lasts through OctoBER, NovemBER and DecemBER. (Get it? Brrrrr.)
This is only happening for one day only, so if you're obsessed with Filipino Christmas, here's a great opportunity to start the season off with an appropriately early bang.
The Christmas Goods and Food Bazaar will take place on October 22 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto at 5183 Sheppard Ave. E.
Ensanemada
