DiverseCity Multicultural Festival

The annual DiverseCity Multicultural Festival is organized by IRSA in collaboration with government and municipal funders, sponsors, community partners and volunteers. The Festival celebrates population diversity on the Island and showcases food, live music and dance, skills and talents demonstrations, and arts and crafts representing immigrant and First Nations cultures.

Background

The first DiverseCity took place on Victoria Row in Charlottetown in 2007. The Association's community outreach team wanted to bring new and old Islanders together in a meaningful, celebratory way to mark Canadian Multiculturalism Day, and the idea of a street festival was born. DiverseCity was an opportunity for new immigrants to showcase their cultures and a chance for the established Islanders to present their cultures to newcomers. The event ended with a live music performance and street dance.

From then on, DiverseCity grew larger every year. More activity booths, food vendors, and demonstrations were added, and the number of participants and represented cultures increased with each subsequent annual event.

In 2014, DiverseCity became a multi-event fair held in all three counties of the province and is now an essential part of the Prince Edward Island summer festival line-up.

To mark its 10th anniversary in 2016, DiverseCity organizers added a citizenship ceremony to kick off the events in Charlottetown. Celebrating the newest Canadians at the Festival has now become a tradition.

DiverseCity Now

The annual DiverseCity Multicultural Festival continues to take place in multiple Island locations over the summer months. Performers, vendors, artisans, community groups, and activity leaders represent about eighty different cultures each year. The Festival is an occasion for everyone to celebrate the Island's diverse community that is continuously becoming culturally richer thanks to immigration.