'We're trying to remember the tragedies, but not focus on them,' says Ukrainian Canadian Congress member.
'We're trying to remember the tragedies, but not focus on them,' says Ukrainian Canadian Congress memberMarc Shwec says this year's Toronto Ukrainian Festival will have 'non-stop' music and dance performances and even feature a fairground for kids. He says it's an opportunity to enjoy Ukrainian culture, but also celebrate the homeland's fight against Russia.
From Friday to Sunday, people can once again celebrate Ukrainian history and culture through a wide array of art installations, dance performances, food stalls and local businesses.The festival kicks off as Ukrainefrom a mass burial site said to contain hundreds who died at the hands of the Russian military, with evidence to suggest that some were tortured.
A news release from the festival says this year's is the biggest edition yet, with 900,000 people expected to visit. Shwec says this year's festival may break all the attendance records so far, with thousands of Ukrainians entering Canada in the past few months alone.She fled to Poland from Ukraine in late March and eventually immigrated to Regina. But she made sure she'd be in Toronto for the festival, and even signed on as a volunteer.
Hanna Pashko fled Kyiv, Ukraine after Russia's invasion in February. While talking to CBC Toronto, she draped herself in a flag that combines the national flags of Ukraine and Canada.A march of solidarity at 11 a.m. on Saturday, featuring Ukraine's allied countries and community groups from High Park to Jane Street along Bloor Street West.