Biggest festivals and celebrations in Canada for international students
Folklorama
This two week festival held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, takes place in August every year. Started in 1970, Folklorama is meant to be a celebration of diversity and aims at promoting cultural understanding . This festival sees more than 450,000 attendees, all of whom are invited to sample foods from various cuisines and celebrate the cultural and ethinic heritage of the numerous communities that have made Manitoba their home. This festival can be the ideal destination for international students, who would be able to experience not only Canadian culture but also many others, and thus learn about Canada.
Canada Day
The national day of Canada, celebrated on the first of July every year, is known as Canada Day. This day is the anniversary of the Canadian Confederation that occurred on 1st July, 1867, when four separate colonies were merged to form a single dominion within the British Empire, called Canada. Since it is a national holiday, this is one of the most widely celebrated occasions in Canada, with citizens bursting fireworks, hosting barbecues, attending concerts, carnivals, fairs, parades and lots more. An international student can get to know a lot about Canadian history and its patriotic pride through Canada Day celebrations and so this is one unmissable occasion for them.
VanDusen Festival of Lights
The VanDusen Festival of Lights is held in the VanDusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver every year at the end of November. This festival generally goes on till the start of the new year, and during this period, the 15 acres of VanDusen Botanical Gardens are lit up with more than a million lights, transforming it into a fairy-tale-like winter wonderland. Attended by more than 100,000 people, in groups of families as well as friends, this festival allows attendees to take in the breathtaking natural beauty of the spot and relax in an idyllic setting, at a negligible cost.
Toronto International Film Festival
One of the most popular and acclaimed film festivals in the world, the Toronto Film Festival or TIFF is attended by more than 400,000 people each year, which includes esteemed members of the film industry. The festival takes place over a period of 10 days in fall, right after Labour Day. TIFF was launched in 1976 and currently screens upto 300 films, and aims at bringing various cinematic masterpieces together and showcase the transformative power of films. This festival is also surrounded by Toronto’s vibrant culture, which only adds to its allure. For international students that are interested in exploring life through cinema, TIFF can be the perfect place.
Winterlude
One of the most famous festivals in Canada, Winterlude is a winter festival held in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec in the month of February. Started in 1979, this festival is run by the Department of Canadian Heritage and gets up to 1.6 million visits. Usually lasting for 3-4 weekends, the festival hosts various activity centres like a huge ice skating rink, a snowflake kingdom, ice sculpture garden, as well as various other cultural exhibits. This festival is a wonderful opportunity for international students to experience the Canadian winters, winter activities and also learn more about Canadian culture.
Conclusion
Canada is fast becoming one of the most popular destinations for international students to pursue their higher education. In order to get to experience Canada and its culture and heritage to the fullest, students can attend any of its famous festivals and events that are not only educational but also a lot of fun. Furthermore, apart from the festivals listed above, students can also opt to attend other events like the Toronto Caribbean Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, the Quebec Winter Carnival and many more.