A popular Toronto market is throwing its biggest celebration of the year next month at a prominent city square in Toronto.
On May 9 and 10, The Welcome Market will run its two-day Asian Heritage Month Celebration at Mel Lastman Square, located at 5100 Yonge St.
“The Welcome Market has hosted an Asian Heritage Month Celebration for the past three years, driven by strong community demand for inclusive spaces that celebrate and support local Asian-owned businesses,” the market’s creator and founder, Cindy Chau, told Toronto.com.
“After the success of last year that garnered over 10,000 attendees in one day, the event returns to North York’s Mel Lastman Square, expanding to two days to meet growing interest and attendance.”
So, if you missed The Welcome Market’s Lunar New Year celebration earlier this year in February, now’s your chance to join in on the excitement.
The Asian Heritage Month Celebration is free to attend and will include over 95 local Asian-owned vendors offering handmade goods, food, desserts, art, vintage clothing and accessories, and more.
The lineup includes Lack of Threads, Desi Design and Chai, Japan Taco, Oh That’s Neat, and Ruru Baked, who will be offering an exclusive ice cream flavour in collaboration with SUKOSHI.
Toronto’s Ruru Baked will be featured in the lineup at The Welcome Market’s Asian Heritage Month Celebration.
The Welcome Market/Shane D’Costa
The celebration will also feature two days of live onstage entertainment highlighting local Asian talent. Expect traditional dances, K-pop dance groups including SEAgalz, and performances from Alice Li, Elyssa Plaza and The Placeholders.
And new this year, there will also be a beer garden.
“Preparations have been more seamless compared to last year, as last year was our first time hosting our event at Mel Lastman Square,” Chau said.
“Not only is this the biggest space we’ve hosted in to date, it’s also biggest in terms of planning, as we have more elements to execute, including scheduling two days of performances, planning overnight security to surveillance 20,000 square feet of space and creating a beer garden for the first time.”
More ways to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Toronto
For more ways to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Toronto this May, stop by Stackt Market’s Asian Night Market, running as part of its BACKYARD series.
Taking place on May 16, the celebration will kick off at 4 p.m. at 28 Bathurst St.
“We’re creating an experience that reflects the breadth of Asian cultures through food, entertainment, shopping and community programming,” the team at Stackt told Toronto.com.
Guests can look forward to food and drink options that represent regions across Asia, along with a curated selection of local artisans and makers at the night market.
And throughout the evening there will also be live DJs, cultural dance performances, including Chinese lion dance, and mah-jong instruction in the clubhouse.