On June 1 and 2, people from all over the Greater Toronto area will be attending the first ever Canadian halal food festival, Halal Food Fest TO. They will be joined at The International Centre by a diverse group of Torontonians as well as many others from cities across Canada like Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and the US! During the two-day festival there will be lots to see, lots to do and of course, lots to eat! Admission and parking are both free!
With over 60 food booths in Sample City, attendees will have a chance to try everything from Japanese to Italian cuisine with the purchase of sample tickets — $10 will get you 20 sample tickets. Gone are the days when “halal food” referred to only shawarma or butter chicken, the Toronto halal food scene is bursting with more options than ever before.
After Sample City, attendees can enjoy seminars, demonstrations and competitions at the Norcan Community Stage such as a mocktail demonstration by popular Canadian blogger, SoberJulie. Attendees can also experience one of many cheese-tasting seminars hosted throughout both days by Platinum Sponsor, Dairy Farmers of Canada. Also on hand as Platinum Sponsor is the sweet crew at Redpath Sugar who will delight guests with their interactive exhibit and sweet treats.
Walk outside to Street Fest where we have even more food exhibitors, a large children’s area and another outdoor stage where our Chefs will be cooking and sampling their creations during two demonstrations with halal chicken provided by our Presenting sponsor Mina Foods.
“We are so proud to sponsor the first Canadian Halal Food Festival and support the diverse needs of Canadians with a variety of wholesome, high quality, hand slaughtered halal chicken that our consumers can enjoy,” says Pam Kellogg, Sr. Marketing Director of Mina Foods (subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods Inc.).
Thousands have already pre-registered for the event. Numbers of registrations continue to grow as the community is buzzing with excitement.
The two-day festival has something for everyone – from guest speakers and chefs, to a Rib and Grill Fest and cake decorating competition. Comedian Azhar Usman is flying in to the festival to showcase his newest act on Sunday (5:00 p.m.), as well as judge the much anticipated Grill Master 2013 competition. The Halal Food Fest TO is also proud to support local talent Mustaqeem, a young group, who will also be performing on Sunday.
Those attending the festival will also have the chance to give back to the community; the Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto will be hosting their Ramadan Drive and accepting donations of non-perishable items. It’s important to the Team that although this is a celebration of food, we also remember those that aren’t as fortunate. The Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto is a wonderful organization that regularly contributes to society and helps others, regardless of race, religion and gender.
