Pacific Mall hosts Togather Chinatown Arts Festival

Dozens of local artists showcased their work over the weekend for the "Togather Chinatown Arts Festival" ahead of Lunar New Year.

Pacific Mall in Edmonton’s Chinatown was bustling with artists and art-lovers alike over the weekend.

Togather Chinatown Arts Festival is a multi-cultural art, food and community event that takes place over the Lunar New Year.

Among an artists market featuring more than 45 local artists, there was also live music, kids activities, face painting, cultural workshops and tours of Chinatown.

Founder and lead organizer Emily Chu said the name “Togather” comes from a Chinese saying that means “don’t leave until we meet.”

“It’s this idea of getting together at a particular place to show love, accountability and friendship,” said Chu.

Chu said she is happy to see other Lunar New Year events throughout the city, but wanted to make sure people were still coming to Chinatown.

“We don’t want to forget about Chinatown … I really wanted to bring it back to this core, because there is so much history and so much importance here,” she said. “I think a lot of our hearts are here as well.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti