Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival pivots to online offerings for second year in a row

Kitchener — The Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival will be forced to a virtual model for the second year in a row amid ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Wednesday, organizers said even if the stay-at-home order is lifted June 2, it wouldn't provide enough time for event performers and merchants to prepare for the late-June festival.

Instead, the 54th edition of the festival will take place on the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre's YouTube channel. The festival runs through the last week of June, with a one-hour special planned for Saturday, June 26 at 7 p.m.

"Last year we had our very first online Festival," Lucia Harrison, chief executive of the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, said in a release. "It allowed people to interact with some of our artisans, enjoy story-telling, participate in hands-on activities and engage with local performers on YouTube. This year we're doing even more online."

The Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre provides employment and settlement support services to newcomers to the community. The organization also processes about 20,000 interpretation requests each year.

"The demand for our services has gone up, not down, as a result of COVID-19," Harrison said. "We're working closely with the Region, the schools, and front-line healthcare workers to ensure that everyone in our community has access to accurate information about COVID-19 and what they need to do."