The people of Toronto can experience traveling halfway across the world without ever leaving the comfort of their city by attending A Taste of Nigeria — a celebration of the nation's independence, art, history and culture.
The festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday at Royal Event Centre. Kids enter free, while tickets cost $12 at presale and $25 at the door. They can be purchased here.
This year is the 9th iteration of the cultural celebration that began in Dallas Fort Worth in 2014. In 2020, the organizer Arispop decided to take the show on the road to other American cities as well, Kpegekie 'Peggy' Simmons, owner and event manager at Arispop, told TasteToronto.
Now for the main reason that many of you might have clicked on the story for: the food!
A Taste of Nigeria will feature traditional Nigerian fare like jollof rice, a dough-like food called fufu, egusi soup and amala — a local indigenous Yoruba food that is slowly finding its spot in mainstream food culture.
Simmons said that she focused on curating a list of food vendors that spanned the spectrum of Nigerian food so that patrons would have the opportunity to try and buy a variety of dishes.
Some of the vendors that will appear at the festival include Siya's Tradition, Dominion Foods and Kugurt.
2022 is a landmark year for the event, as it is its first outing in Canada and the first step overall into international waters. Before Toronto, A Taste of Nigeria will also take place in Calgary on Saturday. There is also a date available for next year in Canada when the event heads to Edmonton in July.
People had been asking for international iterations of the festival for a while now, be it in Canada or out east in London, England, Simmons said.
Canada became the first choice for expansion, owing to its proximity to the United States and the similar culture and setting it provides, she said. It was "easier to do business next door," she added.
"We'll start with that first, and if it goes well, we'll expand to other countries," Simmons said.
The organizers are looking to expand into Canada on a city-by-city basis, similar to how they did in America.
As for the reception of the event, Simmons said that people have taken well to celebrating Nigeria in the United States, albeit with some cities faring better than others. She hopes for more of the same in Canada as well.
At the end of the day, the event's goal is to continue to spread the culture and diversity of the West African nation and provide local businesses with an opportunity to grow and expand, Simmons said.
A Taste of Nigeria seeks to be a personal guide to the bounties of Nigeria, taking you on a journey through the country's art, history, food, culture, dance, fashion and heritage.
The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday at Royal Event Center located at 30 Gordon Mackay Rd. Tickets are available to be purchased here. For more information, visit the festival's website.
Patrons are urged to purchase their tickets beforehand so that the vendors can get a rough estimate of how much food to prepare for the event.
