Status Active Country Canada Attendance 100,000+ | Inaugurated 2003 | |
 | ||
Organized by Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM) | ||
Taste of Asia is a non-profit, annual street festival organized by the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM) and is located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest Asian Festival in Canada with over 150,000 attendees each year. Major attractions include exotic food vendors, live performances, and a variety of community events ranging from basketball competitions to hot sauce competitions. The festival takes place between the intersections Kennedy Road and Clayton Drive to Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue East during the last weekend of June. It is located beside Pacific Mall and Market Village.
Contents
In 2012, 2013, and 2014, Taste of Asia was named as one of the top festivals in Ontario by Festivals and Events Ontario.
Programming
Taste of Asia showcases various performances relating to Asian culture including musical performances, dances, and martial arts performances. In 2013, Taste of Asia featured The Voice of China contestant Zhang Wei.
History
Taste of Asia was created in 2003 during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) with the goal of recovering the local economy.
Organizer
Since its establishment, FCCM has been involved, organized and participated in a variety of events that promote the Chinese community and culture, most notably the annual Taste of Asia street festival. Other events include the Chinese New Year Celebration 2016 at the Markham Civic Centre and Vaughn City Hall, Mid-Autumn Festival, Thanksgiving, PRC Flag Raising, YRP International Day of Elimination of Discrimination and many more. FCCM's goal for organizing these events is not only to bring awareness to the Chinese culture but to also interact and appreciate other cultural backgrounds participating. FCCM also has collaborated with multiple other charitable organizations in the past such as United Way of York Region, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Markham-Stouffville Hospital, and the Canadian Red Cross.