On May 31, 2025, the Dragon Boat Festival Cultural Community Fair, hosted by the International Psychology Association of Canada (IPAC), was successfully held at Angus Glen Community Centre. The event attracted nearly 300 community members, representing over 100 families, bringing together participants ranging in age from a 90-year-old senior to young children, all gathering to celebrate this cherished traditional festival.
IPAC was honoured to welcome Member of Parliament Michael Ma and Markham Regional Councillor Alan Ho, who attended the event in person. Both guests delivered warm and engaging remarks and actively interacted with community booths, energizing the atmosphere and demonstrating strong community support for cultural heritage, community wellbeing, and mental health awareness.
IPAC was honoured to welcome Member of Parliament Michael Ma and Markham Regional Councillor Alan Ho, who attended the event in person. Both guests delivered warm and engaging remarks and actively interacted with community booths, energizing the atmosphere and demonstrating strong community support for cultural heritage, community wellbeing, and mental health awareness.
The event featured over ten interactive booths, each showcasing creativity and cultural charm. Popular stations included traditional games, hands-on activities, and tradition quizzes that blended festival traditions with mental wellbeing themes. Families and children enthusiastically participated in activities such as pitch-pot games, paper dragon boat races, and interactive quizzes focused on emotion awareness and self-care, creating a lively and engaging atmosphere.
The Eyes on Mi booth attracted both adults and children with Zongzi-themed bookmark painting and five-colour string DIY activities. Through creative expression and hands-on crafting, participants connected with Dragon Boat Festival traditions while celebrating cultural heritage and wellbeing.
Hanfu Culture and Traditional Ambience
Hanyi Tianxia presented over a dozen exquisite Hanfu outfits for on-site try-on, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the elegance of traditional Chinese aesthetics. The refined crimson designs attracted long lines of visitors eager to dress up and take photos. From young children to elderly participants, community members experienced the beauty and cultural significance of traditional attire—each change of costume becoming a meaningful dialogue with heritage and aesthetics.
At the same time, the Canadian East Asian Traditional Culture Association enriched the event with traditional horn bows and reconstructed armor displays. Participants took part in ceremonial archery and tried on armor for photos, gaining a hands-on appreciation of the dignity and history of traditional Chinese martial culture, further elevating the festive atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the Canadian East Asian Traditional Culture Association added a strong historical dimension to the event with displays of traditional horn bows and reconstructed armor. Participants experienced ceremonial archery and tried on armor for photos, gaining a hands-on appreciation of the dignity and heritage of traditional Chinese martial culture, which further enhanced the festive atmosphere.
Member of Parliament Michael Ma and Markham Regional Councillor Alan Ho also visited the booth, engaging warmly with participants, experiencing traditional cultural activities, and taking photos with community members—demonstrating strong support for Chinese cultural heritage and community integration.
Lovinyanna Children’s Wear invited participants to create festive outfits using paper templates, encouraging children to use their imagination to dress dolls in holiday-themed designs. Both children and adults also joined a colouring activity, decorating paper zongzi and expressing festive spirit through hands-on creativity.
The booth by Nanguo Pear Creative Studio showcased the traditional art of movable-type printing. Participants experienced the full process—from selecting characters and arranging type to hand printing—creating booklets of classical Chinese poetry. Through this immersive activity, children and families gained a tangible sense of the depth and weight of cultural heritage.
The face painting booth was a crowd favourite from the very beginning, with long lines forming throughout the event and many families stopping to join in. From children’s beloved cartoon designs to festive-themed patterns, participants eagerly chose their favourite artwork to be painted on their faces or hands, leaving behind a vivid and joyful festival memory.
The thoughtfully styled dried flower and sachet booth also drew steady attention. Colourful sachets, traditional aromatic herbs, and dried flowers were beautifully displayed. With guidance from volunteers, participants hand-stitched fragrant sachets and selected dried flower bouquets, experiencing the cultural tradition of “wearing fragrance for good fortune” associated with the Dragon Boat Festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival Community Fair featured a dedicated stage performance program that ran throughout the event, earning enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience.
The Domimi Senior Band delivered heartfelt performances of ten classic songs, with warm and nostalgic melodies that resonated deeply with attendees. Familiar tunes filled the venue, evoking cherished memories and creating a vibrant and emotionally rich festive atmosphere.
This was followed by a Qipao fashion showcase, featuring several band members gracefully taking the stage in elegant traditional attire. With coordinated movements and poised elegance, the performers beautifully highlighted the grace of Chinese women and the timeless charm of traditional dress, earning warm applause from the audience.
In addition, the event featured a Tai Chi sword martial arts performance by Mr. Du Yunfeng. With movements that flowed seamlessly and balanced strength with softness, the performance showcased the calm power and depth of traditional Chinese martial arts, adding a dynamic yet harmonious cultural dimension to the festival.
During the performances, IPAC was honoured to welcome Member of Parliament Michael Ma and Markham Regional Councillor Alan Ho, who delivered remarks to the audience.
MP Michael Ma and Markham Regional Councillor Alan Ho commended IPAC’s work in advancing multicultural engagement and community mental health education, and presented certificates of recognition. IPAC sincerely thanks both officials for their support.
Reflecting on IPAC’s rapid growth over the past six months and the successful delivery of each event, none of this would have been possible without the dedication and support of our volunteer team. From early-stage planning and material preparation to on-site setup, crowd coordination, and booth assistance, every step was made possible by their time, energy, and passion.
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