Vietnamese Lantern Festival, Sept. 15 at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Co-produced with the Vietnamese Women’s Association of Toronto and presented by CIBC

TORONTO, ON (Aug. 15, 2012) – Harbourfront Centre is pleased to announce our celebration of the Vietnamese Lantern Festival presented by CIBC on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Also known as Tet Trung Thu, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is a time for families across East Asia to gather and celebrate the end of the summer harvest by eating moon cakes, lighting lanterns and gazing at the moon and stars.

As our city continues to diversify, the beauty of experiencing and understanding the meaning of different cultural practices and celebrations is a powerful point of transformation for each and every one of us.

 Harbourfront Centre and our co-producer, the Vietnamese Women’s Association of Toronto (VWAT), hope to share the holiday traditions with families from a range of cultural backgrounds. Join our celebration and explore the meaning of the Vietnamese Lantern Festival as it is seen through the perspective of the Vietnamese community.

The festival also provides a great warm-up to the pan-Asian culinary celebration, Fortune Cooking Festival, which will be held on Sunday, Sept. 16.

Complete event listings are attached. Highlights of Vietnamese Lantern Festival include:

• Performances from singers, dancers and others;
• An Ao Dai Competition in which contestants of all ages strut their traditional dresses for prizes;
• A range of traditional treats on offer at the mooncake tasting;
• Family-friendly lantern-making activities …and more!

 For additional information and complete event listings, the public may visit harbourfrontcentre.com/summer or call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000. Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West in the heart of downtown Toronto’s waterfront.

ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE SUMMER FESTIVALS

Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, not-for-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront. Our summer festival season runs from Victoria Day weekend through Thanksgiving weekend, and features over 20 festivals and events that offer The World in One Place. For more information visit harbourfrontcentre.com/summer

ABOUT THE VIETNAMESE WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF TORONTO (VWAT)

The Vietnamese Women’s Association of Toronto is committed to advancing education, providing supportive counselling, promoting healthy living, encouraging integration for newcomer communities, raising awareness of domestic violence and fostering community development.