MuslimFest a resounding success
(July 25, 2011) – Mississauga’s Celebration Square was transformed over the weekend into a celebration of Canadian Muslim culture.
The 8th Annual MuslimFest drew thousands of people, the largest attendance in its history, making the festival a resounding success.
Attendees came from across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as from other provinces and the U.S., to experience a colourful display of Muslim culture.
The two-day festival, held at Mississauga’s new public square, showcased art in all forms, including visual, performance, comedic and food.
Celebration Square, with its centerpiece main stage, was ringed by tents that formed the festival bazaar that was constantly bustling with crowds.
“Moving to the completely outdoor venue means we are more accessible, both physically and financially, given that all the programming is now at a barrier-free facility and free of charge,” explained Taha Ghayyur, MuslimFest board of director member.
Thousands turned out on Saturday evening to attend the Sound of Islam concert that featured two crowd pleasers – international Pakistani vocal artists, Junaid Jamshed and Najam Sheraz.
Impressive performances were put in by France’s Le Rappel and American spoken word artist, Carlos Andres-Gomez.
Earlier in the day, a capacity crowd attended the film screening of the movie, Fordson. A similarly packed auditorium attended the showing on Sunday of the movie, Mooz-lum.
The festival was very much a family affair.
A Fun Village for the kids featured camel rides courtesy of the Bowmanville Zoo, inflatable jumping tents and a basketball tournament.
The camel rides were a huge attraction for the kids.
The Adam’s World puppet show proved to be popular once again.
On Sunday, the Rising Talent Show provided young Muslims the opportunity to showcase their skills in an effort to win $1,000 presented by Faith of Life Network.
Other attractions included a large mural painted by artist, El-Seed; Rohina Malik’s play, ‘Unveiled; and the display of paintings by Chicago artist, Michael Klaus Schmidt.
The festival concluded on Sunday evening with the Laughter for Peace Comedy Show on the main stage.
The show turned out to be a highlight of the weekend’s events.
Hosted by CBC’s broadcast reporter, Muhammad Lila, it starred Ahmad Ahmad, the Funatical Comedy Tour (Omar Regan, Mike Batayeh, Samson Koletkar), Waseem Moe Money and Hamzah Moin, with the opening act by Montreal’s up-and-coming singer, Moez Melon.
MUSLIMFEST ~ Mississauga Celebration Square 2011
{photo credit: Umar Nasir, IQRADOTca photojournalist}
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