There will be something for everyone at the 48th annual Scotiabank CHIN International Picnic held June 29-July 1 at Exhibition Place. The free multicultural festival — Canada’s largest — held its official launch on Tuesday at the Liberty Grand.
This year’s event will feature international food, live K9 dog shows and exotic animals, boxing and wrestling matches, the Miss and Mr. CHIN swimsuit competitions, concerts, celebrities and shopping.
CHIN CEO Lenny Lombardi says this is the event he grew up with, the brainchild of his father, the late CHIN Radio founder Johnny Lombardi.
“It’s with great pride that the legacy of my father continues with this celebration,” Lombardi said.
“My father started this celebration out of gratitude of being one of the first multicultural broadcasters in Canada ... It’s a unique experience that celebrates different cultures. This is very important for Toronto.”
The picnic celebrates 25 different cultures and boasts musical celebrities from Italy, Portugal, China, India, Pakistan, Philippines and Latin America.
There is also the Rising Star singing contest, where contestants can upload an original song to the picnic’s website and people can vote for the finalists who will then appear on the bandstand stage July 1.
Mariannthy Nicolaou hopes to win the title of Miss CHIN Bikini.
“I had a tragic year last year because my husband was killed. To get through it, I turned to health and fitness and decided to enter the CHIN bikini contest to help reach my goals,” Nicolaou said.
Ron Woolley, of Tiger Paw Exotics, was at the launch with a kangaroo and promised to bring more critters to the midway, as well as pony rides and a petting zoo.
“People enjoy animals and we have different ones that people don’t get to see every day,” Woolley said.
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