Armenian Festival attracts thousands to Laval

Armenian Festival attracts thousands to Laval –

Laval (The Suburban) – It was the Armenian community’s turn last week to demonstrate how rapidly Laval (Quebec, Canada) has transformed into an ethnically rich city.

Île Jésus has blossomed with weekly, extremely well-attended ethnic festivals, such as last weekend’s Armenian festival, the previous weekend’s Lebanese fest and the upcoming Greek community celebration, July 1-3.

The festivities highlight the shift in Laval’s population. Statistics Canada’s census results indicate that non-francophones will form a slim majority of Laval’s population by this year.

This weekend’s Armenian festival on Souvenir drew more than 6,000 people.

The outdoor gala offered activities for the whole family including games for children and Texas Hold’em poker tournament for adults.

The event included several food kiosks such as an oyster bar that was accompanied with champagne.

“The people who attended were invited to taste the variety of Armenian cuisine,” said admissions director Moseg Topouzian.

“For more than two decades, Laval’s Sourp Kevork Armenian Apostolic church has hosted the celebration,” said Topouzian, to bring its community together.

The festival showcased several Quebec artists and comedians of Armenian origin such as Levon Kaprielian, Pierre Chammassian, Harout Pamboukjian, and the Ani Dance Group.

Laval Mayor Marc Demers and Ste. Rose MNA Jean Habel were among several dignitaries who attended the Armenian festival to show their support for the community.