Second-annual B.C. Dumpling Festival set for Saturday

More than two-dozen vendors are set to take over Town Centre Park for the second annual multicultural celebration of fine dough and flavourful filling on Saturday.

Set to kick off at about 11 a.m., the B.C. Dumpling Festival is slated to include a range of entertainment including Canada Chung-ang Korean Drum Dance and a dumpling eating contest.

Food offerings include: Jamaican patties, Filipino steamed buns, Vietnamese banh mi, cheddar and potato pierogies, vegan dumplings from MomoJoy as well as roasted corn, mini donuts and bubble tea.

The event is also set to feature an Art Zone, Kids Zone, and a Korean Pavilion.

After forecasting about 5,000 visitors in 2022, event organizers were overwhelmed by crowds as about 25,000 hungry people flocked to the park.

The attendance surprised food vendors, several of whom had to run back to their restaurants “multiple times” to stock up on supplies, recalled organizer Gina Chong.

This year’s event is set to include more vendors, including representatives from House of Yee, Lee’s Donuts, Japadog, Pasta Polo and Chef Tony.

The scope of the event seemed to be in jeopardy earlier this year as Chong said she encountered ballooning costs and major challenges finding sponsorship.

Coquitlam council ultimately pledged to pay as much as $30,000 to help fund the fest.

The city had previously supplied a $20,000 grant for the event.

More than just fostering tolerance, the event is a “celebration of our differences,” said Mayor Richard Stewart.

“Given one more year, I suspect a whole bunch of organizations and a whole bunch of sponsors can be lined up,” he said.