Two Canadian businesswomen living in Belfast have teamed up to host one of the biggest Canada day celebrations on the island of Ireland.
Belfast’s very first Canada Day Festival takes place at Banana Block in East Belfast on July 1st to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
The Canada Day Block Party will feature some favourite local arts, food and craft makers including Canadian Poutine and Maple Syrup stalls, live performances and history talks, hockey, curling and face painting.
Read more: Belfast festival celebrating Filipino food and culture set to return
The event will also feature a special guest appearance by the Belfast Giants.
Canada Day marks the anniversary of the day the country's three colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united on July 1, 1867.
They came together to form one single Dominion that was part of the British Empire and is now a member of the Commonwealth.
The celebration is often referred to as Canada's birthday and sees Canadians celebrate both at home and around the world.
Belfast's Canada Day festival is the brainchild of Kylah Dittmar and Nallaine Calvo, who have since made Northern Ireland their home.
Originally from Montreal, Kylah moved to Northern Ireland ten years ago and is the founder of Belfast-based food truck, Oui Poutine.
Poutine is a French-Canadian Dish, consisting of hand-cut fries, cheese curds and a special gravy sauce.
Kylah found herself missing the famous dish from her hometown and decided to recreate here by setting up her own business, a food truck called Oui Poutine, three years later which operates beside 'The Big Fish' in Belfast city centre.
Originally from Toronto, Nallaine set up her successful business called KUBO three years ago at the beginning of lockdown.
Moving from London to Belfast five years ago, she began to grow homesick for Filipino cooking and so decided to launch her own food outlet.
Operating as a home business before a stint at the Hill Street Hatch, KUBO is now based at Trademarket on Belfast's Dublin Road.
The two women met when Nallaine came down to Oui Poutine one day some years ago to experience "a taste of home".
They later connected through their respective food businesses and became friends. Now the pair have teamed up to bring you Belfast's big Canada Day festival on Saturday, July 1st from 11am to 4pm at Banana Block on the Newtownards Road.
"We don't have exact figures of the number of Canadians in Northern Ireland but there is a Facebook group with over 200 members," Kylah explained.
"I know from working on the truck that it's not just Canadians based here but also a lot of people have family in Canada so there's a very big connection between here and there."
Kylah added: "I hosted a Canada Day get-together at Common Market last year but this year we really wanted to reach out to both Canadians and locals too. This event will focus on Canadian history and the historical ties between Canada and Northern Ireland.
"We're collaborating with Document Belfast, the Discover Ulster-Scots Centre so people can discover that there's so much more to discover about Canada's culture and history."
"Back at home we'd have celebrated Canada Day with a parade, food and fireworks so we wanted to offer a multifaceted event offering food, crafts for kids, history talks and a museum tour," Kylah said.
"We'll also have a curling demonstration and some hockey, both of which are synonymous with Canada so it'll be a nice mix of food, history, culture and sport and it's open to everyone - Canadians and Canadian enthusiasts alike!"
Nallaine added: "The Belfast Giants will also be making an appearance. Adam Keefe (head coach) and Josh Roach will be there with their recently won trophies for photo ops! I am very proud to be Filipino and raised in Canada so come join us and experience some proper Canadian culture and history."
Full details are and updates available on Banana Block, KUBO.BELFAST and Oui Poutine social media pages.
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