DiverseCity Festival kicks off busy summer with event in Charlottetown

The DiverseCity Festival kicked off a busy summer with an event at Charlottetown waterfront on Sunday. There are seven events planned. The next will be in Alberton.

Seven events are planned with the next in Alberton

Ryan McKellop · CBC News · Posted: Jun 22, 2025 4:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 22

A man in a white striped shirt stands in front of a vendor tent as he talks into the CBC News microphone. — Dean Constable, executive director of the P.E.I. Immigration and Refugee Services Association says Islanders shouldn't worry if they missed Charlottetown's event. There are six more festivals planned across the province this summer. (Connor Lamont/CBC)

The DiverseCity Festival kicked off a busy summer with an event at Charlottetown waterfront on Sunday.

There are seven events planned. The next event will be in Alberton.

In an interview early Sunday, Dean Constable, the executive director of the Immigrant and Refugee Services Association and the co-host of the Charlottetown event, said the event was jam-packed.

Thousands flock to DiverseCity Festival in its return to Charlottetown

Health P.E.I.'s outdated diversity policy is placing vulnerable workers at risk, say critics

"We've got performers from all sorts of cultural backgrounds who are newcomers. Some performers who are working with newcomers and doing some joint cross cultural adventures as well," he said.

"People that have been coming and performing at DiverseCity for many years, and people that this is their first time on the stage, maybe here in Canada."

A man in a black shirt talks into a CBC News microphone, behind him are people in tents. — Lotte Zhang, 17 is one of nine people who are controlling a dragon as part of a Chinese dragon dance at the 2025 DiverseCity festival. (Connor Lamont/CBC)

Lotte Zhang. 17, performed a Chinese dragon dance.

"It's like an experience I've never really had before," Zhang said.

Zhang was No. 5 in the lineup of nine people performing as the dragon.

"We all get to hold up the dragon, and move it around and follow the leader, so the head of the dragon," he said.

"And he's the one doing most of the, like, waving and whatever, and then we just follow along with him."

Zhang said this event is a way for all people to showcase their culture.

"I think it's great that we get so much diversity here. It's wonderful that everyone gets to show off, like, their own culture."

Island Morning6:12Festival season is beginning on P.E.I.

The P.E.I. Mutual Festival of Small Halls is on now, the DiverseCity Festival starts this weekend, and the Island Tides Festival kicks off today in Charlottetown. Erika Killan, Island Tides Festival's program co-ordinator, gives us a preview of what's on offer for your mental health and fitness.

A woman holding a saxophone stands in front of the stage that she is going to perform on, after an interview. A few people and a white truck can be seen on the left side of the stage. — Diana Castro was performing with Tropicala with some cultural music as well as some original music at the DiverseCity festival in Charlottetown. (Connor Lamont/CBC)

Diana Castro performed performed cultural music with Tropicala.

"It's good to see that people are encouraging you to be your true self through art," she said.

"I am really thankful for the Islanders that resonate with my culture, but also I am really grateful with the Island culture that I've been like taking [part] of and it's been part of my music too, so that's lovely."

Constable said if any Islanders missed Sunday's event, they can come to a future event.

Constable said there will be different performers and vendors at each event. "We really try to get people from that community out, so I am excited."