The parade set off from Victoria Park. Deputy Mayor of North Vancouver Mr. Rod Clark took an open car to lead the parade. Following him were other groups dressed in folk costumes of different countries, festively singing and dancing. After one and a half hours, the parade concluded at Waterfront Park.
Parade organiser Ms. Sherrill Massey said, "We are really excited to have such an organised parade in such a scale. Our original intention was precisely to have everyone contribute to a real Caribbean-flavoured festival."
The only Chinese group in the parade procession was Falun Gong. They were warmly received by local residents and tourists. In the Falun Gong procession, there were young children doing sitting meditation on a float, women dressed in bright red Tang Dynasty costumes, a fan dance team displaying the traditional Chinese culture, and a team demonstrating Falun Gong exercises. Wherever they passed by, the audience along the streets warmly applauded them. The Falun Gong procession was graceful, serene yet joyful.
Early this year, the Falun Gong group attended a parade held in the city of New Westminster. They won the "President's Award" - first place among the participants. They were then immediately invited to attend this Caribbean Days Festival Parade in North Vancouver. The Falun Gong practitioners also attended the Grand Victoria Day Parade in May this year and won first place in the walking groups. They also participated in the Canada Day Parade held in the city of Richmond. They were the largest group in the parade. They expressed that they were very happy to participate in these parades through which they could exhibit the rich, colourful Chinese traditional culture to western society.
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