A weekend of celebration of the African diaspora has been put on hold due to permitting issues. The African Descent Festival was scheduled for English Bay Beach on Saturday (August 9) and Sunday (August 10). But the Vancouver park board says that organizers “did not resolve outstanding issues from previous events in time to meet the necessary planning, safety and operational requirements for the 2025 festival”.
“As a result, the Park Board was unfortunately unable to issue a permit for the event,” the board stated in a news release. “Staff made considerable efforts to support the event by offering alternative solutions, including relocating to the previous festival site at Thornton Park or postponing the event to allow for proper preparation. All options were declined by organizers.”
The park board placed barricades to block organizers at a key access point to the beach. This has made it impossible for organizers to set up a stage.
On Friday (August 8) evening, organizers said that they won’t proceed with the event, according to CityNews. In a statement on the festival website, they blasted the “blatant, inequitable and unjust refusal to grant the event the permit to use English Bay Beach Park”.
“We are disappointed to announce the cancellation of the 2025 African Descent Festival. We were looking forward to celebrating our culture and heritage with the community,” said Yasin M. Kiraga, founder of the African Descent Festival. “We appreciate the understanding and support of our sponsors, volunteers, and attendees.”
The festival website states that the celebration would “allow Canadians, specifically Vancouverites, to learn about different cultures and countries from Africa, some of which have strong embedded grassroots initiatives and history within the city”. They pointed out that last year, more than 30,000 people attended.
African Descent Festival honours Joe Fortes
The poster for the event identified many musical performers. It was billed as a celebration of the legacy of Joe Fortes, a Trinidadian-born lifeguard who taught thousands of children how to swim in English Bay. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography states that Fortes reputedly saved more than 100 people from drowning.
The Vancouver park board professed that it “deeply values cultural celebrations and recognizes the African Descent Festival’s important contribution to our community’s cultural fabric”.
“Events like this contribute to vibrant, welcoming community spaces and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of our city,” the park board acknowledged. “We share in the disappointment that, despite ongoing efforts to find a viable path forward, we were unable to reach a resolution that would allow this year’s festival to take place with proper permits.”
According to the Canadian census, the Black population in Metro Vancouver grew by 38 percent from 2016 to 2021. As of the 2021 census, there were 41,180 Black residents in the region, with the largest number in Surrey.
Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Bluesky @pancouver.bsky.social. Pancouver is also on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
