Kamloops Filipino community holding vigil for victims of Vancouver Lapu Lapu festival tragedy

KAMLOOPS — A vigil will be held in Kamloops Tuesday evening (May 6) in honour of the lives lost during the Lapu Lapu street festival in Vancouver last month. On April 26, a driver of an SUV rammed into the crowd gathered for the annual festival, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more.

Kamloops vigil organizer Analyn Ballano says the local event is meant to recognize the victims of the tragedy and provide a space for grieving community members to gather.

“For me, I was very heartbroken. And there’s a lot of Filipinos who also felt that way because if we have a community of Filipinos that are hurt, all of us are hurt. It doesn’t matter where we are, especially in Vancouver, and there are a lot of us in Kamloops who are also hurt from that event,” she explains.

The vigil is held in conjunction with the Kamloops Filipino-Canadian Association and Ballano says it’s also meant to be a show of resilience, continuing with the spirit of the Lapu Lapu festival itself, which Ballano says originated as a celebration of Filipino resistance to colonization in the Phillipines in the 1500s.

“I wanted to have everyone come together as a way of solidarity and kind of celebrating our Filipino community,” notes Ballano, “so having this event, and also just recognizing those who have passed, and having us together makes it show that we have a resilience bond with all Filipinos everywhere — especially here in Kamloops, as well.”

The community vigil is open to the public, running from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday evening from the gazebo in McDonald Park on the city’s North Shore.

Image Credit: Analyn Ballano