Canada day was celebrated in London on July 1 at Trafalgar Square. It is the second largest Canada Day celebration outside of Canada. Organizing an event is an ardent task, and something that requires being multi-dimensional, having patience and persistence. Toonari Post had the prestigious opportunity to interview the dynamic event Director, Chad Molleken from event company, Rainmaker, about his role in bringing Canada Day to life for British public and Canadian expats.

Toonaripost (TP): There are so many events that are taking place across London this summer, what distinguishes Canada Day from other events?

Chad Molleken (CM): This is our 7th annual Canada day in Trafalgar Square, and obviously this has been a great year in terms of celebrations, there is Queens Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics coming up. Canada day is anything and everything about Canada. We have Canadian music, Canadian sports, Canadian food, and it is our day in terms of showcasing our country in Trafalgar Square.

TP: What types of crowds are you expecting today?

CM: Today we are expecting up to 100,000 people. It is for the first time that we are holding this event on Sunday, which means that we’ll have lot more families and kids, which is fantastic. We always hold Canada day on 1st July, regardless of what day of the week it is.

TP: what can visitors expect from the overall program?

CM: I think Canadians are known for their friendliness and their program of entertaining, and being lively and it will just be a great day out for everyone.

TP: Location is obviously an important factor for events, so why did you choose to host Canada Day in Trafalgar Square?

CM: Obviously because Canada House is right on Trafalgar Square, and it is great way for us to showcase ourselves.

TP: London has been hosting Canada for several years now, are you introducing anything new this year?

CM: Well funfair rides for kids, the additions at north tower, pancake breakfast, these are all new editions for this year. So each year we try to add something new.

TP: This year Canada Day has a lot of competition, there is the Euro Cup Final and Wimbledon, is there a plan to encourage people to stay on at Square from 6pm onward?

CM: The Canadian expats that live in London are more into celebrating Canada Day at Trafalgar Square; our attendees are 60% Canadians, 40% British. I think we are going to have a full crowd here tonight right till 10:30 at night, when Lady in Peace finishes her concert.

TP: Showers are forecasted for much of the day today, if showers persist, will there be cancellations of some of the activities today?

CM: We are eternally optimistic in Canada, and it’s going to be 24 degrees [Celsius], with blue skies all day.

TP: Making an International Day a success comes with unique challenges. What are the two challenges you faced this year with Canada Day?

CM: The entire event is supported by our sponsors; in terms of competition we are dealing with other things happening in economy, and these are one of our challenges. We are a community based event, and everyone in the community came together to make this happen.

TP: What do you see as the future of Canada Day in London? Do you plan on making it even bigger, or would you like to keep it on its current scale and focus?

CM: I think being in Trafalgar Square, you can only be so big, its a community event and we think this is going to be our biggest year yet, obviously we just try to make sure its a great day.

TP: Please tell us bit more about the role you play in ensuring that today’s event runs smoothly.

CM: Sure, our company Rainmaker is behind producing the Canada day. We work all year round in liaising with our sponsors and community members and their local authorities, and we make sure its a fun, safe day for everyone to enjoy.

TP: It’s no simple feat to bring together large numbers of people from different pockets of communities in London. What steps did your Marketing and promotion team take to make sure that people were aware of Canada Day?

CM: We do underground campaign, and we use social media such as facebook and twitter to promote the event. We reach out to all communities, businesses, and community groups to get the word out as far as possible. This has been our promotional technique for the last few years.

TP: No event is complete without its volunteers. Could you please tell us about the contribution volunteers have made toward Canada Day?

CM: We have about 100 volunteers helping us to set things up, to move things around, greeting people and making sure everyone knows where they are going and having a great time. They are an important part of the day.

TP: What are you most looking forward to tonight?

CM: I always look forward to the final ‘O Canada’ at the end of the day, and when I look at the crowd there are 10,000, 20,000 Canadians singing ‘O Canada’ and waving Canadian flags in the background, its a pretty magical moment.

TP: We often focus so much on the day, that we forget people who are driving force behind bringing such events to us. This is indeed a very difficult job, and you have done well. Do you have any advice for new event planners, any hints and tips?

CM: I think the events place is a very difficult one, and its all about bringing your team together with the communication being a key. And just making sure you know what you want at end of the day.

We thank Chad Molleken for his generous time, and we would like to thank Chandel Diebold, communications manager at Rainmaker Global Business Event for her invaluable cooperation.

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Canada Day was celebrated at famous Trafalgar Square in London this past weekend. July 1 commemorates the establishment of 1867 act of accession of the British North America Act which amalgamated three colonies within British Empire to form the nation of Canada. For the past seven years, London has been proudly observing the Canada day celebrations.

The day provides a unique opportunity for cosmopolis population of London to come together to celebrate the heritage and culture of Canada. The main symbol of Canada Day is its national flag with maple-leaf, a national anthem and its friendly, exuberant people.

Though the forecast of the day was typical English showers, luckily for the organizers, showers only persisted twice throughout the day, allowing people to wallow in sunshine, clear blue skies and enchanting festivities. The day commenced with ceremonial drop of the puck by Mr. Gordon Campbell, High commissioner for Canada in London.

Hosted by province of Alberta, visitors had an opportunity to immerse in the taste of delicious pancakes with a topping of choice at the prestigious square with the Canadian flags and music providing a thematic background. The day also provided its visitors with reflections on the delights of Canadian cuisine, which was showcased by numerous cooking demos by famous chefs. From coffees, to Canadian beers to chips to freshly cooked lobsters to prime burgers, there was something to tease everyone’s taste buds.

The day was packed with fun-filled activities that showcased Canada Day’s heritage to all. It also provides a platform for Canadian expats living across UK to come together in unification to celebrate their identity and promote Canada. Throughout Canada, July 1 marks a national holiday.

There were manifestations on the achievements of the nation through the ovation it paid to its Canadian mounted police, called Canadian Mounties and to its soldiers. Nikki Archer-Waring, Managing Director from Spirit of Remembrance told Toonari Post, what Canada day means to her: “well it’s a very special day because it gives us a spirit for remembrance, which is a battlefield, and most importantly a remembrance to our company, the opportunity to say thank you to all our troops past and present. Today is a celebration and hopefully there will be 100,000 people here to celebrate together.”

The High Commissioner spoke to Toonari Post about the day and its ambiance: “the atmosphere is very good as you can see, it’s very playful, they are playing street hockey out there, there is street hockey tournament going on because hockey is our national sport. People feel pretty good about Canada right now and they are very excited to be here I think. 50-60,000 people will come through today and it’s a celebration of Canada. It’s our 145th birthday and we hope everyone has a great day.”

He further added that “this is the biggest Canada Day celebration we ever had and I don’t think it’s because of Olympics. London is an international city, people want to visit it and there is a large population of Canadians here. We would like Canadians to know that there is Canada Day celebration going on and this is a second largest Canada Day celebration outside Canada.”

On the day, Canada Day celebrations reflected contemporary Canada: the diverse society was presented through its music with various singers; its rugged landscape was on display through artistic portrayals, sponsored by James Wright Cup Street hockey competition was held in the centre of square and visitors also enjoyed divine experience of Yoga by lululemon athletic company.

22 year old, Cuifen from Beijing said “I am here to see what Canada is and I see it is a bit similar to the UK, but also different, very different to America. I’m happy to be here. Everyone is friendly and it is fun.”

Ben from London said “Canada day is all about being Canadian, I come here every year and I always still till end. It is just a great day.”

After the full day of sport activities, fun fair rides, photo sessions with Canadian Mounties and Olympic athletes, face painting and tantalizing food stalls, the Canada Day took a center stage in its eagerly awaited musical concert. The prestigious line up for the concert consisted of Kids koala, Rich Aucoin, Shad, Hedley and our lady peace.

In its essence, Canada Day is a day driven by communities, and the celebration held in Trafalgar Square is a testimony to what’s great about Canada and being Canadian – which inevitably is the foundation of its ongoing 7th year of success.

Image Courtesy of   Canada Day London

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