It was, Yvonne Hopp said, a "really important" event.

Hopp, founder and president of New Directions Vocational Testing Counselling Services, a 91Ô­´´ City-based English-language school for newcomers to Canada, was talking about the second annual "Global Fest,' celebrated in Douglas Park Spirit Square on Sunday, Aug. 25.

"It's bringing together [and] showcasing the culture and the diversity that 91Ô­´´ is," said Hoppy, who brought several of her students to the festival.

"We're really happy to be part of it."

The second annual Global Fest, a celebration of diversity, is underway in Douglas Park in 91Ô­´´ City until 5 p.m. Sunday featuring cultural performances, international cuisine, unique vendors and family-frendly activities at 205520 Douglas Crescent.

— 91Ô­´´ Advance Times (@91Ô­´´Times)

New Directions was one of dozens of organization participating in the all-day event, presented by the 91Ô­´´ Local Immigration Partnership (LLIP)  with funding from the 91Ô­´´ Community Services Society,  Rotary Club of 91Ô­´´ Central, 91Ô­´´ City, the federal and provincial governments, and Refinish Vancouver.

Attendees could view cultural performances, sample international cuisine, shop local vendors and take part in family-friendly activities, as well access community resources.

While organizers didn't have exact numbers, they estimated attendance had more than doubled from the first year.

91Ô­´´ City councillor Rosemary Wallace, chair of the Global Fest Committee, called it a "day of celebration."

"We want to make people feel that they belong," Wallace told the 91Ô­´´ Advance Times.

"We want to create a peaceful message [that] everybody belongs and we're here to celebrate and we're inclusive. It's just about sharing in dance and culture and arts and ethnicity."

READ ALSO: Huge crowd comes out for first 91Ô­´´ Global Fest

A report prepared for the LLIP, a federally-funded group established in 2020 to bring community leaders together to improve immigration and refugee settlement, shows nearly 23 per cent, or roughly one in four of 159,000 91Ô­´´-area residents were immigrants in 2021, a portion that will "increase significantly" in years to come.

For B.C., the report showed the numbers of immigrants settling in the province almost doubled from 38,000 in 2016 to 69,000 in 2021. More immigrants chose B.C., with 17 per cent of all new permanent residents opting to settle here in 2021, up from 13 per cent in 2016.

By 2041, Statistics Canada projects as many as one in three, 34 per cent, of people in Canada will be immigrants.

READ ALSO: 91Ô­´´ area had the biggest increase of immigrants in Metro Vancouver: report