Calgary Chinatown rebounds post-flood with street festival

Calgary's Chinatown is rebounding better than ever after getting hit hard in last year's flood.

On Saturday, the Calgary Chinese Merchants' Association hosted the 14th annual Chinatown Street Festival.

Thousands of people took part in all sorts of cultural events, including calligraphy lessons and musical performances.

Organizer Ken Lee said looking back to last year's event, in the weeks after the flood, he can't believe how far the community has come.

"A lot of people come up and helped the community, from within the Chinese community and outside the Chinese community," said Lee. "You really get that sense of unity and feelings and a lot of positivityof course, because it's a struggle to begin with."

While a few shops had to close permanently, Lee said close to 10 new businesses have opened up in the past year.

He said the memory of the flood inspired people to focus their energy on their businesses and the community.