On August 10, from 4 p.m., SNS Lounge 8 in Saint Anne de Bellevue will host the fourth edition of the Daddy Daughter Dinner and Dance, a celebration of the bond between young girls and the men who raise them.
The event is the brainchild of Marissa Joseph, a local organizer and mother who launched the dinner in 2019 after witnessing the tender connection between her husband and their daughter.
“I would see how much she lit up when he was around,” Joseph said to the CONTACT. “She’d twirl in a dress and say, ‘Let me go show Daddy.’ His words carried weight. His attention was everything. And I thought, this is something we don’t celebrate enough.”
From that realization came a simple but powerful idea: create a space to honour not just biological fathers, but all the male role models who step into fathering roles—grandfathers, uncles, godfathers, older brothers.
“In our communities, we hear a lot about who’s absent,” Joseph said. “But I kept thinking, what about the men who are present? My dad, my brothers, friends—so many men around me were doing the work. Quietly. Faithfully. And no one was clapping for them.”
The event began with a small crowd and spread by word of mouth. Then came the pandemic. Forced to cancel the in-person gathering in 2020, Joseph pivoted to a virtual format—delivering meal baskets and flowers to participants’ homes and hosting a Zoom celebration with music and dancing.
“People needed that moment of joy,” she recalled. “Even if we were apart, we were together.”
After the passing of her father, Michael Joseph, in 2021, she took a pause. “I couldn’t do it that year,” she explained “It was too much emotionally. I didn’t want to just go through the motions. This is something I do from the heart.”
When the event returned in 2023, it did so with new meaning. Joseph introduced the Father of the Year Award, dedicated to her father’s memory. “It was my way of bringing him into the room,” she said. “To honour him while celebrating others like him.”
This year, the event takes place at SNS Lounge 8, a newly opened Black-owned venue run by Chef Sean, who will also provide the evening’s soul food–inspired menu. Joseph is intentional about every choice—from the floral welcome to the red carpet for daughters to the curated music from DJ Star Q.
“I’m always looking to reinvest in our community,” she said. “When I met Chef Sean and saw his space, I knew right away—it had the warmth, the elegance, and the heart.”
There will be games to prompt conversations, prizes designed to encourage ongoing bonding, and moments that have, in the past, moved guests to tears.
“I’ve had fathers come to me in tears,” she said. “Telling me it was the first time in years they sat and really talked with their daughters.”
And though it’s called the Daddy Daughter Dinner, Joseph is clear: the celebration is not exclusive to biological fathers. “If you’re a godfather, a grandfather, a big brother stepping up—you belong here. If you’re showing up in love, this event is for you.”
Tickets are available online through Eventbrite or by e-transfer. For more details, updates, or sponsorship opportunities, attendees can follow N.E.W_Events on Facebook and Instagram.
Celebrating Fatherhood at the Daddy Daughter Dinner & Dance
