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"Our Four Suitcases" welcomes Barbara Mayo from Toronto. "My Toronto" is open to residents of Toronto, Canada to show their hometown spirit and love for their city through photos and their writing. Come visit Toronto with Barbara, through her eyes!
A Taste of the Danforth
A Taste of the Danforth
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A Taste of the Danforth, Danforth, Toronto, Our Four Suitcases
Danforth Street in Toronto, home to one of the largest Greek communities in Canada, offers a multitude of exceptional restaurants, patio cafes, world class shopping venues and churches. It is easily accessible by TTC and each year hosts the much loved "Taste of the Danforth" festival.
The festival is celebrating it's 25th year, this weekend. This is Canada's largest street festival. The festival originated in 1994 as a way to celebrate the neighbourhood's Greek culture and draw more people to the restaurants in the area. It has evolved to include the diverse cultural backgrounds of all nationalities in Toronto. The Festival is organized by a volunteer committee, the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA. The profits from the Festival are donated every year back to the community.
This was the first time I was able to attend the festival in a few years. I had planned to go last year but on the way there my sister got a call from a co-worker who offered her two Blue Jays tickets that he couldn't use. They were great seats so we grabbed them quick and went to the Blue Jays game instead for free.
In previous years, when I went to the festival it was in the evening and cooler but crowded. There were lots of people there but we had walking room and were able to go at a good pace.
Everywhere you look there are people walking around with food in their hands, enjoying eating everything from corn on the cob to souvlaki on a stick. This year we chose to eat at a restaurant and luckily for us we were fortunate to get seating outside on the patio where we could enjoy our meal and people watch at the same time.
We selected a kalamari appetizer to share, Greek salads and tzatziki with pita chips, plus a half litre of sangria. It was a relaxing meal enjoyed in perfect weather. Street vendors were offering single serving tasting items like souvlaki on a stick, which ranged from $4-$6 each. No tasting item is over $6. If you want variety and good price options too, purchasing from the street vendors is the way to go. Sitting in a restaurant was obviously more expensive. For dessert we located an ice cream truck and spoiled ourselves with chocolate/vanilla swirl ice cream cones.
Families were everywhere. There were babies being wheeled in strollers and elderly folk in wheelchairs or traversing the crowd in walkers. This is an event that draws people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. There was an abundance of music with a mix of Greek, Latin and one of my personal favorites, Rock and Roll. There was even a karaoke stand.
The Danforth is a large stretch of road and the musical entertainment was well placed, far enough apart along the street that just as you were leaving one music zone you would enter another.
"A Taste of the Danforth" has had a significant impact not just on the area's vendors but for the city's tourism market as almost 40% of it's attendees are from outside of the greater Toronto area.
I hope you get a chance to visit and enjoy the festival as much as I do.
My name is Barbara Mayo. I was born and raised in Toronto and have only ever lived in Toronto. And while I love to travel other places, I also love to play tourist in my own city as there are so many things to see and do here. Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, it's like having pieces of the world in your own backyard that you can visit anytime you want
This is My Toronto.
OPA!
For more information on the Festival please check out their website, here!