[PL1]

Tamil Fest along Markham Road in Scarborough got cancelled for this year. The event originally set for August 23 & 24 would've been in its 11th year and expected to bring in 250,000 people

Another Toronto street festival was just cancelled for this year

On the heels of the shocking announcement that Toronto's Taste of the Danforth is being scrapped yet again this year, another street fest has also an…

www.blogto.com

I suspect there's a financial aspect to these "shocking!" cancellations. (They're shocking – both TOTD and Tamil Fest – because the article claims so, so that must be true)

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I wonder what is causing all these cancelations and downsizing?

Years ago Buskerfest and Woofstock took up entire city blocks but now are relegated to a park.

Pride had to downsize considerably to survive. Even the Beaches Jazz Fest did as well.

Tamil Fest and Taste of the Danforth are both axed.

I wonder if the era of large street festivals is over?

Event cost - particularly security has went up significantly. The city wanted the economic impact from marquee events but doesn't want to really support them by reigning in city-associated costs. The loss of ethos mentioned in the TotD piece is also a thing - bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, and there were complaints about how it has gotten less interesting and more about milking attendees over the years.

Given how the restaurant business has changed post-pandemic and the current economic environment, I can't imagine any restaurant owners would want to take on additional costs/risks. I think a better model of city-funding for street-events might be in-kind support for indirect costs that are associated with city services (policing/security; street cleaning) in-lieu of cash grants.

AoD

 

[Richard White]

The loss of ethos mentioned in the TotD piece is also a thing - bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, and there were complaints about how it has gotten less interesting and more about milking attendees over the years.

That's true. I went there in the 90s and remember it being very Greek and very cheap. You could get souvlakis for a buck.

Now, it is all about corporate sponsorship and gouging people. Just prior to covid they had carnival games with overpriced food and corporate branding everywhere.

The same can be said for the Jazz festival. It used to be about the music but recently they focused on the corporate sponsorships over the event quality.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

That's true. I went there in the 90s and remember it being very Greek and very cheap. You could get souvlakis for a buck.

Now, it is all about corporate sponsorship and gouging people. Just prior to covid they had carnival games with overpriced food and corporate branding everywhere.

The same can be said for the Jazz festival. It used to be about the music but recently they focused on the corporate sponsorships over the event quality.

You have to wonder who makes these sorts of decisions - presumably the BIA. Event quality doesn't scale with size but costs does.

AoD

 

[Richard White]

You have to wonder who makes these sorts of decisions - presumably the BIA. Event quality doesn't scale with size but costs does.

AoD

The Bloor West Festival or whatever it is does this too. They go all out with pop-up carnivals although they have less noticeable branding (nothing like Esso, TD or Scotia) and use mostly local vendors for sponsorship.

 

[Towered]

I wonder what is causing all these cancelations and downsizing?

Years ago Buskerfest and Woofstock took up entire city blocks but now are relegated to a park.

Pride had to downsize considerably to survive. Even the Beaches Jazz Fest did as well.

Tamil Fest and Taste of the Danforth are both axed.

I wonder if the era of large street festivals is over?

It should be. When these were local neighbourhood events celebrating the actual unique restaurants, stores or art scenes along their strip, they had value. Once they became mass events attracting bozos from all over the city they morphed into generic traveling carnivals with the same street vendors they became totally lame and lost all reason for existing. As usual, popularity destroys good things.

I was done with these dumb, boring street festivals years ago.

 

[SubHuman]

The Bloor West Festival or whatever it is does this too. They go all out with pop-up carnivals although they have less noticeable branding (nothing like Esso, TD or Scotia) and use mostly local vendors for sponsorship.

I can immediately think of four different ones that use different parts of Bloor St W --
Taste of the Kingsway
Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival
Big On Bloor
Yorkville Exotic Car Show

 

[Richard White]

I can immediately think of four different ones that use different parts of Bloor St W --
Taste of the Kingsway
Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival
Big On Bloor
Yorkville Exotic Car Show

The Ukrainian Festival was the one I was thinking of. I could not for the life of me recall the name.

 

[gabe]

It should be. When these were local neighbourhood events celebrating the actual unique restaurants, stores or art scenes along their strip, they had value. Once they became mass events attracting bozos from all over the city they morphed into generic traveling carnivals with the same street vendors they became totally lame and lost all reason for existing. As usual, popularity destroys good things.

I was done with these dumb, boring street festivals years ago.

It's the same damn food truck/vendors at every street festival! ( churro truck, potatoes on a stick truck, overpriced poutine truck, ice cream/hot dog truck, gourmet cookies or cupcakes, donuts or what ever sugary treat that is trendy truck) The recent Chinatown street festival, even had a Tim Horton's food truck! LOL

 

[Richard White]

what ever surgery treat that is trendy truck

When the food costs an arm and a leg someone has to cut them off...

 

[Red_Bulmer]

My best pics from the canoe art performance, taken from the South shore of Biidaasige Park, and Cherry Street bridge. It was very beautiful but kind of difficult to view. I wanted an epic photo with the skyline but clouds obscured it, kind of made the flags stand out more.