City Summer: Taste of the Danforth heats up Greektown
Posted July 28, 2011 5:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Get your taste buds ready: Greek Festival Taste of the Danforth returns for another three days of spanakopita, souvlaki and saganaki.
Don’t worry if it’s all Greek to you – that’s spinach pie, skewered meat and flaming cheese for the uninitiated – you’ll be dancing the Kalamatianos in no time.
This year, Taste of the Danforth runs from August 5-7, closing Danforth Avenue from Broadview to Jones and packing the three-kilometre stretch with every kind of food imaginable.
About 1.3 million people are expected at the 18th annual celebration of all things Hellenic – a huge increase from the initial crowd of 5,000 back in the mid-1990s.
“It’s massive now, but the foundation of the festival hasn’t changed. We allow Toronto to get a taste of what the Danforth is about. It’s still a good time, still about food,” Tony Pethakas, the manager of popular restaurant Mezes – one of the founding participants of the event – told CityNews.ca
Just two years after it began, the 1996 festival was so large Danforth was closed – a tradition that continues to this day. This year’s event is expected to generate $32 million in economic activity for the city.
“I’m a chicken souvlaki guy. I’m a traditionalist. But there’s all kinds of tasting experiences,” festival spokesperson Howard Lichtman told CityNews.ca
“Because you can buy tasting sizes instead of the whole meal, you can walk, experience and graze. You can eat, go the stage, have something else to eat, go the sports zone – for our visitors, it’s probably a seven-course meal.”
Admission to Taste of the Danforth is free. While you’ll have to pay for the food, most dishes will cost between $3-$7.
As for Mezes, they’ll be serving up long-time favourites to a brand-new crowd, including souvlaki and traditional dips, such as hummus (chickpea), tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber and garlic), melanjanta salata (eggplant) and tarama salata (carp and potato).
“Every day is a long day in the restaurant business but this one is a little bit easier because everyone is out for a good time,” Pethakas explains.
Toronto is home to about 200,000 people of Greek ancestry, the third largest Hellenic community outside of Greece. In the nearly two decades since the festival has been held in Toronto, Taste of the Danforth has expanded to include many different ethnic traditions. That includes Canadian (there’s a beer tent sponsored by Moosehead).
“The festival has morphed and changed over time as has the area. A large portion of the restaurants and the food is Greek, but much like the neighbourhood itself, there’s Thai, sushi, anything one could possibly want,” spokesperson Lichtman said.
“It’s one of the most popular festivals in Toronto. …We see every single ethnic group coming to visit us,” Lichtman said, noting some polls have it ranking above TIFF, Toronto Caribbean Carnival and Pride in terms of popularity.
Once you’ve had your fill, it’s time for the entertainment. There are three stages along the Danforth, plus a sports zone and a kids’ zone
Lichtman explained that there will be a battle and dancing based on the upcoming Greek warrior movie Immortals as well as professional sword fighters engaging in a fierce Greek battle.
“We also have a Spy Kids 4 challenge, so if you’re coming with the family, your kids can become official OSS spies. We have a brand new Nintendo DS that’s not released yet, but you can play it in advance at the Spy Kids 4 zone,” Lichtman said.
The “celebrity stage” offers lessons from the Second City Improv team while the Broadview stage plays home to all kinds of music, from R&B to classic rock.
Over on the “Greek stage,” there will be traditional music and dance – here’s your chance to learn the Kalamatianos.
Test your basketball skills in the Sports Zone or try out a few soccer challenges sponsored by Toronto FC.
Kids can get their hands dirty at the Toronto Zoo “Touch Table.” The zoo is bringing in pelts, skulls, and feathers for the little ones – and for the braver of the bunch, you can find out exactly how big the claws of a polar bear really are.
If that small taste isn’t enough, you can enter a contest to win a trip for two to Greece – where you just might be able to experience it all over again.
View Taste of the Danforth 2011 in a larger map
