Toronto’s Taste of the Danforth festival cancelled, BIA to ‘reimagine’ event for 2023
Posted June 22, 2022 2:40 pm.
Last Updated June 23, 2022 2:41 pm.
The organizers of the annual Taste of the Danforth, one of Toronto’s most recognized food festivals, have announced this year’s event has been cancelled, citing streetscape challenges and adapting to CaféTO patio installations and bike lanes.
“The short timeline available to adapt the event to the changes in the street meant that Taste of the Danforth in 2022 was at too great a risk of not being as successful as in the past,” a statement issued by the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA Wednesday afternoon said.
“So now we’re going to take the time, working hand in hand with the City and all our partners to put on the best Taste of the Danforth ever in 2023.”
The BIA’s board of management went on to say the decision was also made after uncertainty in the winter over potential COVID-19 public health-related measures would allow for the festival to go ahead.
“Once it became clear we could, there just wasn’t time to imagine Taste of the Danforth for 2022 given changes to the streetscape.”
The statement said this year there would be localized events in the BIA that would incorporate food and music.
The organization reported past festivals have attracted up to 1.6 million people throughout the weekend it is held.
Coun. Paula Fletcher, who represents the area where the Taste of the Danforth is held, issued a brief statement in response to Wednesday’s announcement.
“Like so many residents in Toronto–Danforth, I will be celebrating the vibrant business community and street atmosphere in GreekTown this summer with their 32 CaféTO patios and live music on the street, and welcome residents from across the city to join us and to keep strongly supporting our local businesses,” it said.
“I am confident that when Taste returns to the Danforth it will be well worth the wait.”
RELATED: Taste of the Danforth’s future could be in jeopardy due to ‘logistical’ issues
Fletcher’s statement on Wednesday didn’t respond to the concerns raised about streetscape changes, but at the beginning of June she said she was looking forward to the event being carried on in August.
“The downtown festivals are all facing the same challenges and I have rolled up my sleeves to make sure the Taste of the Danforth is successful for the local business community and for our city,” she wrote in a statement on June 1, calling the event a “signature” one.
“The creativity and smarts for which Toronto is so well known can be put to work to make sure that everyone can look forward to enjoying a great experience on the Danforth this summer. I’m pleased the City has offered to provide an event planner and I am confident that working together we can make this great Toronto tradition happen once again.”
City officials said in a statement they “will assist the BIA in any way it can as it brings localized events to the Danforth this summer, where music, food, and the vibrant community the Danforth is known for can be enjoyed by all.”
CityNews contacted the BIA to ask further about the announcement, but a representative declined the opportunity to comment.
However, Mary Fragedakis, the executive director of BIA and a former city councillor, previously said that the City’s CaféTO program and its many bike lanes were creating issues for the festival.
A spokesperson for the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA previously said the organization’s members have been communicating with the City for five months regarding “logistical issues” surrounding the festival.
“The permanent installation of CaféTO and the bike lane infrastructure has created challenges to staging the festival as we have in previous years,” they said.
“The City requires the middle two lanes of the road for emergency vehicle access. With the CaféTO and bike lane installations occupying the remaining two lanes, it is very difficult to stage any type of amusement rides, stages, sponsors, entertainment, etc. We rely on sponsorships and activations to pay for the festival.”
Despite citing issues with the temporary on-street patios, the board on Wednesday encouraged people to “partake in our vibrant patio culture with food from every corner of the world as part of the enhanced CaféTO patio program.”
With files from Lucas Casaletto and Michelle Mackey
GreekTown on the Danforth BIA moves to reimagine Taste of the Danforth for 2023#GreekTownBIA #GreekTownOnTheDanforthBIA #GreekTownCommunity #LocalLove #DanforthCommunity #GreekTownToronto #TasteoftheDanforth #Taste pic.twitter.com/ajl3NNa5EK
— GreekTown on the Danforth BIA (@GreekTownBIA) June 22, 2022
