| So many festivals to choose from, so little time..... | | | | acrobatics to this unusual way of producing music. |
| This weekend Toronto had so many special events | | | | Finally, they played the "Longwave", a horizontal harp |
| to offer, there simply wasn't enough time to attend | | | | with strings that are not plucked but brushed with |
| them all. Here are just a few samples of some of the | | | | gloved hands. Some of the music even sounded like |
| major events offered on the July 7 to 9 weekend: | | | | Irish folk music and the polyphonic harmonies were |
| - Afrofest, a celebration of African culture, located at | | | | very pleasing to the ear. This innovative combination |
| Queen's Park | | | | of music, unusual instruments, dance and physical |
| - The Bud Light Beats, Breaks & Culture ,Toronto's | | | | performance was highly extraordinary yet extremely |
| Electronic Music Festival at Harbourfront Centre | | | | aesthetic, and Lelavision attracted a sizeable crowd |
| - Italian food and lots of live music at the Corso Italia | | | | of fans who stayed behind after the performance to |
| Toronto Fiesta | | | | chat and find out more about this unique art form. |
| - Toronto's best known theatre festival: the Fringe of | | | | Inspired from this creative performance I got hungry |
| Toronto Theatre Festival | | | | and rode a bit further south along Yonge Street until |
| - High-speed high-octane fun at the Molson Grand Prix | | | | I landed at the Scotiabank Jazz Café that |
| of Toronto at Exhibition Place | | | | featured a sitting area with tables, followed by a |
| - The Canada Dry Festival of Fireworks at Ontario | | | | variety of restaurant booths that were providing |
| Place | | | | samples of their cuisine. I ordered a butter chicken |
| - The Taste of Lawrence Festival on Lawrence | | | | with basmati rice from the Bombay Bhel restaurant |
| Street East, and | | | | and sat down to listen for a few minutes to the |
| - The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition features more | | | | pleasant sounds of the Donna Barber Trio. I joined a |
| than 500 artists at Nathan Phillips Square. | | | | retired gentleman at a table, who looked at my bike |
| The number of choices is virtually endless and with | | | | and started a pleasant conversation about biking in |
| limited time it's sometimes difficult to choose which | | | | the city. We both agreed that Toronto offers superb |
| event to attend. I had a few hours today and | | | | biking opportunities all throughout the city. After |
| decided to hop on my bike to check out the | | | | almost 50 years of marriage his wife had passed |
| Celebrate Toronto Street Festival, and if there was | | | | away last year, but he has been working on |
| any time left over I would also drop by at Afrofest. | | | | adjusting to his new life and likes to come out and |
| Equipped with my camera and a big backpack I | | | | enjoy Toronto's outdoor festivals and events. Just |
| cycled in through Toronto's ravine and park system. | | | | recently he had attended a free outdoor |
| On my way in I was able to almost completely avoid | | | | performance of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at |
| regular roads and enjoy the serenity of some of | | | | Harbourfront. After I had finished my lunch he said |
| Toronto's many nature areas. In Sunnybrook Park | | | | goodbye since he was going to catch a performance |
| huge groups of people were unloading entire | | | | at the Big Band Stage. |
| regular-sized barbecues from their minivans for a day | | | | My next stop was at the "Comedy Stop", at a stage |
| in the park. Through the tranquil tree-framed streets | | | | featuring the "Monkey Toast Players": Lisa Merchant |
| of Leaside I made my way west to finally arrive on | | | | (of "Train 48" fame), David Shore (an instructor at |
| Yonge Street, just north of Eglinton. | | | | the Second City Training Centre) and Carolyn Taylor |
| It wasn't quite noon yet and the big street party | | | | (a Second City alumna). Together with several other |
| hadn't yet fully gotten off the ground. A variety of | | | | performers they make up an award-winning group of |
| rides were set up for kids and slowly but surely | | | | standup comedians that performs regularly at the |
| lineups started to form in front of each | | | | Drake Hotel. Today they were performing a variety |
| high-adrenaline attraction. Various restaurants had set | | | | of improvised sketches that involved various |
| up booths featuring samples of their menu at | | | | elements of audience participation. For one sketch |
| reasonable prices and a big concert stage would | | | | two audience members had to come on stage and |
| showcase a variety of talent throughout the day. | | | | finish the comedians' sentence on cue. For another |
| I stopped at the Fit One booth which was going to | | | | sketch two audience members got to move the |
| hold a cheerleading competition at 12 noon. An emcee | | | | comedians' limbs and bodies to provide the physical |
| picked out three moms and three dads from the | | | | backdrop to the conversation. Finally, audience |
| crowd. The moms were going to rehearse the Fit | | | | members got to choose a location which would fit on |
| One Cheer, while the men were learning a brief | | | | the stage ("New York City", I guess if you try hard |
| sequence of dance steps that would be judged by | | | | enough NYC will fit on the stage after all) and they |
| the growing audience. The three men gave it their | | | | had written down a variety of phrases that the |
| best and the winning contestant added a few | | | | comedians had to integrate into their performance |
| additional flashy dance steps to his performance and | | | | which featured a scene involving a hot dog vendor in |
| definitely managed to charm the crowd. | | | | New York City. The show was very much along the |
| Then the ladies came on the stage and they got to | | | | lines of "Whose Line Is This Anyway?" and the |
| perform their cheer as a group and then individually. | | | | crew's improvisational talents were quite impressive. |
| Again, the winner would win a prize for their | | | | Now it was time to cycle further south so I went |
| performance. With the amateur portion of this | | | | past Bloor Street, where the sidewalks on the east |
| contest complete, two young men and a young | | | | and west side of Yonge Street really started to fill |
| women came on to show off their acrobatic | | | | up with regular shoppers and weekend revelers. I |
| cheerleading act. The two guys kept twirling the girl | | | | went west on Wellesley until I hit my final destination: |
| around, lifting her up so she would stand upright on | | | | Queen's Park, which was hosting "Afrofest", |
| their hands. They had had several years of training | | | | Toronto's celebration of African culture and music. |
| for this performance. | | | | The festival is in its 18th year and is now officially |
| It was time for me to move on, and as I pushed my | | | | North America's largest and longest running African |
| bike on the sidewalk, I saw three generously | | | | music festival. The audience was very colourful and |
| proportioned "ladies" doing poses and hamming it up. | | | | virtually every ethnic group in Toronto was |
| At one point one of them fell over with her legs up | | | | represented in the audience somewhere. |
| in the air, and an audience member was asked to join | | | | A big stage was designated for the feature |
| in to help her up. I am not quite sure if they were | | | | performers and several other areas were set up for |
| indeed ladies, but the members of "Cie Colbok: "Niki" | | | | drummers and other musicians. A multitude of booths |
| have been enchanting crowds at street festivals in | | | | was selling African clothing, arts and crafts, and a big |
| France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain and many more | | | | area was dedicated to children that featured dance |
| with their flirtatious clowning around. | | | | performances and a variety of arts activities for |
| My ride on Yonge Street, usually one of Toronto's | | | | children. Young ones were receiving body paintings |
| busiest streets, was extremely peaceful and tranquil | | | | and a huge food court served a variety of tasty |
| since the majority of motorists had decided to avoid | | | | African and Caribbean delicacies. I had a chat with |
| the Yonge Street corridor altogether due to the | | | | several women from Congo who were sitting |
| street closures of the Celebrate Toronto Street | | | | together peeling and cutting plantains. Right next door |
| Festival. It's a strangely empowering feeling cycling | | | | several young girls who originally came from Zambia |
| down one of Toronto's main thoroughfares without | | | | and were selling their local delicacies at a stand. The |
| having to worry about getting pushed off by | | | | crowd had spread out their blankets on the lawn and |
| sometimes inconsiderate drivers. | | | | the festival was truly an event for the whole family. |
| St. Clair was the next festival location and the | | | | By about 4 pm it was time for me to head home |
| Scotiabank Big Band Stage was going to feature a | | | | and I started cycling east on the Danforth. Traffic |
| variety of jazz, big band and even operetta music. I | | | | was fairly light, I guess many people were glued to |
| happened upon the highly unusual and innovative | | | | their television screens to watch the Soccer World |
| performance of "Lelavision", composed of Ela Lamblin | | | | Cup finals between France and Italy. Sure enough, at |
| and Leah Mann - two musicians and performance | | | | about 4:30 pm I started to hear horns honking, |
| artists from Seattle. When I arrived they were | | | | people screaming with joy and crowds streaming out |
| wearing drums on their heads, hips and knees and | | | | of some of the cafes and bars on the eastern part |
| were performing a playful drumming act with one | | | | of the Danforth: Italy had won the World Cup!!!!! |
| another. Shortly after they pulled out an instrument | | | | Hundreds of people were coming out into the street, |
| called the "Violcano", a cone-shaped metal drum | | | | cheering, chanting "Italy" and waving flags. |
| equipped with strings, apparently a mixture between | | | | Proof after all, that Toronto's vibrant multicultural |
| a viola and a volcano. The two artists played the | | | | mosaic is alive and well, and everyone is invited to |
| instrument with strings, plucked it and even climbed in | | | | party.... |
| and out of it, adding an element of physical | | | | |