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