The Krinos Taste of the Danforth kicks off today and are we ever excited! The Taste of the Danforth is Canada’s largest street festival bringing in about 1.5 million attendees yearly since it first began over twenty years ago. If you’ve never checked it out before, then you might want to make your way over there ASAP because we hear it’s bigger and better than ever before, and there’s plenty of Vicinity merchants in the, well … vicinity (pun totally intended).
There’s plenty of food and fun to be had, and obviously the best part about the festival is that it’s free! Free? Food? Fun? How could you not want to go to the Taste of the Danforth!? It’s funny that Canada’s biggest street festival got its start when a bunch of competitors just decided to throw a large event to entice people to come to the Danforth and celebrate Hellenic cuisine and culture. Now, it’s a grand city affair celebrating both the Greek roots of the Danforth and Toronto’s multicultural nature as a whole.
In its first year, 1994, only about 5,000 people attended the festival and 23 restaurateurs participated. The next year, about 100,000 people came to the Taste of the Danforth and by 1996, the festival brought in more than 500,000 visitors. This year, they’re expecting more than 1.5 million visitors over three days and two nights of celebrating food, entertainment and culture.
There’s so much fun planned for this weekend, including two Guinness World Record challenges: largest tug of war tournament in history, and the most people performing the standing long Jump. There’s also a Sports Zone with activities and challenges from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argos and the Toronto FC. And of course, tons of fun for the youngins – activities, costumes, and contests galore!
Oh and FOOD! Don’t forget the amazing restaurants participating in the Taste of the Danforth! And when you’re down there, why not check out some Vicinity merchants like Healthy Planet, Green Basil or Dolce Gelato?
Featured image via @youkeepstaring.