28 Jul
Here are festivals and events where you can experience Black History, the Underground Freedom Train, the Caribbean, First Nations, India, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the U.S. and Zimbabwe in our Toronto. Most of these events are free, or almost free. You pay for food of course.
We’ve already mentioned Taste of the Middle East, the Laotian Summer Festival and the Caribbean Carnival Grand Parade in previous blogs; they are all on August 4. At the Laotian Festival, you can have fun but you can also share your concern about the people killed when a dam collapsed in Laos recently.
We will have more about Taste of the Danforth in our next blog. In the meantime, we join the many who grieve because of the senseless deaths and tragedies in Greek Town on July 22. You might want to add your feelings at the shrines there – from Chester to Logan – if you haven’t already.
The following are details of where you can experience the heritage of your multicultural neighbours. We have only mentioned a few of the many events that our city offers.
Black History. Emancipation Day, August 1. 6pm. Free. Artscape Sandbox, 301 Adelaide Street West. “On August 1st, 1834 – The Slavery Abolition Act, also known as ‘Emancipation Day’, secured the freedom of people of African origin throughout the British Empire which included Canada! … Keynote Speaker, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard and talented artists from the city. We will also be screening a preview of the upcoming Marcus Garvey Film, by Roy Anderson… musical performances …light refreshments.”
For additional invites or any inquiries regarding the event, contact the OBHS offices at 416-867-9420 or email admin@blackhistorysociety.ca; https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/emancipation-day-2018-tickets-12153063139
Black History. Underground Freedom Train. July 31. 10:45pm. Subway ticket. Union Station. Drums, music & poetry. Commemorate the historic Underground Railway. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiPP4UTQ5yes13dmT3i_fbQ
Caribbean. Bac & All Festival. July 28. 2-9pm. Free. The Bentway, 250 Fort York Blvd. “Bac & All Festival is a multigenerational event exploring the historical significance of carnival season through traditional performance, storytelling and visioning for the future using new technologies including virtual reality and 3D printing.” http://www.thebentway.ca/eent/bac-all-festival/
Caribbean. Island Soul. Aug 3-6. Free. Harbourfront Centre. “Experience the rich legacy of Caribbean music heard through Canada and around the world.” For schedule, check dates on: http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whatson/today.cfm?discipline_id=&mode=day&&month=08&year=2018&day=3&week=31&searchvenue=
First Nations. Two Spirit. Poetry Night. July 31. 7pm. $5. Church of St. Stephens-in-the-Field, 365 College Street.
India. Taste of India Food Festival. August 5. 10am-10pm. Free entry. Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West at Bay. Family-friendly. ALL food vendors will offer a sample plate of their most popular dishes for under $10. https://www.facebook.com/events/118934662066577/ & www.schoolofflavours.ca.
Italy. “Maestro! The Films of Luchino Visconti”. July 26-August 19. Single Bill $10-$12. TIFF Bell Light Box, 350 King Street West. “This retrospective will showcase the full range of Visconti’s oeuvre. From his debut feature “Ossessione/Obsession”,… to his memorable masterpieces
“La Terra trema”, “Rocco and His Brothers” and “Bellissima”. In the program also the film adaptations “Death in Venice”, “The Stranger”, and “The Damned”, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination… https://www.tiff.net/#series=maestro-the-films-of-luchino-visconti
Multicultural. Friends of Earl Bales Park. Multicultural Celebration. July 31. 5-8pm. Free. Food, music and dance. 4169 Bathurst Street, North York.
Russia. Toronto. Canadian National Brass Project. Toronto Summer Music Festival. July 29. 2-5pm. Free. The Bentway, Fort York. 250 Fort York Boulevard. Program includes Tchaikowsky’s 1812 Overture, and the Fort York Guard. Demo of artillery firepower and military music by the Fort York drums. Bring your own chairs. For this and other interesting international events: http://www.torontosummermusic.com/events/
South Asia. Vibrant Brampton Festival. July 27-28. Free. Sheridan College (Davis Campus) Brampton, 7899 McLaughlin Rd., Brampton. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/vibrant-brampton-festival-tickets-46481295807?aff=ebdssbdestsearch; www.vibrantbrampton.ca
South Asia. TD Mosaic South Asian Festival. August 3-4. 5pm-11pm. Free. Celebration Square, Mississauga. South Asian music, dance, comedy, folk and Bollywood performances. http://www.cre8iv80studio.com/2018/index.asp Spain. South America. Part of Music Mondays Series which continues to September 3. Romanza – Music of Spain and South America. Azuline Duo. July 30. 12:15 noon. Pay what you can. Church of the Holy Trinity next to Eaton Centre. Www.musicmondays.ca
Image of Azuline Duo from http://www.musicmondays.ca/currentseason.html.
Sri Lanka. KothuFest. July 28. 11:30am-11pm. Food and culture festival evolving around the beloved Sri Lankan streetfood: Kothu Roti!. Yonge-Dundas Square. For more information and promo video showing the making of Kothu Roti from Scarborough event earlier this year: https://tamilculture.com/kothu-fest-is-happening-in-toronto-at-yonge-dundas-square.
U.S. Lakeshore Mardi Gras. August 3-6. Midway, vendors, free concerts. http://lakeshoremardigras.ca/lineup.html. http://lakeshoremardigras.ca/index.html; http://lakeshoremardigras.ca/Zimbabwe. ZimSculpt. Exhibition. August 3 through September 30. Free. Opening Night. Thursday, August 2. Celebrate the opening of ZimSculpt with a performance by Nhapitapi at 7pm. Toronto Botanical Garden’s outdoor African art exhibition “ZimSculpt” showcases hundreds of stone sculptures by some of the most contemporary Zimbabwean artists alive today. Outdoor Marketplace with smaller one-of-a-kind sculptures, traditional basketry and jewellery. The Marketplace will be open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm and Thursdays nights until dusk. Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Avenue East. https://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/enjoy/special-events/zimsculpt/
Also at the Botanical Garden, some Thursday Nights in July & August. 7pm. Free. Edwards Summer Music Series or https://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/enjoy/special-events/summer-music-series/