What to know
- Taste of Little Jamaica has been cancelled about two weeks before its inaugural July 18 festival.
- Organizers say they were unable to secure the approvals needed to move forward, despite submitting the required paperwork.
- The festival was created to celebrate Little Jamaica’s revival following more than 15 years of Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction that devastated local businesses.
- Organizers remain committed to returning in 2027, while encouraging residents to support other Caribbean events taking place across Toronto this summer.
What would have been the inaugural Taste of Little Jamaica festival in Toronto has been abruptly cancelled just two weeks before its debut, and Torontonians are left wondering why.
Originally set to kick off in Little Jamaica on July 18, word of the festival first made its rounds on social media mid-May, born out of an amalgamation of two existing Caribbean food festivals: Taste the Caribbean and Toronto Patty Festival.
A festival born from resilience
Toronto Patty Festival Director Lori Beazer says that organizers recognized that due to issues within the Little Jamaica Business Improvement Area (BIA), there likely would not be a Little Jamaica Festival for the summer once again. Last year, the festival was also suddenly cancelled, with the BIA citing funding and permit challenges as the cause.
So, Beazer made it her mission to team up with Taste the Caribbean Executive Director Sandi Folkes to shine a spotlight on the culture and flavours of the community even for just one day, especially after the decade-and-a-half worth of unraveling Little Jamaica has endured. For more than 15 years, construction on the now-open Eglinton Crosstown LRT had literally torn the neighbourhood apart, decreasing foot traffic to the area and forcing the closure of more than 300 businesses along Eglinton West.
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“Hosting these events, especially in Little Jamaica — they’ve been hard hit for so many years, it just lets people know that this is still home,” Folkes told Now Toronto on Friday. “This is where our parents came when they first migrated to Canada. This is where we gathered. This is what we know. This is our culture.”
Why was the Taste of Little Jamaica cancelled?
But when it comes down to what caused the cancellation this time around, Beazer and Folkes seem unsure on what went wrong on the City of Toronto’s administrative end. Both ensure that paperwork — and they mean lots of paperwork — were submitted on time, but Beazer suggests the City may have been stretched thin in terms of offering support amid hosting the FIFA World Cup.
“We would require police services, and transportation,” she explained. “We’ve been doing this work in Little Jamaica. We wanted to do something special, but I do think, in fairness, that it has everything to do with FIFA.”
Both organizers remained optimistic, despite the disappointment, and answered “yes” with no hesitation to the idea of Taste of Little Jamaica bouncing back for 2027.
“It wasn’t just for Jamaicans, it was for the Caribbean diaspora,” Folkes said. “It’s for everybody to come out and experience different Caribbean cultures.”
There’s still so much more in store this summer for Torontonians to dive into when it comes to Caribbean culture, as both organizers say there are tons of events coming up. Returning to the St. Lawrence Market, Folkes’ Taste the Caribbean will take over Market Street on August 2 and September 6, even bringing some vendors that were signed up for Taste of Little Jamaica.
Meanwhile, Beazer says the fifth season of the Afro-Caribbean Farmers Market kicks off July 5, occurring every Sunday outside of Fairbank LRT Station until October.
How are Torontonians feeling about Taste of Little Jamaica’s cancellation?
Locals are expressing their frustration over the festival being cancelled before it could get off the ground.
One resident in the community, Tyron T., said it would have been a great way to bring the community together.
“With weather like this, it’s a good time for everyone to just come together and have fun,” he told Now Toronto.
Another local, Priscilla A. said she was “really disappointed,” at the news especially because she had already made plans to attend the festival with her friends.
“I would say probably, like, 10 years ago there weren’t so many Africans and culture like this [in Little Jamaica], so when they do stuff like this, it actually brings joy,” she explained. “People get to learn more about their countries, and it just brings fun to the summer too.”
Tanesia T. tells Now Toronto that she’s attended past celebrations in the community like the Toronto Patty Festival and remembers having an “amazing” time. She hopes to see the festival make a comeback for summer 2027.
“It’s not only for Jamaicans, but for other Caribbean countries, and we can all come together and reunite,” she explained. “I think it would be an amazing opportunity for them to try, put it together, and for everybody to come back for hopefully next year.”
