The Do West Fest kicked off the “official start of Toronto’s summer season,” with the street festival taking over 16 blocks of Dundas St. W. this past weekend, but Toronto residents have controversial opinions about the event.
The festival took place in the heart of the Little Portugal neighbourhood all weekend long and brought in hundreds of thousands of Torontonians to the streets for a celebration of Portuguese culture with tons of great food, street vendors, live performances and more.
In addition to the regular daylight summer festival vibes, for the past four years the event also had an after-dark block party party experience with DJ sets, filled patios, and a range of beats from house to Afro-pop and French-disco.
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Do West Fest’s Managing Director Anah Shabbar told Now Toronto on Monday that although there is no official number for this year’s turnout yet, the festival saw larger crowds than in previous years.
According to her, although organizers are happy about the response they have been getting from attendees and businesses, the festival will have to work on adapting to the increasing number of visitors to avoid issues.
“Everybody’s feeling very happy and [there’s] a really great sense of pride and joy around the community. [There’s] been a lot of feedback on Instagram [of] people messaging us saying, ‘This is what I love about Toronto,’” she said.
“The police actually made us shut down early on Saturday night because there [were] too many people at the festival. When we talked to the police, that was the first time that at least the police on staff had ever heard of that happening in the city. So, it was a pretty big deal.”
According to the organizer, the event already made some changes this year to improve safety following concerns raised after the Lapu Lapu Festival tragedy in Vancouver.
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The Do West Fest also saw a change this year after the annual Portugal Day Parade, which also took place this weekend, moved out of the Little Portugal neighbourhood where it regularly runs following scheduling issues with the festival.
After difficult experiences in the last two years of the event, the parade’s organizer José Eustáquio told Now Toronto last week that the administration voted to move to St. Clair.
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Shabbar said that although it wasn’t the Do West Fest’s decision to move the parade, the organizers hope they can work out their scheduling conflicts for future editions of the event.
“To be honest, we have every desire to have the parade in our neighbourhood, and it came to a surprise to us that it was moved, and we do hope that it can be moved back one day,” she said.
CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS
Despite the Do West Fest’s apparently great turnout, some Torontonians took to social media to share some controversial opinions about the event.
One resident who says they grew up near the Little Portugal neighbourhood, shared a post on Reddit saying that they think the festival has lost its original identity.
“I always found Do West to be a relatively chill street festival — a place to go with family, children, parents, maybe a friend or two… Now, it seems like past 4pm it basically turns into an 8 hour clubbing session, with the entire street filled to the brim with people,” they wrote.
“I can’t help but feel that the wholesome event I loved growing up has fallen victim to mass appeal and we have lost the sentiments of the past that made it special,” they added.
Other Torontonians also chimed in with their opinions of the festival, with some complaints regarding large crowds, lack of Portuguese culture, and too much of a party vibe.
“We walked end to end on Saturday afternoon and it was PACKED. What struck me was that in the past, I wandered into book shops, vintage shops, little bars at the festival. That’s what I love about Dundas West. The festival has jumped the shark. It’s a great festival with a cool vibe but it only has a tenuous connection with the neighborhood any more. It’s inevitable,” one user said.
“Although I’m clearly not in the majority on what I brought up on this post — them not being able to run the Portugal Day parade was really disappointing for me,” another user added.
Meanwhile, other users seem to be happy about the festival’s new vibe, praising it for bringing people together and celebrating the city’s diversity.
“Day time is more family oriented, night time is a street party. Definitely one of the best street fests of the summer,” one Reddit user said.
“Hasn’t lost its identity – you’re just getting old. It was the most packed it’s ever been this year, and truthfully it’s amazing for small businesses,” another user added.
“[Sorry] but this is Toronto NIMBYism at its finest. And then we complain about not having culture/nice things. I don’t think (it) has anything to do with this cuz there were a decent amount of older people have a great time,” a different user said.
“It’s a festival for people coming together and enjoying company and diversity. Living here, it’s got better every year on that front. I see all kinds of people and a lot of it. Talking about loss of identity in this particular festival is pure NIMBY baloney,” another user pointed out.
Excitement and anticipation for street festivals and big events in the city reflect a trend in Toronto where residents seem to be craving community-building and entertainment.
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At the same time, Shabbar says the objective of the festival is to create something that everyone can enjoy, from more familiar, chill activities to party vibes.
“That’s definitely one of the reasons that the festival is a success. It caters to different groups but, at the same time, everybody is welcome,” she said.
“There [are] a lot of people that come out, and I understand big crowds aren’t for everybody. But we are trying to gather people, not only to make… a successful festival for our vendors and local BIA members, but there [are] some more chill things that do happen at night.”
