One of Toronto’s most popular street festivals, the Taste of the Danforth, is cancelled next year due to a lack of funding, and possibly indefinitely unless it can get more funding.
On Tuesday night, members of Greektown on the Danforth BIA held their annual general meeting where they made the executive decision to scrap the event.
During the meeting, organizers approved the 2024 operating budget with a two-per cent increase to the BIA. The increase will include the re-design of Alexander the Great Parkette and a new strategic planning process that will outline the priorities, actions, and ambitions of its members, the Greektown BIA said in a statement to Now Toronto on Thursday.
The BIA says it sustained a $257,000 loss in 2023 and as a result, it is uncertain whether it can host next year’s festival.
“The BIA would need to fundraise and secure new title sponsorship in order to continue in 2024 as the levy no longer covers the festival, and many of our small business members cannot shoulder a significant levy increase,” the statement said.
Back in 2020, the beloved street festival was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and due to its associating restrictions, the festival was forced to be dropped again in 2021.
Last year, the festival was also called off primarily due to street challenges caused by CaféTO patio installations and bike lanes.
REACTIONS FROM THE DANFORTH-GREEKTOWN COMMUNITY
Following the meeting, rumours of the festival’s possible cancellation spread like wildfire amongst the community. Residents and business owners, especially, say they were very upset when they heard of the news.
Soulas Modern Greek Cuisine Owner Chris Christodoulou has been operating his restaurant since 1979. He began working there when he was only 22 years old. Now at 66 years old, the owner is stunned that the festival he has long cherished is coming to an end.
“It was a shock, obviously. For an event that has been going on for the past 30 years, not to be able to have it again, I don’t know the impact it’s going to have on the Danforth in the future. The financial impact on that particular weekend, it’s gonna be, definitely, a huge loss for all the businesses that participated over the years,” Christodoulou said in an interview with Now Toronto on Tuesday.
Christodoulou explained that this year’s festival was actually not that successful of a turnout for some of the businesses in the area and he believes it’s because the festival has not fully recovered from the closures during the pandemic.
“For the rest of the Danforth, some of the people that participated, they weren’t that happy with the final outcome on the sales and the profit,” he revealed.
In addition to the pandemic, Christodoulou attributes the bike lanes as a major hindrance to business.
“The bike lanes created a huge problem and they cannot figure out a way to overcome that obstacle with the bike lanes, by using the sidewalks as walking for the visitors, where we used to have the sidewalks to do our cooking in front of our restaurants,” he said.
For now, the owner shares this wholehearted message to his loyal customers and fellow supporters of the festival.
“We’re hoping that the festival is going to happen but again, it’s mainly a financial problem. We’ll see how or if maybe somebody or any sponsors will be able to participate, to help with the financial costs. If it doesn’t happen, we are again, here on the Danforth, Greektown, ready and happy to accommodate everybody. Don’t forget us, we’re still here in Greektown,” he said.
Meanwhile, other members of the Danforth-Greektown area were also troubled to hear that their local festival may be getting the ax.
“I do think it will be missed. I would like to take my son there, especially considering that he wasn’t born this year for this one (2023), so it’s sad to know,” one resident said.
“I’m a little disappointed because my husband and I have lived here since before it even started and we came to the first Taste of the Danforth and the first few years were wonderful,” another resident said.
