What to know
- The federal government announced $100,000 in funding for the Taste of Danforth, helping revive the festival after it was cancelled in 2024 and 2025 due to financial challenges.
- The funding, provided through the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, follows a previous $200,000 investment from the Ontario government and aims to support the return of one of Toronto’s largest cultural festivals.
- The announcement has sparked criticism from residents who questioned why other cultural events, including AfroFest and Taste of Little Jamaica, were cancelled due to funding struggles without receiving similar support.
- The contrasting outcomes have prompted some residents to call for more equitable government support for cultural festivals across Toronto.
Following Wednesday’s official announcement of $100 thousand in funding from the federal government going toward the Taste of Danforth, some Torontonians are questioning why other major cultural celebrations struggling with funding haven’t received similar support.
AfroFest and Taste of Little Jamaica were both cancelled in July, prompting some residents to question why government support helped revive Taste of the Danforth while the other festivals were unable to go ahead.
$100K in government support helps bring Taste of the Danforth back
In the mid-week announcement, the Danforth Business Improvement Area and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, confirmed that the federal government gave the festival an additional $100 thousand to keep it afloat and bring it back after it was cancelled in 2024 and 2025 for a lack of funding.
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“We are proud to support events that reflect the many communities that shape our country, contribute to the vitality of our local economies and help make Canada stronger. We look forward to the return of the Taste of the Danforth in Toronto,” Miller said in a new release.
The funding comes from the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, which helps create equitable opportunities for “equity-deserving” populations and community organizations to participate in Canadian society.
It also builds on a previous $200 thousand in funding given by the provincial government in June.
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The festival is one of the largest in Toronto, and gathers over a million people on the Danforth strip each year it runs.
‘Where was this level of support?’: Residents question funding
The funding draws comparisons to other cancelled Toronto festivals like AfroFest and Taste of Little Jamaica, which were cancelled in July for similar financial constraints.
AfroFest, the largest free African music festival in North America, was scheduled for July 18 before being cancelled due to financial challenges.
Taste of Little Jamaica, which was set to bring together the Taste the Caribbean and Toronto Patty festivals from Aug. 14 to 16, was also cancelled.
The contrasting outcomes have prompted some residents to question how government support is distributed among Toronto’s cultural festivals.
“So the Carney Liberals leave Taste of Little Jamaica and Afrofest to suffer, but the Danforth gets money,” one resident pointed out on X.
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“But yet a certain demographic’s event gets cancelled,” another X user noted.
Other users similarly questioned why Taste of the Danforth received federal support over the other festivals.
“1. Why is the federal government funding a local municipal street festival?
2. Where was this level of support to stop Afrofest from getting canceled?” they wrote.
Some residents called for more equitable government support for cultural festivals across the city.
“Other festivals had to cancel, but this one gets funding. Federal funding should be equitable,” one resident on X pointed out.
Another agreed, asking for support for all.
“This is not okay… If you help one, you need to help all,” they wrote.
The Taste of Danforth is set to take place from Friday through Sunday.
