What to know
- The fourth annual It’s OK* World festival takes place Saturday, Aug. 8, from 5 to 11 p.m. at Trillium Park.
- The free, all-ages event celebrates Toronto’s Black arts community through live music, DJ sets, storytelling and creative expression.
- This year’s lineup features GENA, the collaborative project from Liv.e and Karriem Riggins, alongside keiyaA, Clairmont The Second, Kwncy, Dvyn and DJ Shylosofly.
- Admission is first-come, first-served, even with an RSVP. There is no public parking at Ontario Place, so attendees are encouraged to use transit, walk or cycle.
Toronto’s waterfront will become a gathering place for Black music, storytelling and creative expression this weekend.
The fourth annual It’s OK* World festival is taking over Trillium Park on Saturday, bringing musicians, DJs and multidisciplinary artists together for six hours of free programming.
Presented as part of Ontario Place’s SummerSeries, the all-ages outdoor festival runs from 5 to 11 p.m. and is rooted in Black joy, community care and creative freedom.
Here’s everything to know before heading down.
What is It’s OK* World?
It’s OK* World is an annual Black-led arts festival produced by It’s OK, a Toronto organization that works to create opportunities and infrastructure for Black artists and arts workers.
Established in 2019, the organization supports artists through performances, exhibitions, workshops and its independent, Black-led creative space, It’s OK Studios, on Queen Street West.
According to the festival’s official description, the event is intended to give Black artists room to “shine, heal and share their stories,” while allowing audiences to experience the range of work emerging from Toronto’s Black arts community.
That focus makes the festival about more than a concert. It also creates a public gathering space where music, visual art and community connection can exist alongside one another.
Who is performing?
This year’s lineup is led by GENA, the collaborative project from experimental songwriter and producer Liv.e and acclaimed drummer and hip-hop producer Karriem Riggins.
Liv.e is known for music that moves between R&B, soul, jazz and experimental production, while Riggins has worked across jazz and hip-hop throughout his career. Together, they bring an improvisational approach that fits the festival’s genre-fluid programming.
The lineup also includes keiyaA, Toronto rapper and producer Clairmont The Second, Kwncy and Dvyn.
DJ Shylosofly will appear behind the decks, while multidisciplinary artist and creative director Myles Isley will host the festival.
The mix of local performers and internationally recognized artists reflects the event’s wider goal of connecting different parts of the Black creative community, while giving emerging voices space alongside more established names.
The festival stretches beyond Saturday
Saturday’s gathering at Trillium Park is the centrepiece of a wider series of It’s OK* World events happening around Toronto.
The program opened on Friday with an artist showcase at It’s OK Studios and also includes a Secret Movie Club screening of the feature film Boxcutter and the short film By Any Means at Canoe Landing Park.
The celebrations are scheduled to conclude on Aug. 16 with the Jazzy Block Party, featuring DJs, musicians and community groups including AwOL, Beat Sampras, Pursuit Grooves, SlowPitchSound, Book Club Toronto, Rhythm Section and the Rudy Ray Band.
Together, the events expand the festival beyond one venue and highlight different sides of Toronto’s Black creative scene, from live music and DJ culture to film and independent artistic spaces.
What attendees should know
It’s OK* World takes place on Saturday, Aug. 8, from 5 to 11 p.m. at Trillium Park, located at 955 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
Admission is free and the festival is open to all ages. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP online, but entry is first-come, first-served. Arriving early is the safest option for anyone hoping to catch the full lineup.
There is no public parking available at Ontario Place. According to its visitor information, Trillium Park can be reached on foot or by bicycle through the Martin Goodman Trail and Inukshuk Park. Paid parking is available at nearby Green P and private lots, but public transit, walking or cycling may be the easier choice.
Since the event is outdoors, festival-goers should also check the forecast before leaving and dress for changing waterfront conditions.
For its fourth year, It’s OK* World is continuing to make space for Toronto’s Black artists while inviting the wider city to gather, listen and experience the community’s work in an open waterfront setting.
