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Here’s what to expect at OSSFEST 2017, the Ossington Street Festival

OSSFEST 2017, featuring an international urban bike race, two live music stages, workshops, demonstrations and kid-friendly activities. 8:00am to 11:00 pm. Free. Event info here.


On Saturday (July 22), OSSFEST takes over Ossington between Queen West and Dundas West, turning over one of the most popular areas of the city to a full day of performances, workshops, demonstrations, food tasting and more. Last year’s event drew over 3,000 people and highlighted the best of the neighbourhood, which continues to experience massive growth due to its popular business community. 

We’ve collected some of the top activities, performances, dishes and events happening this weekend, including the Stylegarage Outdoor Oasis. Attendees will be able to relax here from 2 to 7 pm while trying out Parisian patio furniture from Fermob and inventive furniture from Loll, which uses 100% post-consumer materials..

OSSCRIT Bike Race

OSSFEST kicks off bright and early at 8 am with a one-kilometre international bike race that sends cyclists speeding through laneways and main streets. This is the second annual race on Ossington and it borrows the format from Criterium Bicycling Race, which consists of a closed circuit race with the length of each lap not exceeding one kilometre. There’s also a fixed-gear bike race later in the morning and a prize pot of $7,000-plus for the elite men’s and women’s races after lunch. 

Interested in joining the races? Register here. 

Activities

For cyclists not participating in OSSCRIT, drop off your bike with a valet from 8 am to 11 pm and catch the full day’s activities. Most of the schedule kicks off after the races wrap up at 2 pm. Be sure to check in with CAMH, who will be facilitating the creation of a large mural all day long. 

Silkscreen Workshop

Ever wanted to learn how to silkscreen your own clothes? Crywolf will be showing you how from 2 to 7 pm.

Basketball Tutorials

Athletic clothing store Reigning Champ is going to teach a range of skills to use on the court from 2 to 8 pm. Don’t miss a chance to tweak your jump shot.

Temporary Tattoos

From 11 am, Tiger of Sweden has a beer garden and will hand out a variety of temporary tattoos. 

Fitness Challenges

Want to get a bit active? Seek out Academy of Lions – they’ll be hosting fitness competitions throughout the day where you can show your stuff. 

Hairstyling Demos

Runner-up in last year’s NOW Readers’ Choice poll, Parlour Salon will be showcasing their skills with demonstrations for on-trend hairstyling tips. 

Home Building Demo

Habitat for Humanity helps countless families by building and furnishing their homes. They’ll be showing how they do it with a building demonstration from 2 to 8 pm. 

First-Look Clothing

At 12 Ossington, Collectif Nude will be celebrating the launch of their new clothing retail website from 5 until 10 pm. Drinks will be provided by SIPBAR and music by JAYEMKAYEM, Karim Olen Ash and Matthew Im. 

High-Flying Wrestling 

From 3 to 7 pm, the rising stars at Superkick’d will show off the kinds of skills they hone at this Toronto-based fitness training and live event business.

OSSFEST Night Market

Night markets mean great food and stall-browsing, and from 2 until 11 pm, you’ll be able to scratch that itch at OSSFEST. New cell phone case, anyone?

Superkickd.jpg

Superkick’d championship match at The Great Hall, featuring ‘GQ’ Gavin Quinn vs Jake Something

Music

There will be two performance stages at OSSFEST, featuring live entertainment from 2 to 11 pm. Bands include rockers The Celebration Army, singer-songwriter Kunle and dance beats from Asiko Afrobeat Ensemble.

There will also be a Redbull Tour Bus providing beats as well as Land of Oz artist showcase, featuring world champ DJs and local talent. 

Food & Drink

What would a street festival be without food and drink vendors? Ossington’s solid community of restaurants and bars will make this one of the day’s main highlights. The lineup includes the following businesses (and many more):

Learn more about OSSFEST here.

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