What to know
- Toronto’s iconic Taste of the Danforth festival is returning Aug. 7 to 9, 2026, after being cancelled in 2024 due to financial losses and funding challenges following a 30-year run.
- The festival’s revival gained momentum after Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow pledged funding support earlier this year, alongside contributions from other government and community partners.
- The Greektown on the Danforth BIA has confirmed the event will once again take place along Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Jones avenues, featuring food, music, culture, and free admission.
- Organizers say the beloved summer tradition, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, has been greatly missed and are excited to welcome attendees back to Greektown this August.
The Taste of the Danforth is expected to return this summer, after a cancellation caused its disappearance for two years.
Why was it cancelled initially?
Due to a lack of funding, the city’s most popular street food festival was cancelled indefinitely beginning in 2024, after organizers decided to end it following a 30-year run.
During an annual general meeting held by the Danforth BIA in Nov. 2023, Taste of the Danforth organizers approved a 2024 operating budget with a two-per cent increase to the BIA, but the group said it sustained a $257,000 loss during 2023’s festival which made them uncertain as to whether it can host the next year’s festival.
Read More
Ford and Chow step in
After two years, the topic of the Taste of the Danforth was brought up by Premier Doug Ford himself, at an unrelated press conference back in February.
Ford said he would coordinate with Toronto—Danforth MP Julie Dabrusin and Mayor Olivia Chow to raise enough funds to bring back the event.
“I’m getting off script…but do you know what I miss? I miss the Taste of the Danforth,” he independently told reporters. “I will commit, and I will talk to our friend the boss there to see if we can put money in to revitalize Taste of the Danforth. And mayor, you’re not getting off scot-free, you put a little bit in and we’ll put a little more in.”
After reminiscing about visiting the festival with his brother and former mayor Rob Ford, the premier ended off by saying he loved the people and the Danforth.
Mayor Olivia Chow also spoke at the same conference, vowing that she had put aside funding for the Taste of the Danforth into the city’s budget.
“Yes, the City of Toronto, for my budget, I put aside some funding to support it and hearing the good news that the provincial government may partner with us is even better news. So, let’s bring it back this year, because I’ve missed it in the last two years,” she said.
Read More
BIA confirms
The Danforth BIA also confirmed to news outlets following the February conference that the Taste of the Danforth would make its return in the summer of 2026.
Now, the BIA confirmed in a press release they would be holding the Taste of the Danforth in Greektown once again, from Aug, 7 to 9.
Between Broadview to Jones Ave. along Danforth, hundreds are expected to gather to enjoy a weekend of food, music and culture, with free entry for everyone to enjoy the vibes.
“People have really missed this annual summer celebration,” the chair of the
Greektown on the Danforth BIA, Tony Pethakas, said. “For more than three decades, Taste of the Danforth has been part of the rhythm of summer in Toronto. We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome people back to the Danforth.”
Thanks to the funding from the provincial government, the City of Toronto, local elected officials, community partners, sponsors, businesses, and residents, the BIA said they will be able to hold the festival once again.
When will the Taste of the Danforth take place?
The Taste of the Danforth returns from Aug. 7 to 9, beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at midnight on the Friday, 12 p.m. to midnight on the Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the Sunday.
