There were two major ethnic street festivals happening in Toronto this weekend: the Roncesvalles Polish Festival and the Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival. I’ve posted previously about the Ukrainian Festival, so I thought I’d cover the Polish Festival this time.
Time for Polka and Pierogis!
On September 13 and 14th, the Roncesvalles Village played host to the Roncesvalles Polish Festival. Now in its 17th year, the event stretched down Roncesvalles Avenue from Dundas Street West to Queen Street West. The Festival bills itself as North America’s largest celebration of Polish culture.
All up and down Roncesvalles, there was authentic Polish cuisine, Polish song and dance groups, and over 90 merchandise vendors. The site also included 6 beverage gardens, 2 family zones and multiple outdoor stages with over 40 performances. Local restaurants, bistros, cafes and shops along Roncesvalles Avenue also heavily contributed to the Festival’s celebratory atmosphere.
It just wouldn’t be summer in Toronto without the street festivals. Pretty much any weekend from June to September there is a festival happening in the city, sometimes two or three events on the same weekend.
The Toronto Chinatown Festival is an annual tradition recently celebrated on Spadina Avenue between Sullivan Street and St. Andrew Street. This year, the Toronto Chinatown Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary, with an abundance of multi-cultural street food, cultural performances and the occasional dragon dance.
I’ve always loved the Chinatown Festival – it’s such a joyous celebration of sound, food, music, colour and cultural diversity in our city:
I didn’t catch her name, but this singer had an amazingly delicate, yet powerful, voice:
This mannequin in the red jumpsuit was kind of freaky…The CN Tower looms over the Chinatown dragons. These Spadina Avenue dragons form a gateway to Toronto’s Chinatown neighbourhood. They were designed to form the Mandarin character for “gate”.Waiting for the call, literally: This lady was waiting backstage for her queue to go on. What else to do but check one’s Instagram feed, I guess?
OK, I realize Toronto Pride is not really a TO Cityscape, per se, but it’s a major event that shakes up the city once a year, so I think it’s worthy of coverage.
Love it or hate it, Pride was back for another year, despite a $900,000.00 shortfall of cash – a result of some of the major investors backing out due to the current idiocy happening down south. ANYWAY…. it was still a great party this past weekend.
Yours truly was too vain/stupid/stubborn to wear a hat for the events (it’ll mess my ‘do!) so, of course, I ended up with an intense facial/forehead sunburn. As a result, my wandering was somewhat curtailed over the weekend and I didn’t quite capture the allotment of shots I normally get on a Pride weekend.
At any rate, here’s a few photos to give you an idea of the weekend’s events:
Local Businesses
Area businesses and offices showed their support, as always:
Manulife building on Bloor Street EastManulife building on Bloor Street EastRexall at Church & Wellesley StreetsRexall at Church & Wellesley StreetsRBC at Church & Wellesley StreetsTim Hortons on Bloor Street East
The windows at Dudley’s Hardware (511 Church St.) are always an excellent barometer of what’s happening in the village. This weekend was no exception:
Festival Grounds
Wandering around the general area of Church Street on Pride Weekend, you’re bound to see anything:
Church & Bloor StreetsAt Church and Gloucester StreetsPositive messagesOn Church StreetFlags at The 519FabulousStilt walker on Church St.Lots of DJsGiant Priscilla-like shoe from BataSo like a catI love theseMark Henderson never misses a Pride event. The booklets he’s holding – and the blue banner behind him – proclaim him “King of Pride”.Nice wings…
Drag Ball 2025, Nathan Phillips Square
And, of course, we can’t forget the Drag Queens and Kings. The Drag Ball ran from 2:00PM to 11:00PM on Saturday, June 28th, one act immediately following another with no break between. The energy at this event was simply electric, and the weather actually behaved itself and delivered a perfect day:
I leave you with this performance by Lena Di Matrix, shot just before I left City Hall. It exhausts me just watching this. Drag artists, I salute you!:
OK, I cheated a little on this post. I just wasn’t up to shooting the Good Friday Procession in today’s rain, so I’ve brought forward my shots of the event from a few year’s ago.
For those unfamiliar, the Good Friday Procession is a long standing tradition taking place every Good Friday in Toronto. The mile-long procession is a three-hour event reenacting the fourteen stations of the cross, symbolizing what Christians believe to be the path Jesus took before he was crucified.
The Procession got its start in 1962. These days, thousands turn out for the Good Friday procession as it winds its way through the streets of Toronto’s Little Italy. The sombre event is organized and performed primarily by the parish of St. Francis of Assisi Church at the corner of Mansfield Avenue and Grace Street.
The Good Friday Procession Route
Getting ready for the procession outside the St. Francis of Assisi Church
Although an event like Remembrance Day is not really a cityscape per se, I feel it is extremely important to acknowledge the day.
Earlier today I attended the Remembrance Day ceremonies at Old City Hall. The sombre event was exceedingly well attended and the rain actually held off until later in the afternoon.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
They were young, as we are young, They served, giving freely of themselves. To them, we pledge, amid the winds of time, To carry their torch and never forget. We will remember them.
7th Regimental Band, Royal Canadian Artillery Band, under the direction of Lieutenant Carina LamAretha Phillip, Chief of Protocol, City of TorontoA flypast by The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The flypasts were conducted during several Remembrance Day commemorations across Canada.Remarks from the City of Toronto, presented by Mayor Olivia ChowMayor Olivia Chow places a wreathBenediction, given by Rev. John Joseph Mastandrea, Chaplain, Toronto Police ServicesAretha Phillip, Chief of Protocol, City of TorontoMarching off at the end of the service
Laying poppies on the Cenotaph, end of services
Flowers and poppies on the Cenotaph, end of service
Last weekend played host to desiFEST, the annual celebration of South Asian music, art, food and culture, held in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. In this, the festival’s 18th year, the entertainment lineup consisted of exclusively Canadian talent. Mayor Olivia Chow was also on hand to address the audience; she was the first-ever Mayor to participate in desiFEST. The festival lasted over 12 hours, wrapping up at 11:00PM that night.
Here’s a bit of what last Saturday afternoon offered:
Dancers
BollyX hosted by Dance with Safa
Games
Music
Maple Masala Band
This homeless guy was feeling the vibes of the Maple Masala Band and decided to do something about it…
Shirjeel Jackson
Food (lots of it…)
If you’d like to learn more about desiFEST, click here.
In Chinatown there exists a small lane dedicated to the memory of a remarkable Chinese-Canadian woman named Jean Lumb:
Jean Lumb Lane, off Dundas Street West, near Huron Street
Who Was Jean Lumb?
Since coming to live in Toronto I have heard the name Jean Lumb mentioned but was not aware of her historical importance and influence until doing a bit of research.
Jean Lumb was the first Chinese-Canadian woman, and the first restauranteur, to receive the Order of Canada for her community work. Most notably, she was recognized for her pivotal role in changing Canada’s immigration laws that separated Chinese families, and for her contribution in saving Toronto’s First Chinatown.
Jean Lumb was very active in community work throughout her life. As mentioned earlier, she was instrumental in organizing the campaign to save Toronto’s First Chinatown from complete demolition. She also galvanized the community against further expropriation of remaining portions on Dundas Street West.
Jean was a major force – and the sole woman – in the 1957 Chinese delegation which lobbied the government of John Diefenbaker. They lobbied to repeal explicit racial discrimination from the immigration laws, which contained race-based criteria for admission to Canada.
Early History
Jean Lumb was born in Nanaimo, B.C. in 1919. Her father emigrated to Canada to work as a farm labourer. Jean Lumb left school at age 12 to work and support her family. In 1935, she moved to Toronto and later opened her own grocery store here at the age of 17.
The mother of six children and grandmother of nine grandchildren, Jean Lumb was the co-owner (with husband Doyle Lumb) and director of the Kwong Chow Restaurant in Toronto for 23 years. The restaurant was highly successful and popular with both Chinese and Westerners, with many clientele who were politicians due to its proximity to Toronto’s City Hall.
Jean achieved many “firsts” in Toronto. This included being the:
First Chinese woman on the board of governors of the Women’s College Hospital.
First Chinese woman on the board of University Settlement House
First Chinese restaurateur and first woman to receive the Fran Deck Award for outstanding achievement in Toronto’s restaurant industry
First Chinese-Canadian woman to sit on the board of Rotary-Laughlen Centre
She also served as director and honorary advisor of the Yee Hong Chinese Nursing Home for Greater Toronto and the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, respectively.
Jean Lumb was honoured with around 20 Awards, her first being the Order of Canada in 1976.
This remarkable woman’s legacy continues long after her passing in 2002. The Jean Lumb Foundation awards high school students with Chinese heritage annually for their accomplishments.
You can visit the Jean Lumb plaque in Diversity Garden (southeast corner of Elizabeth Street and Foster Place) near the original site of the Kwong Chow restaurant.
The Jean Lumb Lane was officially opened on November 13, 2019 (below):
Photo: Chinatown BIA
If you’d like to listen to Jean Lumb’s daughter Arlene Chan and Jean Lumb herself, here is an interesting YouTube video:
Toronto Comicon is an annual comic book and pop culture convention held in Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre since 2001.
When it comes to the worlds of Fantasy, Sci-fi, Cosplay, Roleplay, LARPing, etc., I’m quite out of the loop and couldn’t identify with much of what I saw that day, but it was all quite fascinating nonetheless. I’ve come to the conclusion that people just simply love to dress up no matter the occasion, and this convention gives them a very generous outlet to do just that.
To attend a Comicon to shoot the costumes has been on my photo radar for a number of years, and it was fun to finally do that this past weekend. The sheer mass of people was almost overwhelming and all 3 floors of the Metro Convention Centre, plus the North Building, were jammed with attendees.
This event had it all, including:
Wardrobe malfunctions…
Miles of comic books…
Masses of people…
Epic battles…
Boardgames…
Memorabilia for sale (lots!)…
And – of course – some great costumes…
Even superheros need to take the escalator from time to time.
In a nutshell, St. Patrick’s Day observes the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking (and more drinking, and more drinking) and the wearing of a whole lot of green.
Here’s a few shots of the parade that went down Yonge Street. In true Toronto style it proved to be a fully multi-cultural event:
And yes, Silver Elvis was there... in fact, he's everywhere...
This post is based on an event from thirteen years ago, so I guess it qualifies for my so-called From The Vaults series.
A Bit Of Background
Everyone who has a pulse is familiar with the name Jack Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011). Jack served as the leader of the NDP from 2003 to 2011 and was leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. Previous to that he sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of Acting Mayor or Deputy Mayor of Toronto during his tenure as City Councillor. Jack was also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Toronto-Danforth riding from 2004 until his death.
Jack rose to prominence in Toronto municipal politics, where he was one of the most prominent left-wing voices on the City and Metropolitan Toronto Councils, championing many progressive causes. In 1991, he ran for Mayor, losing to June Rowlands. Returning to Council, he rose to become head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In 2003, he was elected leader of the NDP.
Under Jack Layton’s leadership, support for the NDP increased in each election. The party’s popular vote almost doubled in the 2004 election, which gave the NDP the balance of power in Paul Martin’s minority government.
Jack died on August 22, 2011, after being diagnosed with cancer. He was survived by his wife of 23 years – our current Mayor – Olivia Chow.
Remembering Jack, Nathan Phillips Square
In the week before the funeral, Jack’s body was laid in state at Parliament Hill at the House of Commons foyer in Ottawa, then in repose at Toronto City Hall.
On August 26, 2011 a huge memorial for Jack was held in Nathan Phillips Square, outside Toronto City hall. It is from this memorial that my following pictures originate. It was a low-key but very powerful event; the love and respect for this man was clearly on display everywhere in the Square that evening:
Messages to Jack, Nathan Phillips Square
A miniature Jack in Nathan Phillips Square
A cluster of mourners pay their respect, Nathan Phillips Square
Flowers, candles and prayers
An outpouring of love and appreciation for Jack, Nathan Phillips Square
Our flag flies at half-mast in honour of Jack Layton
More messages
Leaving a message for Jack
There were plenty of supportive orange shirts that evening...
Keeping guard outside City Hall. Jack laid in Repose inside City Hall.
The queue outside City Hall for viewing Jack in Repose and paying respects
Seemingly out of nowhere hordes of cyclists appeared and began constantly ringing their bike bells, then bursting into applause to honour Jack. Jack and Olivia were avid cyclists and could be seen riding their bikes in many places throughout Toronto.
Interment
Jack Layton’s ashes were scattered in three places: Cote St. Charles United Church in Hudson, Quebec where he was raised; on Toronto Island, where he was married; and at the Toronto Necropolis, near where he lived.
Here is Jack’s bronze bust atop a red granite pillar at the Toronto Necropolis:
Leaving A Legacy
For those interested, here is a CBC timeline of Jack Layton’s accomplishments
I came upon this by accident with a friend when it was under construction. At the time we said we…