Little Jamaica Festival cancelled days before event due to funding, permit challenges: organizers

A celebration of music, food, and culture for the whole family in Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood. (Little Jamaica Festival/photo)

The Little Jamaica Festival that was set to take over Eglinton West this weekend is no longer taking place, according to event organizers.

The Little Jamaica Business Improvement Area (BIA) announced the sudden cancellation in a social media post on Thursday, saying the event will not be happening.

“Unfortunately, due to funding and permit challenges, we are unable to move forward as planned,” the post reads.

“We know how much this festival means to our community, and this was not an easy decision.”

CTV News Toronto contacted event organizers but did not receive an immediate response.

The festival team adds they will continue to work towards future events celebrating Jamaican culture, history and community pride. The BIA adds they will update the community with further updates about the event.

Organizers did not meet requirements before deadline: city

In a statement, a spokesperson for the city confirmed a street event permit was not issued for the festival as organizers did not meet application requirements, such as submitting a detailed site plan and traffic management and security plans before the deadline.

“City staff worked closely with organizers to explore alternative options, including moving the event to different locations or dates to ensure sufficient time to organize an event of this size. However, the event organizer did not pursue these alternatives, and a permit could not be granted for the weekend of Aug. 30 to 31,” the spokesperson said in an email to CTV News Toronto.

The city noted that the festival received $15,000 in support through its Cultural Festivals Funding Program that must be used by March next year.

“The city recognizes the cultural significance of Little Jamaica Festival and the contributions it has made over the years and remains open to continued engagement with the organizers about future event dates,” the spokesperson added.

This is just the latest street festival in Toronto to cancel due to a lack of funding.

Earlier this week, Toronto Oktoberfest said they will be pausing their event this year as they did not earn their typical funding from the province.

The Taste of the Danforth also cancelled their festival for the second year in a row this summer after facing funding constraints in 2024.