Taste of the Danforth made a big comeback this past weekend after a two-year hiatus. Organizers are estimating between 1.8 to 2 million people made their way to the three-day festival, which made a return to Toronto’s Greektown neighbourhood along Danforth Avenue from Broadview to Jones avenues. Dubbed a celebration of food, culture, and community, it is Canada’s largest street festival and had previously topped out at 1.6 visitors, they say. “There were record-breaking crowds, record breaking,” Howard Lichtman, chief organizer and festival lead, told CTV News Toronto on Monday. First launched in the early 90s, Taste of the Danforth ran up until 2019 when it was put on hold due to COVID-19 event cancellations. Rising security costs and logistical concerns coupled with financing and sponsorship issues, resulted in its cancellation in 2024 and 2025. For those reasons, the festival has only been held twice in this decade. Difficult year for sponsorship “It was a tough year for sponsorship because we had 90 days to put this together. You normally have six or eight months. FIFA had really consumed a large percentage of sponsorship,” he said. But after some strong public pressure, all three levels of government chipped in, providing a cumulative $500,000 to support the festival’s return this year. Organizers had promised to put on an event that was “bigger and better than ever,” with live entertainment, cultural performances, interactive experiences, and activities for all ages aside from delicious food offerings. “It was really, really important to be successful this year. You know, the government provided the base funding to bring it back,” Lichtman added. Festival will return in 2027: organizers Given the unprecedented turnout, organizers are calling this year’s festival a resounding success. “Absolutely unequivocally I’m willing to put personal money on the fact it’s gonna be back next year,” he assured. Local cafes and restaurants, meanwhile, are also about the boost it brought. “I would probably say (business was up) 200 per cent. … A lot of businesses depend on that boost over the weekend just to make sure we make ends meet,” said Billy Dertilis, of Red Rocket Coffee, which recently opened a third location in Greektown. Many say the money they made over the weekend will help tide them over during the slower winter months. “The turnaround of people was thrilling. We’re very excited to have it back and we’re reminding all the Torontonians, the Greektown is still here, we are still here, serving our beautiful food,” said Chris Christodoulou, of Soulas Modern Greek Cuisine. In total, 127 restaurants took part in Taste of the Danforth, and not just those serving Greek cuisine, but from more than two dozen ethnicities. With files from CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding
