TORONTO — Toronto's annual African music festival will not take place this summer after organizers and the city failed to find an alternative venue for the event that couldn't secure a permit due to capacity issues. Music Africa of Canada, which runs Afrofest, cited concerns over reduced capacity at Woodbine Park, the festival's longtime home. Organizers said the city told them the park's operational limit would be capped at 5,000 people per day, even though its long-standing capacity is 17,000. The city disputed that restriction in a statement on Thursday, saying "there are simply no events with attendance exceeding 5,000 people per day that are scheduled to take place at Woodbine Park this year." In any case, organizers said Afrofest typically draws as many as 40,000 people in a single day, which would leave thousands of people waiting outside the gates. City officials said they worked with organizers to explore alternative venues but factors such as availability and cost ruled out a change of location. This would have been the 38th year of the festival, one of Canada's longest-running African cultural celebrations and the largest free African music festival in North America. Organizers said they ran into delays securing a permit for the event, which had been scheduled for mid-August, and did not receive final direction from the city until June — leaving little time to find a new site. Even with planned safety upgrades, including ticketing and fencing, organizers said thousands of people would likely still show up expecting to get in, creating a risk they could not responsibly manage. The city said it will work with organizers in the coming months to prepare for next year's event, acknowledging Music Africa's "determined effort" to find a solution. "The additional lead time will allow Afrofest and the city to work together in the coming months on event planning for the 2027 festival, including locating a suitable venue," Pat Tobin, general manager of economic development and culture, said in a statement. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2026. Monique Kasonga, The Canadian Press
