Did Doug Ford just commit to bringing back Taste of the Danforth?
The premier’s news conference ad-libbing with Olivia Chow about funding for the Greektown festival has the city dreaming of gyros
Good news for Torontonians who love pushing their way through muggy crowds to get their hands on grilled stick meat and hand-woven Pikachu keychains: Toronto’s beloved Taste of the Danforth, which has been cancelled for the past two years, may return this summer.
At an unrelated news conference today, attended by Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Olivia Chow, Ford seemed to be in a particularly wistful mood. Both the city and the province signalled that they would back funding for the overcrowded oregano-laden Greektown festival that has hit the streets just once since the pandemic.
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“I got an idea—I’m getting off script, I always get in trouble, but do you know what I miss? I miss the Taste of the Danforth,” Ford told reporters, suddenly nostalgic. “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.”
Chow chimed in: “Tens of thousands of people come to the Taste of the Danforth. Yes, the City of Toronto, through my budget, has put aside some funding to support it.”
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It’s unclear how much money it will take to get the fest going again, but in 2023 (back when cauliflower didn’t cost $9 a head), the massive event cost nearly $900,000. The festival was ultimately cancelled in 2024 and again last year due to the loss of multiple sponsors, a $257,000 deficit and organizer issues. Needless to say, two years and a trade war later, it’s going to take a lot to get the festival up and running.
While there are no details yet on when or how this mountain of money will make its way into the hands of the neighbourhood’s BIA, some Danforth businesses are hopeful for the festival’s return, saying that it helps them get through the slow winter season. With another massive snowstorm underway, it’s hard to remember we even have streets under there, let alone ones we willingly line up on for street meat.
Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
