Freedom Festival and March 2011

At first I thought it was going to rain in Queens Park as the storm clouds grew thick and grey. I slowly came to realize it wasn't rain clouds at all, it was the copious quantities of medicinal herb and resulting smoke that hung low to the ground during Freedom Festival 2011 (see 2010 pictures here). The pied piper, or bong smokers, drew young and old alike, but mostly young, to the north yard of Ontario's political heartland where they protested some of the current laws and their voices rang out in support of free speech. Starting before noon the venders began to set up and get the food and merchandise ready for the onslaught of festival attendees. In a little under two hours the sparse group in the park began to number in the thousands.

Streams of people came to Queens Park from bus stations, subways and other points and the park began to bulge at the seams. People seemed to be pretty mellow.

At 2:00pm an extremely large group gathered and headed out of the park (the front of the parade pictured below), north on University, then east on Bloor, south on Yonge and finally west on Wellesley.  The people were well organized by orange shirt volunteers and well supported by the Toronto police.

The police mounted unit waited at Wellesley and Yonge and helped to keep the protest on track and away from the Yonge-Dundas area.

The organized march was very peaceful and and was escorted by plenty of bike police who ensured that the route would keep away from the Eaton Centre area and back to the small forest of Queens Park. Tired marchers (there was a lot of coughing) returned to the bathrooms and snacks that so many craved (for some reason) they could also listen to some great music from some local bands scheduled until 7pm.

See lots more pictures after the jump (click Read More >>, below).

Friends on the way to the festival. Rapper Belsito is 3rd from right

Going south on Yonge Street

Tattoo

Zombies

Stage and festival banner

There seemed to be a lot of solid doggie support.

Mohawk

Two thumbs up from mascot

Free Love sign

Playing with a bubble pipe

The cleanup crew follows the parade

Celebrate 27 Art Fest: Urban Landscape

The United Nations (UN) Article 27 describes a universal right of all to participate in the arts and cultural life of the community, I think this was just before the Libyan thing, and the City of Toronto celebrates both the idea and Toronto's local artists with a series of events from April 1st to the 27th of 2011. Within Brookfield Place is an "Urban Landscape" exhibition of photographs under the glass roof of the stately Wayne Manor most commonly known as the Allen Lambert Galleria. These bottom photo is from Hawa Yusuf, mentored by exhibition lead photographer, artist and architect Michael Awad who made the other photos shown.

Mayor Rob Ford will launch the Festival on Thursday, March 31 at 6:30pm at the Galleria.

Groundhog Day - spring is coming

That fat, fuzzy rodent named Wiarton Willie crawled out of bed on Febrary 2^nd and predicted an early end to winter for 2011. Thank god the cute groundhog didn’t see his shadow in the blowing snow otherwise we would have six more weeks of winter – like he did in 2009 and 2010. Instead he almost got hit on the head by a shovel as his handlers told him to get his lazy ass out of bed and start shoveling his burrow.  PS the 55^th annual Wiarton Willie Festival is now underway. The extreme blizzard we were supposed to get did not go full steam in the GTA and it started easing up early in the morning. Northwest of the GTA did get a pounding but what else is new?

Even if the little guy is wrong I still like the thought that spring is just a short jump around the corner. We can celebrate spring and summer in style, enjoying the sun, waiting for Honda Indy Toronto and NASCAR to get roaring to life again.

In honour of this strange ritual that we have with an underground dweller (no, not CHUD) I will do a mashup of the top news stories of today. Ontario woman attacked by sharks because schools are closed, Wiarton Willie is a witness. All news, all the time; not necessarily correct.

2010 Kensington Market Winter Solstice

Flames rise high as the large structure burns at Alexandra Park after the parade.

The 21st annual Kensington Market Winter Solstice happens tonite (Dec 21, 2010) starting at 6:30pm at Oxford at Augusta. The parade finishes later at Alexandra Park around 8:00pm. Come for some fire, light and fun. The lantern festival, or festival of lights, has had a number of name changes but it continues to celebrate the shortest day/longest night of the year during the Winter Solstice.

A Firebreather gets the bonfire started on the artful fake fire.

The streets filled up fast with people gathering for the parade in Kensington Market. Large groups of drummers get a strong beat going and the intersection quickly becomes blocked with revelers moving to the drums. Later the parade and the action at the park is hard to witness because of the lack of space and the amount of people jammed together at the baseball diamond.

Flame jugglers fill the ball diamond with whirling fire as a full moon looks down on the fun.

“Celebrate the return of light on the longest, darkest night! The Kensington Market Winter Solstice is a participatory lantern parade. Make a lantern, bang a drum, wear a costume, carry a puppet …. This is a people’s celebration.” You can buy lanterns at the Community Centre for $10 and help light the way.

The event is organized by the community art group Red Pepper Spectacle Arts and started in 1987.

Jam packed intersection at Oxford and Augusta.

See my YouTube video and more pics of the night (and a link to the 2009 event) after the jump.

Laterns for sale hang at the Community Centre.

Some musicians head towards the entrance of Kensington Market.

Large puppets on sticks fill the parade route with outstretched hands

Flame juggler before the main combustion begins. 

The large paper mache fire burns hard and fast and soon is but ashes on the melted snow.

I always like to think of this festival as the Kensington Market version of Burning Man, but because of the cold, with no nudity.

You can see my pictures of the 2009 celebration here.

Hanukkah - Festival of Lights

Sad occasions mean it is even more important to gather around your loved ones during this holiday season. The Menorah in Nathan Phillips Square helps to light the way for Hanukkah.

Day of the Dead Festival 2010

This happy fun time annual festival takes place at Harbourfront Centre down at Queens Quay. The Day of the Dead Festival just begs the question - what is this thing all about? Like our Remembrance Day, this Spanish festival seeks to honour and remember departed friends and family members.

There are no zombies in this celebration - just plenty of skulls and skeletons. A big part of the event is alters with gifts and offerings to the loved ones that have passed on. There was Mexican food, songs and dance available at the Centre and the event is free.

Canada's Walk of Fame Festival

I was waiting for my call to the 13th annual Walk of Fame but I must have missed the ringing phone. To honour some of Canada's true celebrities and others that excel in entertainment, sport and science we have the Walk of Fame event which includes a Tribute Ball, a free festival at Yonge-Dundas Square, concerts featuring the inductees, and the unveiling of the sidewalk stars around Roy Thomson Hall.

The 2010 inductees are David Clayton-Thomas, Nelly Furtado, Doug Henning, Clara Hughes, Eric McCormack, Farley Mowat and Sarah Polley. The Walk was started in 1998 and now has 131 inductees.

The free festival has started in the square and will continue to the 17th and will feature concerts by emerging talent from 12 noon to 11pm each night and a films at 9pm. I caught JRDN doing a few numbers at lunch time (pictured at top) followed by Jacynthe.

See photo's of Jim Carrey's star on the Canada Walk of Fame after the jump

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WindFest 2010 - Toronto Waterfront Kite Festival

The Canadian Wind Energy Association sponsors the October 2nd, 2010 edition of WindFest which is  Toronto's Waterfront Kite Festival held at Ashbridges Bay. I haven't seen a hot air balloon festival yet but I am hoping that this kite festival comes pretty close. As they say "WindFest is a chance to celebrate autumn, wind power and the breathtaking are of kite flying, on Toronto's largest beach". It's a little cool today so you might want to leave your bathing thong at home.

The kites take to the sky from 11am to 4pm. They also had kids having parachute races.

Mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone (centre) was also at the beach, he didn't bring his thong, he brought his beach suit.