AT THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL
JULY 30, 2009: TORONTO: Toronto's favourite street festival has a whole new way to celebrate the fun and flavours of Greece and summer in the city. Every year in August, the city of Toronto flocks to GreekTown on the Danforth. Celebrating its 16th year, the Pilaros Taste of the Danforth is Canada's largest street festival, welcoming well over a million visitors. A Decima Research poll indicated that 90% of respondents identified "The Taste" as their favourite GTA festival event -- beating out such iconic events as the Toronto International Film Festival, Caribana and Pride Week.
The GTA lays claim to more than 200,000 residents of Greek ancestry, the third largest Hellenic community outside of Greece, and between August 7th and August 9th, 2009, everyone who comes to the Danforth gets to be Greek for the day.
This year the Taste of the Danforth welcomes a new Title Sponsor, Pilaros. Pilaros International Inc. is a leading importer of Mediterranean food products, primarily olives and olive oil, what the ancient Greeks refer to as "The Essence of Life".
"A Taste Of What To Expect"
This year's Pilaros Taste of the Danforth has loads of fun family-friendly activities to engage and entertain Torontonians. The programs, exhibitors and performers are still being finalized but the following is a "taste" of what is to come:
1. THE CELEBRITY STAGE featuring "A Taste of Broadway", including:
"The Sound of Music"
"JERSEY BOYS"
Stage West's "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" - featuring the songs of Neil Sedaka
Second City - Join The Second City for hilarious, interactive family-friendly comedy!
CanStage - GYM Choir
... and many more great performers.
2. THE BROADVIEW STAGE featuring an eclectic array of music and lifestyle-related programs and performances, including:
The Swamp Dawgs
The cast of "Secrets Of A Black Boy"
Hog Town Swing
Scot Free - ultra physical comedy
Kalen - Mastery of Fire Arts
Batucada Carioca Samba Group
Hannan's Bellydancing
Embrujo Flamenco Dancers
The Argentine Tango Milango
Aideen O'Brien - Celtic Legends
Tone Devils
Karate demonstration from Japan Martial Arts Centre
Yosakoi Dance Group
Free Zumba, Nia and Yoga classes
3. THE GREEK STAGE featuring traditional Greek dancers, singers and musicians, including an opportunity for the audience to learn Greek dancing. Some of the performers include:
Yia Mas
Parea
Ola
Magika Votana
Levendia X
Galaxy
Knossos Cretan Association Dancers
Yiannis kapoulas & Ena K'Ena
4. THE SPORTS ZONE including challenges created by Toronto's professional sports teams featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, the Toronto Argos, and the Toronto Marlies. There will also be two volleyball courts: one for adults and one for children. Lots of chances for people to test their skills and win fun prizes.
5. THE OLYMPIADA offering fun-themed activities for the young, including:
The Mount Olympus Climbing Wall
Caryatid Stand-off
Oracle Of Delphia
We've Lost Our Marbles
Olympic Torch Carry
Olympic Designs
6. CELEBRITY GREEK CHEF - There will be an opportunity to meet our celebrity Greek chef Maria Loi Kouzina, compliments of Pilaros. Maria is a popular Greek television food star from New York. Maria is also a cookbook author and restaurateur. Back home in Greece they call her the "Greek Queen Bee". Maria owns two gourmet restaurants, publishes a weekly magazine and monthly soft cover cookbooks, and has a regular spot on a top daily morning TV show.
7. TASTE OF THE WORLD - Our feature country this year for our new "Taste of the World" program is Japan. There will be Japanese karate demonstrations from the Japan Martial Arts Centre and dance performances from the Yosakoi Dance Group, plus a chance to win a Trip For Two To Japan.
8. THE WINGED WHEELS - We will also be welcoming The Toronto Police Precision Motorcycle Team, The Winged Wheels, in a special 20th anniversary performance.
9. BEER GARDENS - There will be both a Mill Street Brewery Beer Garden and a Moosehead Beer Garden to help keep thirsty patrons refreshed
10. MOTT'S CLAMATO CAESAR GARDEN - This year we will be introducing a Mott's Clamato Caesar Garden where you can not only taste a Mott's Clamato Caesar but you can also learn how to mix the perfect Caesar.
11. WINE & SPIRITS GARDEN - We will also be featuring a Wine & Spirits Garden including sommeliers and a series of seminars on wines, including:
"It's All Greek To Me" - A selection of Greek wines
"Wines Of The World Meet Mediterranean Food" - Compare and contrast some wines of the world
"We're Making Cocktails: Part 1" - Learn how to mix the perfect Mott's Clamato Caesar, Margaritas and Martinis
"We're Making Cocktails: Part 2" - Taste unique international liqueurs and fortified wines. Creates a great cocktail.
12. GREAT CONTESTS, PRIZES AND FREE SAMPLES FROM A HOST OF EXHIBITORS including:
Free samples of Dr. Oetker Pizza
Free samples of Astro Yogurt Smoothies
Free samples of Odwalla
Free samples from Tetley
Free food samples from George Foreman Grills
Chance to win free gas from Sunoco
Chance to win prizes from Yak
Relax to the music of Sirius Satellite Radio during intermission on our Celebrity Stage and in our Wine & Spirits Garden.
13. OPPORTUNITY TO WIN GREAT TRIPS - From our feature country, Japan, there will be an opportunity to win a Trip For Two To Japan, compliments of the Japan National Tourism Organization, Air Canada and Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel.
There will also be opportunities to win an Aegean Splendour Trip For Two To Glorious Greece, courtesy of Transat Holidays.
14. FOOD, FOOD AND MORE FOOD - And, of course, dozens and dozens of tasty food stations from the Danforth's amazing array of multi-ethnic cuisine
PILAROS TASTE OF THE DANFORTH CONTRIBUTES TO TORONTO EAST GENERAL HOSPITAL - On Friday afternoon, August 7th, as part of our "Pre-Show", celebrities, politicians, members of the media and corporations will be kicking up their heels with "Beds On Wheels" at the 5th Annual Danforth Dash Bed Race, in support of the Toronto East General Hospital Foundation. To-date this event which is hosted by the Pilaros Taste Of The Danforth has raised in excess of $100,000 towards the purchase of new electric hospital beds for TEGH. In addition to supporting The Danforth Dash, over the years the Taste of the Danforth has raised more than $800,000 in support of our community hospital, Toronto East General.
The Festival is supported by Ontario Tourism ... Ontario, Yours to Discover.
The Pilaros Taste Of The Danforth is presented by the GreekTown On The Danforth BIA, in cooperation with the Danforth BIA.
ABOUT PILAROS TASTE OF THE DANFORTH
GreekTown Taste of the Danforth sponsored by Pilaros is one of Toronto's signature events, showcasing Hellenic cuisine and culture. You can enjoy mouth-watering Greek cuisine such as souvlaki and spanakopita. The festival also offers the multicultural tastes of the city.
The street festival is in the heart of Toronto's GreekTown, and attracts hungry mouths from all over the world for this renowned street festival. They come for the food, the entertainment, the atmosphere, and to be Greek for the weekend!
Our first year saw 5,000 people attend the event, with rain one day and a scorching sun the second. Only 23 restaurateurs participated that first year, selling an eclectic mix of spectacular "tastes" from tasting tables outside. But everyone felt good about what they were doing. After the first year, a thorough analysis of Toronto's weather led us to move the event to the second weekend of August. The number of attendees swelled to 100,000. By the end of the third year, the City agreed to a partial closure of the Danforth-and the crowds grew to 500,000!
The Danforth has been closed during the GreekTown Taste of the Danforth for the complete weekend ever since 1997, with the support of the City of Toronto and Toronto Police Service's Divisions 55 and 54. For the first 15 years Krinos was the title sponsor. For the first time, in 2009 Pilaros became the title sponsor of the GreekTown Taste of the Danforth and welcomed record breaking crowds exceeding over 1.7 million people, coming from Ontario, Quebec, the northern USA and around the world. They come for the food, the entertainment, and the atmosphere.
ABOUT GREEKTOWN
GreekTown is a Business Improvement Area located roughly between Chester and Jones Ave on Danforth Ave. 450 businesses are situated in this area and each contributes financially to the promotion and beautification of the community. In the early 1970's, Canada welcomed thousands of Greek citizens. Many members of the community flocked to the Danforth. As a tribute to the numbers of Hellenic citizens who lived and worked in the area, the Business Improvement Area voted to change the name to GreekTown on the Danforth in 1993. GreekTown on the Danforth is the largest Hellenic business community in North America and indeed is the third largest in the world after Greece and Melbourne, Australia. In 1994, GreekTown launched the Taste of the Danforth creating the largest Greek festival in the world outside of Greece.
Getting to the Festival (Click Here to View Map)
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