The Story Behind the Taste of the Danforth
Many people are surprised to learn that Taste of the Danforth is organized by the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA, a not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and chaired by Tony Pethakas.
The Festival began more than three decades ago when a group of local restaurateurs came together with one simple idea. Rather than competing against one another, they would combine their advertising dollars to encourage people to visit the Danforth and experience everything the neighbourhood had to offer. The concept was simple, create inexpensive tasting tables where visitors could sample signature dishes from multiple restaurants. That simple idea became Taste of the Danforth. There have been many pretenders to the throne but the Taste of Danforth is the original and the largest.
The Festival officially began in 1994. Twenty-three restaurants participated. Attendance during the first Festival was approximately 5,000 visitors. The following year attendance grew to approximately 100,000 visitors. By 1996, attendance exceeded 500,000 visitors, requiring Danforth Avenue to be closed to vehicle traffic for the first time. Today, Taste of the Danforth welcomes 1.5 million attendees, making it Canada’s largest street festival.
Although the Festival began as a celebration of Greek food and culture, it has evolved alongside Toronto itself. Greek heritage remains proudly at its heart, but today the Festival also celebrates the multicultural character of the city, province and country. It is a multicultural Festival with a “dollop of Tzatziki” on top.
The Greater Toronto Area is home to more than 200,000 people of Greek ancestry, making it one of the largest Greek communities outside Greece. Visitors come to experience what organizers like to call being “Greek for the Day.” They also come to celebrate the incredible diversity of Toronto through food, music, dance, art and community.
Taste of the Danforth has become one of Toronto’s signature annual events and one of Canada’s premier cultural celebrations.
The GreekTown on the Danforth BIA
The Festival is organized by the GreekTown on the Danforth Business Improvement Area (BIA), a not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and chaired by Tony Pethakas.
The GreekTown on the Danforth BIA demonstrates how local businesses can work together to strengthen an entire community.
By bringing together restaurateurs, retailers and local businesses, the BIA has created one of Canada’s most successful and recognized neighbourhood festivals.
Big Economic Impact
Taste of the Danforth is much more than one of Toronto’s favourite summer festivals. It is also a major economic engine. According to the Province’s economic impact model, the Festival generated $91 million in economic impact during a single Festival weekend.
Those figures do not include the significant additional economic benefits experienced by the hundreds of restaurants, retailers and small businesses throughout GreekTown. People come for a “taste “ of the Danforth and they return all year round.