Festivals: A City in Celebration

Now we are in the thick of summer and have enjoyed weeks and weeks of hot, sunny and high temperature weather there is some kind of festival every week in Toronto. The winter is a distant memory like a hazy dream you aren't sure you had. There are flashbacks of iced windows and gloves in a drawer act as a reminder to when it really was too cold to spend too much time out doors. But now the sun shines every day and we sweat in the city. Those of us without the luxery of air con huddle in front of fans in search of some solace from the heat. But above it all we all gather on the streets of the city to celebrate - something.

It all started with Pride. The Pride Parade took place on Sunday July 4th. On a super hot day over 2 million people turned out to the the parade route to watch. I arrived at Yonge/Bloor station and it was so crowded. It felt like there was a mess exodus to somewhere. It clearly was not going to be easy to find a space close to the barrier to watch the parade. I moved through the huddles of people down to Church Street.

At last there was some relief from the throng of people and I was up close and touching the barrier. A women in a bikini climbed up onto a traffic light pole and starting waving a flag. People cheered her on. Then round the corner on the parade route came the Dykes on Bike. Lesbian's on motorbikes. The Pride Parade had begun! For 3 hours in the blistering heat we cheered, we danced, we waved, we watched as a colourful assortment of characters paraded before us. Naked men, men in drag, men in PVC, women in tutu's, women in thong bikini's, dogs in dresses, policeman, firemen, church poeple and teachers. A lot of Lady Gaga was played! A lot of great music was boomed out. A fireman soaked the crowd with a huge water hose, people fired their water pistols at us. It was an amazing atmosphere and we felt united as a city in celebration.

As the parade drew to a close poeple turned to each other and said it had been nice to meet them and bid them a good day. We had all been part of something big. As I walked down the parade route among fallen feathers, water bottles and free condoms I realised how great it had been.

We then went to Marble Slab ice cream where they abused your ice cream before putting into a huge waffle cone. Awesome! Then back to home made mojitos. A great parade, a great day, awesomeness achieved!

Then there was the Queen Street Jazz Festival, Salsa on St Clair, Taste of The Danforth, the Turkish Festival.......the party never ends.