TORONTO—Hellenic dance, song, food, and over a million visitors flooded Danforth Ave. on Saturday for the annual Taste of the Danforth festival.
Since 1994, the three-day festival has attracted tourists from all over Canada, the Unites States, and around the world who want to experience traditional Hellenic cuisine and culture presented by Greek locals.
People from a range of ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life enjoyed the weather, the music, and Greek specialties such as souvlaki, gyros, and baklava. Three stages marked the start and end of the lengthy stretch of the festival from Chester to Jones Ave.
Some of the performing acts included Hellenic folklore dance group Levendia X, modern Greek band Arkadia, and vocal and instrumental ensemble Yia Mas.
“The crowd was unbelievable,” said Arkadia band leader Stephan Lentzos.
“I look out there and it’s just like when I’m landing in Athens—I look and all I see is the thálassa (Greek for sea), that’s how I felt like. I was looking out and it’s just a sea of people.”
Arkadia made the trip from Regina to bring the festival a taste of the Greek rhythms that they modernize with a catchy beat. It was the band’s seventh time to perform at Taste of the Danforth, but the first for Lentzos’s 13-year-old godson, Chris Dimas, who played the drums.
A mix of the young and elderly cheered on the band.
“It was unexplainable,” said Dimas after the performance. “Getting dark, the light shining in your eyes, and I can see all the people, it’s awesome. . . Very proud to be Greek.”
Street vendors worked non-stop. With crowds waiting in line for up to 40 minutes for specialty gyros, there was no time to relax. Hellenic Home, a seniors’ centre, brought out their booth for the tenth year in a row to serve the Greek pastry desserts baklava and kadiefi.
Since 1994, the three-day festival has attracted tourists from all over Canada, the Unites States, and around the world who want to experience traditional Hellenic cuisine and culture presented by Greek locals.
People from a range of ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life enjoyed the weather, the music, and Greek specialties such as souvlaki, gyros, and baklava. Three stages marked the start and end of the lengthy stretch of the festival from Chester to Jones Ave.
Some of the performing acts included Hellenic folklore dance group Levendia X, modern Greek band Arkadia, and vocal and instrumental ensemble Yia Mas.
“The crowd was unbelievable,” said Arkadia band leader Stephan Lentzos.
“I look out there and it’s just like when I’m landing in Athens—I look and all I see is the thálassa (Greek for sea), that’s how I felt like. I was looking out and it’s just a sea of people.”
Arkadia made the trip from Regina to bring the festival a taste of the Greek rhythms that they modernize with a catchy beat. It was the band’s seventh time to perform at Taste of the Danforth, but the first for Lentzos’s 13-year-old godson, Chris Dimas, who played the drums.
A mix of the young and elderly cheered on the band.
“It was unexplainable,” said Dimas after the performance. “Getting dark, the light shining in your eyes, and I can see all the people, it’s awesome. . . Very proud to be Greek.”
Street vendors worked non-stop. With crowds waiting in line for up to 40 minutes for specialty gyros, there was no time to relax. Hellenic Home, a seniors’ centre, brought out their booth for the tenth year in a row to serve the Greek pastry desserts baklava and kadiefi.
