Photos: Ukrainian Festival

The local Buduchnist Credit Union marched in Ukrainian colors during the Toronto Ukrainian Festival Parade in Toronto, Ontario on 18-September-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site features the Toronto Ukrainian Festival, held in my home neighborhood of Bloor West Village on 17-19-September-2010. Highlights included the parade and opening ceremonies on 18-September-2010.

Culture: Ukrainian Festival

The Ukrainian and Canadian flags preceded the Baturyn Concert Marching Band near the beginning of the Ukrainian Festival Parade in Toronto, Ontario on 18-September-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I haven't partaken in a lot of community festivals this summer. Part of the fun of the festivals is lost when you can't afford to sample the cuisine, so I've been doing other things. However, with the end of summer just days away, I decided that I had to attend the festival in my own neighbourhood, the Ukrainian Festival that has taken over Bloor Street between Jane and Runnymede.


Children from the Desna Ukrainian Dance Company wore traditional costumes as they rode in the Ukrainian Festival Parade on 18-September-2010

My favorite portion of the festival is the parade. While light blue and yellow dominates the event with more Ukrainian culture than I see the entire rest of the year, the businesses from the Bloor West Business Improvement Area actively participate, and there is always a multi-cultural partner to the festival. This year, it was the Polish community, whose own festival had to be canceled for 2010 because of street construction on its traditional location on Roncesvalles.


Federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton walked in the Ukrainian Festival Parade on 18-September-2010

Of course, parades and festivals mean politicians, and they literally filled the stage after the parade. Amongst mayoral candidates, the diminutive Joe Pantalone walked the route and there was a significant Rocco Rossi contingent--front-runner Rob Ford's supporters were nowhere to be seen. Former Prime Minister John Turner was hosted by local City Councillor Bill Saundercook, and Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri DiNovo and Member of Parliament Gerard Kennedy wore flamboyant Ukrainian attire. The highlight in my opinion, though, was seeing Federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton looking healthy as he walked in the parade with candidate-designate Peggy Nash and then spoke to the audience at the beginning of the festival. Jack is indeed back!


Celebrity chef Ken Kostick, acting as Grand Marshall, opened the Ukrainian Festival by cutting a red ribbon in Toronto, Ontario on 18-September-2010

The Grand Marshall, though, was not a politician. Celebrity chef Ken Kostick was selected to emphasize a new focus on cuisine during the festival. Kostick happens to be from Winnipeg, the historical centre for Ukrainians in Canada. However, as even the Consul General put it, "Toronto today looks more Ukrainian than most Ukrainian cities." [I wonder how many in the audience processed the politics of that statement, a poke at Russians living in the Ukraine.] Or, as Gerard Kennedy put it, "Today, we are all Ukrainians."


A busker handed a recently-completed balloon to a child during the Ukrainian Festival in Toronto, Ontario on 18-September-2010

The Ukrainian Festival continues for one more day, Sunday 19-September-2010, in Bloor West Village on Bloor Street between Jane and Runnymede.

Culture: My Local Parade

The Toronto Ukrainian Festival Parade started on Bloor Street West near Runnymede in Toronto, Ontario on 19-September-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - There are a lot of parades in the city of Toronto throughout the year, many of the larger ones covered on this blog. I have to take the subway to reach many of them, and sometimes streetcars or buses as well. However, the parade at the Toronto Ukrainian Festival which was held earlier today ran right down Bloor Street West through my local Bloor West Village neighbourhood, only a short walk away.


A band from the Ukrainian Youth Ensembles marched down the narrow parade route on Bloor Street West in Toronto, Ontario on 19-September-2009

While many of the major parades in Toronto march down wide streets like University (or even Bloor farther east), the Ukrainian Festival Parade had a much more intimate feel as the parade route used only the two westbound lanes of Bloor. A double-wide float would not have made it in this parade.


Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri Di Novo was joined by former Member of Parliament Peggy Nash in the Ukrainian Parade on 19-September-2009

Rather than seeing politicians that I did not recognize, local representatives that I knew well marched in this parade. City councilperson Bill Saundercook, Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri Di Novo, Member of Parliament Gerrard Kennedy, and even former Member of Parliament Peggy Nash were all noted walking down Bloor Street West.


The local Ukrainian Credit Union had a large contingent of blue and yellow-dressed individuals in the Ukrainian Festival Parade on 19-September-2009

The parade felt comfortable as well because of all the local business that I recognized. Of course, the local Ukrainian financial, cultural, and culinary institutions were marching, but so were decidedly non-Ukrainian business like western European bakeries and martial arts groups.


In a decidedly multi-cultural Canadian scene, a Ukrainian Karate group marched in the Ukrainian Parade on 19-September-2009

The martial arts groups provided the most decidedly multi-cultural moments of the parade. I can't ever recall seeing a Korean and Ukrainian flag together before, as was seen in front of a Tae Kwan Do group, and where else but Toronto (outside of the Ukraine, anyway) does one find a Ukrainian Karate group marching in a parade?


A Tae Kwan Do group performed live demonstrations all along the route of the Ukrainian Festival Parade in Toronto, Ontario on 19-September-2009

The Ukranian Festival continues on Sunday, 20-September-2009, accessible from the Jane and Runnymede stops on the Bloor-Danforth subway. More coverage of the Ukranian Festival, including the parade, will be featured in a future update to my photo site.