Revelation Day of Khalsa celebration at Nathan Phillips Square.
Fabulous colours and smells.
And LOTS of people! The people came from around Ontario as well as some from New York state.
below: There was free food for everyone.
below: There was a place for prayer
The usual cast of characters, plus or minus a few.
Floats, marchers, and crowds.
Flags, banners, and signs.
Flamboyance, body paint, and tutus.
Unicorns, fruit, and super soakers.
It’s Pride weekend here in Toronto with its many activities including the usual parades. Yesterday was the Dyke March.
below: As in previous year, the motorcyclists led the parade.
You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
… and he arrived on Saturday amidst the gusty winds and light snow. Winter arrived on the same day!
Before the parade there was the Holly Jolly Fun Race, a 5 km race along the Santa Claus parade route.
#TOsanta | #TOsantaparade
Buskerfest 2016,
Woodbine Park, Sept 2 – 5
below: Making their Toronto debut, Cirque No Problem (i.e Noa and Uri Weiss from Israel) perform the acrobatic part of their show while lip synching ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ by Bonnie Tyler.
below: Fire Guy juggling three flaming torches as he moves through the middle of the crowd.
below: The Privy People. A wonderful idea – porta potties as suites, each decorated with a different artist. I had the privilege to use the Frida Kahlo suite. An added bonus – the man in the lobby held my bag for me thereby solving another problem. And those three women swimming past? They are ‘Money Fish‘ , silent synchronized swimmers.
below: Bex in Motion with two flaming hula hoops .
below: Chalk Master Dave gets a little help.
below: There were a few small amusement park type rides including this ferris wheel.
below: Gaia, a character performed by The Mistress of Madness .
below: It’s big enough to swallow a whole family!
below: One of many shows with balancing and juggling, Kobbler Jay and his three knives.
below: Dr. Bubblito and his bubbles… and lots of kids (and adults) chasing those bubbles.
#buskerfestto | #buskersatthebeach
The 10th annual 420 Day celebration in Toronto was held this year at Yonge Dundas Square.
By mid-afternoon the square was very crowded but most people didn’t seem to mind.
#420day | #420toronto | #420toronto2016
Rob Ford
City councillor and former Mayor of Toronto
May 1969 – March 2016,
Funeral procession from City Hall to St. James Cathedral, 30 March
below: For two days Rob Ford lay in repose at City Hall where people could pay their respects. And many did. Yesterday, the line up wound around the corner of City Hall as people waited their turn. Some people loved him; some people hated him. Possibly there were those who were indifferent.
This morning there was a short procession from City Hall to the noontime funeral at St. James Cathedral.
below: After arriving at City Hall, Doug Ford greets the crowd.
Although the procession was scheduled to begin at 10:30, it didn’t start until close to 11:30. A group of people waited at Nathan Phillips Square including some of Rob Ford’s supporters. I overheard a conversation between two men who were discussing what they thought of politics and politicians, most of it negative. At one point they declared that all career politicians should be kicked out of office. I thought to myself, you mean guys like Rob Ford? Wasn’t he a career politician?
About 20 or so people were holding a large flag made of a couple of Canadian flags and all the provincial flags stitched together. It was a very diverse group of people, diverse in age as well as in ethnic background. They were joking about whether or not they were going to be on the front page of the ‘Sun’. We shall see!
below: A woman finds a quiet place to sit and wait.
below: The police were in position, ready to start, long before the procession began. So was the media and it was a very large media presence indeed.
below: The Toronto Fire Department had a large Canadian flag on display at Queen and Bay streets, near the beginning of the procession route.
below: Trying to keep the people, most with cameras, off the streets.
below: This guy may have been filming the crowd (and me) but he didn’t look away from his phone.
below: The crowd in front of St. James cathedral
As I was walking away from the cathedral, a woman approached me.
She pointed towards the church asked me if I knew what was going on there.
added later: I was going to discard this photo but then I noticed the man in the mask.
Who wears a mask to a funeral procession?
It would be fun to write a post about the winning ways of the Blue Jays and up until two days ago I could have. After a great ending to the baseball season, the Blue Jays entered the playoffs with back to back afternoon games against the Texas Rangers here in Toronto. Yesterday the Rangers beat us 5 to 3. Again today, the Blue Jays lost by two runs but this time it took 14 innings, or close to 5 hours.
The Rogers Centre holds just over 49,000 people and it was filled to capacity both days.
The next two games of the American League Division Series are scheduled to be played in Texas on Sunday and Monday. If a fifth game is needed (it’s a best of five series), it will played in Toronto on the 14th of October, next Wednesday.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Today was the first day of TIFF.
Happy 40th birthday to TIFF!
King Street is closed between University and Spadina for a few days so I thought I’d wander through the TIFF party to see what was happening. I played ‘follow the crowd’.
below: Who are we looking for? I wasn’t sure, but hey, why not wait and see?
below: Widmer Street was closed to traffic
…. except for a few black Cadillac Escalades.
below: I’m not sure who he was but he seems to be taking pictures of the crowd
(or is he taking a selfie?)
below: Sean Bean (aka Ned Stark in Game of Thrones – thanks to the woman beside me who knew who he was) in the burgundy coloured vest. As it turns out, the movie ‘The Martian’ had just finished playing at the TIFF Lightbox and many of the cast members had been in attendance.
below: I think it’s Danny Glover; I could be wrong
below: Jessica Chastain, also in ‘The Martian’ worked the crowd. She was generous and let many people take selfies with her. Not in the picture, the three security guards who stayed close to her the whole time. Also not in the picture, any selfie with me!
Once Jessica passed by me, I moved away from the crowd and headed back along King Street.
I didn’t far when I spotted another, smaller, crowd.
below: Can’t be a badass security guy with a shaved head and dark glasses!
I struck up a conversation with one of the Escalade drivers. He told me that Matt Damon was due to come out in about 20 minutes after some sort of press event. That’s when I clued in to the fact that the people who got into the big black SUVs two blocks back had only been chauffeured to this place! Since I missed Matt Damon the first time around, I decided to stay. Besides, the crowd was friendly and chatty and I was having a good time.
below: Sebastien Stan walks to a car after signing a few autographs. When he first came out the door, there were a few, “Who’s that?”. The answers were almost all, “Captain America”.
below: Naomi Watt made an appearance too.
Hey, she’s not in “The Martian”, but I didn’t know that at the time!
Okay, okay, you all just want to know if Matt Damon let me take his picture.
below: One burly security guard stepped in front of me and almost destroyed the moment.
Note the shaved head. No sunglasses though.
Apparently George Clooney, Sandra Bullock and Helen Mirren, were at TIFF today.
I missed them; they’ll have to wait until next time.
#TIFF15
Toronto International Buskerfest for Epilepsy, 2015,
over 70 acts from Canada and around the world.
Yonge Street, College to Queen,
28th Aug through 31st Aug
below: The Funnykito Show, Dan Marques is a performer from Brazil, part magician, part mime and part clown. Here he sets up a trick whereby he tries to remove a beer bottle from the hands of a volunteer with a whip.
below: MaracaTALL, drummers on stilts
below: There were four or five members of the Mirror Family roaming around Yonge Dundas Square. They were covered from head to toe with small pieces of mirror.
below: Meow Mur, a cosmic cat from another planet
below: Max T. Oz
below: Brant the Fireguy has a burning desire to entertain and does so with his ‘O Yeah’ show.
below: Pierre St. Pierre
below: Buskerfest helps to support Epilepsy Toronto; it is their largest fund raiser.
below: Lulu’s World, where a black marker and some tissue paper helps to bring a story to life.
below: Upside down on the rope, Natural Wings
below: Wacky Chad, pogo sticks, dance moves, little bikes, and more
below: Alakazam, throwing knives and other sharp objects as his show’s finale
below: Pyromancer, fire breather, entertains the crowd.
below: Taking turns conducting a small string orchestra
below: Giant Sauruses wander Yonge Dundas Square looking for food. They are part of Close Act Theatre Group from the Netherlands.
below: The Yo-Yo Guy, John Higby, performs.
below: Part of his act involves removing a coin from behind the ear of a volunteer with a spinning yo-yo.
as I walk Toronto 