Posts Tagged ‘fun’

Pillow Fight at Nathan Phillips Square
in celebration of International Pillow Fight Day 2016

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - 2 asian women hit each other with pillows while other people watch

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young man with two yellow pillows looks intensely at a man with a pillow raised over his head

feathers go flying as pillows break during a pillow fight amongst a crowd of people

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a man wearing a suit and dark sunglasses participates in the pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a number of young people laughing

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a boy closes his eyes and ducks his head as two pillows come his way

two young women leaping at each other as they try to hit each other with pillows

two young boys swing pillows at each other - people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young girl swings a pillow

young people participating in a large outdoor pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

a woman holds her hands up by her head defensively to ward off pillows being swung by two girls

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young man with earmuffs and a woman wearing a face mask

young men swinging pillows at each other in a large pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people at Nathan Phillips square on a cold day watching a pillow fight, spectators,

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - an Asian woman swings a pink pillow at a man wearing a ski mask

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a woman with long red hair hides under her pillow as she walks through a crowd

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young woman is on the shoulders of a man as they pass through a crowd during a pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a woman in a pink and blue striped hat smiles at a man as she readies to through a pillow at him

a person in a bear costume waves to the camera as a boy in pyjamas holds a pillow

people, adults and kids, swinging pillows at each other in a large pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

asian young man in suit and tie and glasses is laughing and smiling as he swings a pillow in a pillow fight outdoors with many people

a young woman holding a pillow and screaming at another young woman

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an asian woman with her hair dyed auburn has a pillow over her head as she emerges from a crowd at a pillow fight

#pillowfight | #pillowfighttoronto

There is a new collection of street art in Little India.  It can be found if you go behind the stores on the south side of Gerrard Street between Rhodes Avenue and Craven Road.  The art is easily seen because there is not only an alley behind the stores but also a parking lot.

back of a row of stores and restaurants viewed across an empty parking lot. The lower storey of the exterior walls are covered with street art and murals.

below: Udlaakut Alysia.  Udlaakut is Inuit for good morning.

A street art painting with the words udlaakut Alysia. Udlaakut is Inuit for good morning

The corner of a building with street art on it. Wispy people in blue

below: Above the stairs painted by timmydrift and below the stairs by thepasystem

The back of a store with street art on it. A metal staircase goes diagonally up across the building. Above the stairs is a multicoloured swirly piece while under the stairs the street art in is blue and purple A campfire burns yellow in the bottom left corner.

Detail of a flower from a largeer street art piece. It looks like a purple and red daisy

below: A marine creature (alligator) by Nick Sweetman and a woman’s face by Kairo.

An orange chair sits in front of a corner of a building that is covered with street art. There is a realistic woman's face by kairo and a creature by Nick Sweetman

below: The metal fittings on the back of the building were spray painted shiny gold and incorporated into the design of the mural.

Close up of part of a larger street art painting. The metal parts of the building have been spray painted shiny gold and incorporated into the mural.

Doorways covered with street art, something cutesy in pink and yellow, a furry head creature and a blue koala

below: behind 1465 Gerrard Street East

doorways behind 1465 Gerrard St. covered with street art, a white ghostly skull and a girl standing with her head back and arms upraised

below: Lean back!

A creature whose body is made of small circles and triangles, with skinny black arms and legs, wearing white shoes and white gloves

street art on the back of building. On the top is a starfish shape in blues. On the bottom is a grumpy little man with an oversized head done in teal colours. He is wearing an orange headband. GFC Cruz

The back of a few two storey shops where the bottom half is covered with street art and murals

below: behind Siddhartha vegetarian restaurant

garages and walls at the back of stores and restaurants covered with street art. Pink anf purple blob like creatures and an elephant

An elephant head and trunk street art painting by PUA (#PUA69) on a garage door.

below:  On the back of the Flying Pony cafe is this colourful mural painted by Tim Skynz, lead artist of the group Eskape Reality

Two murals, both brightly multicoloured featuring creatures, on walls in an alley

below: tropical paradise?!

street art mural of a blob creature in green with two faces, one with tongue sticking out and one with three eyes. It is beside a palm tree on a beach.

mural on a wall, with a window in the middle, many blob creatures with different number of eyes in blues, reds and purples, many with tongues sticking out, one giving a peace sign with white hand

below: Side of the Flying Pony cafe

the side of the Gallery Coffee Bakery with a red winged horse sign on the upper storey of the red brick bulding. The door and window frames of the shop are painted in primary colours.

Diagonally across the corner (of Gerrard and Rhodes) from the Flying Pony is another store that has been covered with street art recently.  This mural was painted by Runt.  1600 Gerrard East is the home of Lenswork, a photo and art studio gallery.

A store on the corner of Gerrard and Rhodes in Toronto where the front and side of the building are covered with multicoloured street art.

If you go back to Craven Road there are two murals.

the west part of the back of a building covered with street art. The street and another lower building with a mural on it is in the background.

First, there is the one by Monica on the Moon on a small building behind the Gujran Wala Tikka House restaurant.

A mural by Monica on the Moon on a dark blue or black background, a bright orange and blue flower on the right and a flower/face on the left. The words Gujran Wala Tikka house are written in the top right corner which is the name of the restaurant that this building is behind.

Beside it, on the side of the Gujran Wala Tikka House,  is a larger mural titled “The Rickshaw” by Monica Wickeler
(note: Monica Wickeler is Monica on the Moon)

mural in Little India of a decorated bicycle in front of a beige building with orange umbrellas on the left

below: And last, seen on a pole in the parking lot:

sticker on a grey metal pole. head with the words Blob Head written underneath. Purple hair, open mouth, pink lips, teeth showing, purple bushy eyebrows and three small eyes where each eye should be (six eyes in total)

 

The alley project was coordinated by Tammy Rogers
with assistance from Monica Wickeler and the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA.

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.

A busker, Funnykito, has a volunteer on stage, The man (volunteer) is holding a beer bottle upside down between the palms of his two hands
Part of the Funnykito Show where he tries to remove a beer bottle from the hands of a volunteer using a whip
Two kids, boy and a girl, sit on the pavement while they watch a performer at an outdoor busker festival

below:  MaracaTALL, drummers on stilts

Men on stilts, wearing large gold hats and gold and green costumes, play drums as they walk on stilts above the crowds on Yonge St.
A man in a blue shirt and beige baseball cap watches in fascination at a performance at a street festival. There are other people in the crowd around him.

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.

A woman with blue reflective sunglasses is standing beside a roaming busker act, one of the Mirror Family, a woman covered from head to toe with small pieces of mirror
In the foreground a person is clapping, in the background is a crowd of people that are out of focus

below: Meow Mur, a cosmic cat from another planet

Meow Mur, a busker character dressed in a bright multicoloured leotard costume with cat like facial features.

Two people watching a performance at a street festival. One of them is wearing a large red and white Dr. Suess hat.

below: Max T. Oz

The busker, Max T. Oz performs his sleight of hand act at a street festival. A crowd is watching he pretends to slice his arm with a large knife.

A picture of the crowd watching a show at buskerfest, they are smiling and clapping. A small table with some oranges and a baseball is the foreground, part of the equipment used by Max T. Oz

A girl sits on her father's shoulders as she watches a show at buskerfest

below: Brant the Fireguy has a burning desire to entertain and does so with his ‘O Yeah’ show.

fireguy juggles three flaming torches at an outdoor street festival, Toronto buskerfest on Yonge St. , in front of a crowd of people

Part of Fireguy's Oh Yeah show where he puts a flaming rod into his mouth.
In the foreground is a close up of the busker Fireguy's feet as he stands on a skateboard that is balancing on a large tube, all on top of a box. On the box is written the words 'A burning desire to entertain'. Many people are watching the show.

people sitting on the sidewalk watching a busker perform

below: Pierre St. Pierre

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below: Buskerfest helps to support Epilepsy Toronto; it is their largest fund raiser.

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below: Lulu’s World, where a black marker and some tissue paper helps to bring a story to life.

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below: Upside down on the rope, Natural Wings

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A woman with part of hair dyed a bright pink colour sits with a group of kids on the pavement, others stand behind them. They are all watching a performance at a street festival

below: Wacky Chad, pogo sticks, dance moves, little bikes, and more

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blog_buskerfest_wacky_chad_airborne

blog_buskerfest_wacky_chad_riders

below: Alakazam, throwing knives and other sharp objects as his show’s finale

blog_buskerfest_knives_juggling

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below: Pyromancer, fire breather, entertains the crowd.

blog_buskerfest_pyro
Three boys in orange T-shirts sitting on orange benches. A very orange picture

below: Taking turns conducting a small string orchestra

Two young girls take a turn at conducting a small group of musicians playing string instruments at an outdoor festival

  below: Giant Sauruses wander Yonge Dundas Square looking for food.  They are part of Close Act Theatre Group from the Netherlands.

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A woman with long dark hair and sunglasses is holding a small white dog

below: The Yo-Yo Guy, John Higby, performs.

The Yo yo guy is doing a trick with a yo yo where he makes a shape out of the string and his fingers while the yo yo keeps spinning

below: Part of his act involves removing a coin from behind the ear of a volunteer with a spinning yo-yo.

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blog_buskerfest_yoyo_reaching

The annual Streetfest on the Beach,
on Queen St. East between Woodbine and Beech,
23rd, 24th, and 25th July

A young Asian boy is on his mother's shoulders.  He is looking back.  He is wearing a greyhat with a red band, as well as a tie.

A crowd is on Queen St in Toronto as they have come to listen to live music as part of streetfest at the beach, intersection with Glen Manor Road

looking east, Friday evening

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Three brass players performing outside.  Two men on saxophones and a woman playing a trumpet

A couple sitting a bench laughing.  They were taking a selfie when they noticed 4 photographers taking their picture.  She is embarrassed and is covering her face, he is laughing.

young black man, drummer, laughing as he plays the drums

Isaiah Gibbons, drummer, Saishubi

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a group of older people dancing to the music on the street at a street music festival

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three musicians performing outside.  Two women singers and one male singer

the Arsenals

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young man in dreadlocks and a yellow Tshirt waiting to perform at a music festival

A black woman with shoulder length curly hair and a bright pink top is singing into a microphone. A woman in green is watching her

Mae, singer in Grace, Toronto’s all female funk & soul band

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A woman's back is to the camera as she watches live music outside.  Her black hair is tied in a short ponytail, she is wearing a white hat and a white sundress.  She has a large tattoo on one shoulder blade.

two young boys sitting on the sidewalk watching a drummer play in a band in a street music festival performance

A young boy looks longinly at his sister who is drinking coconut water from a coconut with a straw.  He is trying to  reach his own straw

man playing the guitar outdoors at a street music festival

Paul James band

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A man is squatting on the sidewalk with two girls on his knee.  Both girls have balloons.  They are part of a crowd watching a band perform in a street music festival

saxophone player playing in front of many microphones at an outdoor music festival

saxophone, Blue Room

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lead singer for Blue Room, grey hair and beard, Hawaiian shirt, black hat, singing at streetfest at the beach

Brian Neller, lead singer, Blue Room

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A man has his arm around a woman's back and her hand is on his shoulder as they watch a musical performance outside along with a number of other people

Dr. Draw playing his violin in front of a crowd, outdoor street music festival

Dr. Draw

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Dr. Draw and his backup guitar player, streetfest at the beach,

keyboard player in Conor Gains band playing at Streetfest at the Beach, Queen St. in Toronto in July, summer evening

Conor Gains Band

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A man is buying food from a food truck

 

Canada Day 2015

There were celebrations at a number of locations around the city
including Queens Park and Yonge-Dundas Square.

A young man stands in Dundas Square in an area that has been barricaded off and also in which a large maple leaf outline in red tape has been laid down.  He is wearing a red Canada T shirt and holding a small Canadian flag.

The red outline of a maple leaf was then used to make a “living flag” of people wearing red T-shirts and white T-shirts. The crowd waited patiently behind the barricades while the organizers got their act together. Not everyone stayed on the sidelines!

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Five people pose for a photo.  They are wearing red T shirts and they are standing withing the stem of the maple leaf outline that is taped to the ground.  They are the first ones into the living flag that is trying to be made at Dundas Square as part of a Canada Day celebration

The first part of the “living flag” takes their place in the stem of the maple leaf.

 

A man holds a young girl on his shoulders while the watch a performance of New Choir, a choir that sings old rock songs, as part of a Canada Day celebration at Dundas Square.  The girl is wearing a red hat with white maple leafs on it.  There are Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling of the stage.

Listening to New Choir perform at Yonge Dundas Square

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two women are all dressed in white and sitting in poses to look like statues.  A boy is approaching them to figure them out

The back of a young girl wearing a red baseball cap and sitting on someone's shoulder as she watches an acrobat show on a stage

One of the better seats in the house! Watching the acrobatics at Queens Park.

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A woman all dressed in white is sitting still as if she's a statue.  A man, also wearing a hat, stands behind her mimicking her pose

A man is hamming it up for the camera.  He is wearing a silver and red oversized tophat and a red and white costume.  He is holding the corner of a large Canadian flag

A young girl looks a bit skeptical as she poses with four women dressed in frilly white dresses who are hamming it up for the camera.  Exaggerated facial expressions

A group of characters in red and white Canada Day costumes stop to pose with some boys.  One of the characters has a stuffed beaver that is trying to take a sip of the boy's snowcone.

It’s thirsty work being a beaver!

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Two kids sit on the sidewalk beside two men who are talking.  Yonge Street is in the background, with traffic, including an open topped double decker bus.

a red headed young man is standing on the base of a statue to get a better look at a show, the crowd is in the background.  He is all dressed in red and his Tshirt has the words I am Canadian on it

A young toddler wearing a white flower head band and a red T-shirt, and holding a Canadian flag is being held by her father

An older man in a red T shirt and a funny red and white hat is holding 2 small Canadian flags

Mayor John Tory has a small Canadian flag in his hand as he talks to people at Dundas Square on Canada day.   He's in a white T-shirt.

As I stood as part of the white of the Canadian flag, along came John Tory, also on the white team. Just out of the picture (and also in white) was Miss Teenage Toronto. (What? We have a what? I had no idea there was a Miss Teen Toronto).  Next time I’ll try harder to get a picture of her but this time I was preoccupied with being part of a flag.

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Here’s to the next 148 years!

A person in red and white Canada Day costume is on stilts with three others standing beside, in front of the parliament buildings at Queens Park

Color Me Rad, 5 km walk/run
Downsview Park, Saturday 30 May 2015,
in aid of Big Brothers and Big Sisters
15,000 participants of all ages

shoes covered with orange powder, and socks and legs

color me rad run near the start of the race when everyone is still clean

color me rad run, runners running under three inflatable orange banners

women wearing tutus in color me rad run

A man wearing a red baseball cap is running through a haze of purple powder - color me rad run

color me rad run through Downsview Park, on the path, past newly planted young trees, some runners are on the path running towards the camera while others are on another path running in the opposite direction

Two young men get hit with orange powder bomb, one of them gets it in the face

Young women wearing sunglasses, color me rad run

running through clouds of orange powder, color me rad run

running through clouds of orange powder, color me rad run - a woman in blue is throwing orange powder at a group of runners who are wearing white.  Two of the women are wearing white shorts with big letters spelling RAD on the back

Four runners running past a direction sign on the color me rad run

A child holds its mother's hand, color me rad run

color me rad runners

man with arms raised as a woman throws purple powder at him.

A child hold its father's hand, color me rad run

Two women wait with orange powder bombs in their hands, as a group of runners approach them, color me rad run

running through clouds of orange powder, color me rad run - three kids, the boy in front is clutching his arms to his chest and he is smiling.  A girl is beside him and smiling as he gets covered with orange powder

A young girl with a pink flower on her hair band, and wearing pink sunglasses is running through a cloud of orange powder, a couple of men are in the haze behind her

A young woman in pink shorts is jumping as she goes past those who are colour bombing in the color me rad run.  Her hair is standing on end.

One woman throws purple powder at another woman whose arms are raised above her head.

A woman with a lot of yellow and orange powder in her hair raises her arms as another woman throws purple powder at her.

Three color covered people are lying on the grass, heads together in a triangle, while a man takes their picture from above.

running through clouds of orange powder, color me rad run , a woman with 'Northern' written on her Tshirt is getting hit with orange powder.

running through clouds of orange powder, color me rad run - a group of runners

The orange powder station from a distance in the color me rad run.  Many runners are heading towards it.

One woman is throwing purple powder at another woman

Three women are walking through a cloud of purple powder, color me rad run

A man in yellow sunglasses who is covered in orange and red powder is throwing purple powder at his girlfriend

A woman runs out of a cloud of purple powder, her arms raised, many people behind her in the haze, color me rad run Toronto May 2015

A young girl in a frilly tutu and blue sunglasses is holding a spray can of colour and she is spraying the people around her.

sunglasses splattered with orange powder on the face of a smiling woman

color me rad run finish line with a few people crossing over it at the end of the race.  People are standing behind blow metal fences to watch the finishers.

A man is on stage and a lot of people are standing in front with the arms raised waiting for him to throw packets of coloured powder their way

Mud Hero – Urban Toronto
Ontario Place, 23 May 2015

6km course with more than 20 obstacles,
with lots of water and mud!

A row of muddy legs with very brown socks and filthy shoes, after the Mud Hero race

Ontario Place cinesphere, the dome, with an obstacle course being run in front of it

At Ontario Place, looking towards the meeting area for the Mud Hero race - where the race starts and finishes.  Some competitors are just heading out and some muddy runners are just coming back in.

A team dressed in bright pink tops await their turn to start the race at the course start line.

Two young women pose for the photo, being taken by a man whose back is to the viewer in this photo, before they start a race

A man with his back to the camera watches team mates jump through, and off the side of, old wooden boats that were once part of a tourist attraction at Ontario Place

Two young women, mud hero participants, pose for the camera

runners in a race around Ontario Place go through the old "loading zone" area.  Toronto skyline and CN tower in the background.

Two runners are holding hands as they cross a very tippy and wobbly floating bridge, many runners are behind them, waiting their turn to cross

runners on the beach with the Mississauga skyline in the distance

A couple is helping each other over the top of a wood A-frame climbing frame as they come over the top and change positions to go down the other side

crossing over the top of a green wood climbing frame.

A race organizer in a bright orange jacket stands on a platform between two large tanks filled with muddy water as racers wade through the chest high water

a group of people are wading through deep muddy cold water and they don't look happy about it

wading through deep muddy cold water

A young man stands on top of a car with his arms upraised in triumph as he proceeds through an obstacle course

A group of people running over some wrecked cars as part of an obstacle race.  They are muddy.

A couple holds hands while running across the roof of some wrecked cars

runners at Ontario Place, with part of the dome and white metal structures in the photo, only 2 runner, one coming down a blue ramp and one in the immediate foreground.  The man in the foreground is running to the right and is almost out of the picture

Competitors climb over the top of a very large and very tall rope climbing frame

people climbing over the top of a rope climbing frame

A muddy man balancing on a metal beam as he makes his way past some large green punching bags

People balancing on metal beams as they walk through many punching bags, as part of an obstacle race

The front of a Tshirt on a competitor at the end of the Mud Hero race, along with the medal earned for completing the course

A very muddy couple walks past the shower area after the Mud Hero race in Toronto, many people are trying to get the mud off themselves using hoses and cold water

A woman covered in mud poses for a photograph while a couple of people give her strange looks.

a person is holding a muddy pink running shoe, close up shot of the hand and the shoe

This afternoon at Yonge Dundas Square,
Turbanup, presented by the Sikh Youth Federation.

There were many people there helping to wrap

Passersby have stopped to watch a an is wrapping a red turban around a young woman's head.

and many colours of fabric to choose from.

People in turbans are at a table sorting and folding purple and pink and blue fabric that is available for making turbans with.

A young man having his head wrapped in a dark blue turban.  His eyes are closed.  Close up shot.

Two men sitting in chairs while having their heads wrapped in a turban, one purple and one orange.

A man is wrapping a light blue turban around a young woman's head.

A man in a bright yellow T shirt is sitting in a chair while another man wraps an orange turban around his head.  To the right, an older man is waiting his turn to get a turban.

A man is grimacing while having a yellow turban wrapped around his head (and into his eyes) by an older Sikh man with a a dark red turban.

A black woman with long hair is having her head wrapped in a turquoise turban

Three men in their new turbans are standing together while a fourth man is taking their picture.

bolts of many different colours of cloth being folded by some people

Pillow Fight
Nathan Phillips Square, Saturday of Easter weekend
Lots of pillows to dodge.
Lots of exuberant fun.
Pillow fights, now a spectator sport!

 

two young men hitting each other with pillows in a pillow fight.

One young men is sitting on the shoulders of another.   He is swinging a pillow around in a pillow fight.   Many others, who are not on shoulders, are trying to hit him with pillows

A boy is swinging a brown pillow at a woman in a pillow fight.

Two Asian women wearing pyjamas are hitting each other with pillows.   Lots of hair flying around.

A young man in a batman shirt is being hit over the head with a red pillow in a large pillow fight.

people at a pillow fight

A group of young men having a pillow fight outdoors,

A young woman is sitting on the shoulders of a young man.  She is laughing.  She has a pillow in her  hand.  The crowd is behind her.  A large man's face is on the very left of the photo.

A group of young people in a crowd who are having a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square.  A woman wearing a t-shirt that says "Lets pretend this never happened" is ducking pillows and laughing.

A young woman is holding a pillow with a pillowcase that has pink, green and yellow geometric shapes on it.  She is getting ready to hit someone with it in a pillow fight.  She is laughing

A young man on the shoulders of another at a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips Square.

A groupd of young people in a crowd who are having a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square.  Old city hall is in the background.

A happy couple taking a break from a pillow fight.  He is laughing, she is saying ouch and putting her hand over her ear.

a couple taking photos from the upper level of Nathan Phillips square.  Down in the square below them is a large pillow fight, and a lot of spectators and photographers

four young men laughing as they partake in a pillow fight.

Three young men are in the foreground, all are at a pillow fight.  One man, wearing glasses, has his pillow held tightly over his head, one is looking away from the camera and the third looks like his head hurts as he puts his hand on his forehead.

CTV reporter ducking pillows as she gives commentary.  Camera of cameraman is just in view on the right.   Crowd at the pillow fight is behind her.

A boy in a blue jacket is in the foreground, he's hitting a woman in a black jacket. A group of young people in a crowd who are having a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square.  Old city hall is in the background.

A young woman has her eyes closed and is smiling as the people around her are hitting each other with pillows.

A young red headed man is on the shoulders of another person in a pillow fight.

Lots of pillows being held up in the air.

crowds of people at Nathan Phillips square on a spring Saturday afternoon

Two young women and a young men at a pillow fight

A smiling man, crouched shoulders, clutching a pillow, walks past a crowd in a pillow fight.

A group of young people taking a selfie photo at a pillow fight.

Man with a spiderman pillow and woman with a pink pillow at a pillow fight

A group of young men enjoying a pillow fight as they swing their pillows at other people

Bald man wearing a ferrari jacket is smiling at the camera as he walks through a crowd having a pillow fight

pillow fight

Two young men having a pillow fight while a crowd stands around them in a circle and watches.

Young man in a black leather jacket has his eyes closed as he hits someone with a pillow in pillow fight.

Young men swinging pillows at each other and trying to hit each other, all in good fun.

A young woman wearing a maroon McMaster shirt is holding a very large stuffed yellow cartoon character bird (tweety bird?)who is wearing a blue denim hat.  Posed for the camera.  Smiling.

A little boy in a blue jacket with a determined and fierce look on his face in hitting someone in a pillow fight.

A man being hit in the face with a pillow

Three people in costumes are posing for a group selfie as a photographer walks past.

A young woman with black curly hair and glasses is smiling as she takes part in a big pillow fight.

Young people having a pillow fight and laughing.

Man with a beard and a moustache, wearing a white fuzzy jacket with a pale purple artifical flower pinned to it. He's smiling and holding a pillow over his head.

A young man's glasses are falling off because he's just been hit with a pillow.

Two women in a pillow fight, lots of long hair blowing and being thrown around.

Man wearing a yellow top with hood that says on the front "Random yellow fruit".  He's yelling and is holding a pillow over his head.

Young woman with long light brown hair is smirking at the camera and showing off her pillow - it is a body pillow with a picture of a male movie star on it and he's dressed in purple tux and black bow tie.

A young man is swinging a pillow while someone on the left is taking his photo.

Young woman with a pillow in a mickey mouse pillow case

Boy wearing a fuzzy brown hat and a camo print fleece bathrobe over a grey T-shirt

A young man being overwhelmed a bit by a large number of pillows being aimed his way.

 

Yogathon, Dundas Square, 16 August

 

Group of people at 2014 yogathon, Dundas Square

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The first yogathon was held in Toronto a few years ago.
Today’s was the 3rd annual yogathon and it has spread to 46 cities in 12 countries.

Group of people at 2014 yogathon, Dundas Square

During one of the short breaks between sun salutations.

The goal?  108 Sun Salutations.  Variations were introduced to keep it interesting. 

Group of people at 2014 yogathon, Dundas Square

Try yoga while holding hands!

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 Money raised goes to Care for Children who work with youth in rural India.

A woman talks the group at the yogathon through their yoga postures, positions and sun salutations.

Instructors took turns leading the group through their salutations.

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Happiness, Hope, Peace, Trust, Love and Balance.

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Family time too....

Family time too….

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Group of people at 2014 yogathon, Dundas Square

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Group of people at 2014 yogathon, Dundas Square

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Group of people at Dundas Square doing yoga postures as part of a yogathon.  A young girl sits in a stroller with a Starbucks cup in her hand.  She is watching the yoga (but smiling at the camera)

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Two women are sitting on the ground and talking to each other.   Their backs are to the camera.  On the back of their Tshirts are the words 'no one ever drowned in their own sweat'.

No one ever drowned in their own sweat – great T-shirts!

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I was curious as to the meaning of JAIGURUDEV as written in chalk in the above picture. So I looked it up and this is one explanation that I found.  It may not be the only interpretation but I liked it……

 “You know there is a Big Mind and a small mind. Sometimes the Big Mind wins over the small mind and sometimes it is the other way around.

 When the small mind wins over, it is misery and when the Big Mind wins, it is joy.

 Small mind promises joy and leaves your hand empty. Big Mind may bring resistance in the beginning but fills you with joy.

 The word Guru means great. Jaya means victory. Deva means one who is fun-loving, playful, light. One who is playful is often not dignified and when one is dignified, he is often not playful.

Jai Guru Dev is victory to the Big Mind in you that is both dignified and playful. That is what Jai Guru Dev means: “Victory to the Greatness in you.”

You do not say victory or hail to the Master as he has won over already. You say victory to your own Self, your own Mind, which is being veiled by the small mind.”

from: Guru Vaani at guruvaani.wordpress.com