Week 51: Luminato - Toronto's Festival of Arts & Creativity

Now that summer is approaching there seems to be many more options for events in the city.  Unless it's something I know will be amazing, I'm searching for new-to-me only.  That's how Luminato came about.  It's another one of those free annual festivals, this year being its 7th.  As stated by David Pecaut in 2009:  “Luminato began as a dream that each year Toronto would invite the world to join us in celebrating creativity. A dream where the best artists in the world and the best artists in Canada fill the stage that is Toronto with new and wonderful creations. A dream that we could create in Toronto a festival that would become renowned the world over for its excellence, its originality and its accessibility to all people regardless of background or experience.  Today that dream has become the reality of a boisterous festival sprawling all over the city with music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, film and celebrations of all kinds.  Luminato embraces the very diversity that is the beating heart of Toronto and is living testimony that creativity is best nourished where cultures come together in a spirit of common humanity and citizenship.  One can note the artistic and economic impact of Luminato, but its core purpose is something larger: Luminato is a hugely personal and collective enterprise.  In a digital age, a festival like this is one dimension of human activity that must still be experienced in person. It is a shared spectacle. Luminato’s roots go back to our earliest cultural experiences before we even lived in cities and practised formal arts.  At its core Luminato is about the creativity in each one of us." (luminatofestival.com)  How's that for an explanation for you?

This year's Luminato lasts 10 days and Friday was the beginning of it all.  They offered a free concert at the Hub at David Pecaut Square featuring k-os and Serena Ryder.

The Hub at David Pecaut Square

k-os

Serena Ryder

Both artists performed well live, which isn't the easiest thing to do if you don't have real talent.  However, I realized that I'm not really into their music so I got bored and cold.  I will admit that it was well put together and the show was totally worth free; better than others I've been to.  Good job, Luminato!

Week 50: Annex Festival on Bloor

In search of something to do I found another free city event on Sunday called the Annex Festival on Bloor.  We finally had a nice and sunny spring-like day which was perfect for walking along Bloor Street checking out the vendors, entertainment, and general sights.  I've been to similar street festivals so not much here was new to me.

I did, however, find an interesting food vendor called Malaysian Murtabak.  Trying new foods from around the world is always a great experience that I enjoy.  Wikipedia says, "Martabak or murtabak, also mutabbaq, (Arabic: مطبق‎) is a stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread which is commonly found in Saudi Arabia (especially the Tihamahand the Hejaz regions), Yemen, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei. Depending on the location, the name and ingredients can significantly vary. The name mutabbaq (or sometimes mutabbag) in Arabic means "folded". In Indonesia, the Murtabak is one of the most popular street food menu and is well known as Martabak.

In Malaysia, where it is called "Murtabak", it is sold in Indian Muslim restaurants and stalls, and usually includes minced mutton, along with garlic, egg and onion, and is eaten with curry gravy, sliced cucumber, onions and tomato sauce."  

The murtabak that I tried had chicken and egg.  They also gave you a white sweet bread as a dessert.  I liked the murtabak with barbecue sauce, but once I got a taste of the egg I was done.  The white sweet bread was really yummy.  The cost was a bit high at $10.  Overall, I'm glad I tried it.    

Sweet bread on left; Chicken murtabak on right

What I really learned from this event was that every neighbourhood in Toronto seems to have a street festival at some point in time in the spring and summer to boost revenue and highlight their area.  I guess I was a bit foolish to think that my neighbourhood was special.  Oh well.  On to the next one!

Week 49: Waterfront Blues Festival

I'm actually starting to run out of ideas for new things to see and try.  I guess it was bound to happen after 11 months.  My desperation brought me to the Waterfront Blues Festival last Sunday.  I searched and searched for special events in the city and this is the best I could come up with.  The location was convenient, free, and beside the beach.

The Waterfront Blues Festival is an annual event located at Woodbine Park showcasing various artists from May 31 - June 2.  Blues music isn't really my cup of tea, but I don't dislike it the way I feel about jazz.  I got there late Sunday evening and the weather was cold and wet from rain throughout the day.  There were a handful of people still there taking in the live music and trying some food and drinks from the vendors.  They actually had a small carnival set up on the side with a few rides for children, but I don't believe they were running when I was there.  I listened to some band for about 10 minutes, bought a fresh coconut drink (which oddly enough did not taste anything like a coconut), and hightailed it out of there.  It was just too cold and boring for me.

$7 Coconut that tastes like water

This venue will be hosting several special events throughout the summer, perhaps all free.  I know I won't be taking part in the Jazz Festival, however, I may try some delicious ribs at the Rib Fest.  Let's hope that summer will actually arrive so that people can get out and appreciate life.  Enough rain and cold already!