#ICFF LAVAZZA IncluCity Film Festival

Hundreds of big, comfy couches are lined up in front of a number of screens spread throughout the historic Distillery District for the LAVAZZA IncluCity Film Festival (ICFF) 2023 - from June 27 to July 21.

From the Distillery's website "The Most Awaited International Films Land in The Distillery District! The Distillery District Transformed Into a Cinema Village. The 2023 Lavazza IncluCity Festival, organized by ICFF, will take place at The Distillery Historic District. An outdoor cinema village will line the iconic cobblestone streets in a celebration of multiculturalism and the best in international cinema. Featuring films from over 20 countries, the Lavazza IncluCity Film Festival will offer a cinematic experience full of special guest appearances, stellar red carpets, and unique cocktail experiences all under the stars in the arts and cultural hub of Toronto."

Toronto Caribbean Carnival launch 2023

Nathan Phillips Square is the venue for the 2023 launch of the Caribbean Carnival on Tuesday, July 10 beginning at 11am when dozens of mas dancers and band members will come out in full regalia to build excitement for the upcoming carnival season.

As festival season kicks off at City Hall with the official launch it's time to get excited about the massive party that is headed to Toronto with the Grande Parade taking place Saturday, August 5 at Exhibition Place and Lake Shore Boulevard.

From the Carnival website "There is an array of performances by popular Caribbean music artists. It is a cultural showcase and celebration of the creative spirit of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival. The Band Leaders for the parade showcase their elaborate costumes that will be presented in the Parade. As well, you will be able to taste some of the Caribbean's traditional and favourite foods that will be available at many of the Festival events."

See more mas costumes after the jump.

Salsa on St Clair 2023

A sea of humanity was drawn to the Latin flavoured street festival held on St. Clair West from Winona to Christie in Toronto from July 8-9, 2023. The bold and tasty fiesta brought out fans of dancing, drinking and fun. Some times it was difficult to make it through the crowds listening to live entertainment or getting salsa lessons in the middle of the street.

This annual free festival is Canada's largest salsa party with international and local artists which started in 2005 and brings hundreds of thousands to St. Clair West.

From Salsa's website "TD Salsa on St. Clair is the only festival where people do more than just eat and watch entertainment – they take part in non-stop dancing in the streets! The street festival is Canada’s hottest salsa party featuring an international caliber of Latin music, authentic cuisine, and a fiesta for lovers of all Latino culture."

Taste of Lawrence 2023

We are smack dab in the middle of festival season in Toronto and this past weekend was a busy one. Taste of Lawrence took place July 7-9 on Lawrence Avenue between Warden and Birchmount within the Wexford Heights BIA.

The weekend shindig known as Scarborough's largest street festival had a lot of choices for eating and as a bonus also included music, entertainment and midway rides. I even ran into Ontario Premier Doug Ford meeting residents and posing for photos.

Premier Doug Ford

Have some good ol' octopus feet

EVENT TIMINGS:
Friday July 7th: 6pm - 11pm
Saturday July 8th: 11am - 11pm
Sunday July 9th: 11am - 7pm

Art in Toronto Bentway Park under the Gardiner

Making a park under the Gardiner Expressway was a great idea and the site has been an incubator of creativity and home to many festivals, events and art installations. Plus it's like being under a giant pergola or umbrella if it rains or is too sunny. There are a couple of pieces of artwork right now under the elevated expressway - such as Atmospheres and the massive installation Balete Bulate Bituka.

Balete Bulate Bituka

From the Bentway's website "An otherworldly creature germinates at The Bentway, its parasitic tentacles emerging from the history of waste materials used as landfill to create the solid ground where the Gardiner now sits. Woven together with bamboo, living plants, and hundreds of locally-sourced plastics, Leeroy New’s first North American commission (co-presented with Fort York) presents nature reasserting itself amidst our concrete infrastructure. /baˈlete/ : (botany) any of several Philippine figs with aerial roots; believed to be a favourite abode of supernatural beings, /buˈlate/ : [noun] worm; earthworm and /biˈtuka/ : (anatomy) intestine; bowel; entrail.

Combining science-fiction and ancient Philippine mythologies with organic and human-made materials, Leeroy New’s first North American commission Balete Bulate Bituka explores the tangled relationship between nature and our waste. With its parasitic tentacles wrapping around the architecture of the Gardiner, New’s woven bamboo structure mimics the vampiric growth patterns of the Balete, a tree considered to be mystical and otherworldly in South East Asian culture. The installation, clad in hundreds of discarded plastics from Toronto and intertwined with living plants, presents nature reasserting itself amidst our concrete infrastructure."

Bentempus Gardinus

See more of the art installations after the jump.

Baskin-Robbins and the Ultimate Take-Home Sundae

I don't know if you know that July is National Ice Cream Month but the tip off should be the toasty warm temperatures! Baskin-Robbins Canada, fine purveyors of ice cream recently held a media launch of their new line up of Ultimate Take-Home Sundaes and they were very, very tasty. Plus we got to see one of their newest stores at 1029 King Street West (at the corner of Shaw Street), with their newest store design in Toronto.

The limited time offer of three ready to eat sundaes, available in 12 ounce packs are Cookie Dough Deluxe, Caramel Cookies 'n Cream and Chocolate Brownie Deluxe, each costing $9.99. The sundaes certainly live up to their tagline "Scoop the Joy!"

The sundaes were split open so you can see how loaded these sundaes are

“Going to the ice cream shop has always been an adventure,” says Natalie Joseph, spokesperson for Baskin-Robbins in Canada. “But now, more than ever, our guests can bring the party home. I’ve tasted the flavours and watched as others have dug in, and I can tell you the reaction is priceless. Cookie Dough Deluxe features five layers of indulgence including Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream, chocolate fudge, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, more chocolate fudge and topped with cookie dough pieces. Caramel Cookies ‘n Cream features Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream, caramel sauce, Chocolate Chip ice cream, more caramel sauce and is topped with Oreo® cookie pieces. Chocolate Brownie Deluxe features Peanut Butter ‘n Chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, Pralines ‘n Cream ice cream, more chocolate fudge and bite-size chocolate brownie pieces."

These tasty products come from Baskin-Robbins which was started in 1945 by two ice cream lovers that will be celebrating 52 years in Canada in just a short while. I found out that they have a ice cream library that features 1,400 flavours but I am unsure if you need a library card to take out the ice cream.

The media seemed to love ice cream

Welland FloatFest 2023

Ha Ha Ha, this is a fun event. On Sunday, July 9, 2023 the 8th annual Welland FloatFest had a record turnout as a large number of people turned out with floaties that they paddled on the canal. The launch site was the Lincoln Street Docks in the Rotary Club of Welland Park, this section is an off shoot of the Welland Canal, perfect for floating.

Registration was opened at 10am and the floating started at noon. The free event asked for donations of food in support of the local food bank and supplied several industrial sized air hoses to fill up the hundreds of floaties. The main sponsor of the event was Canadian Tire which is always a place to find good inflatables.

From the FloatFest website, "Spend a leisurely afternoon and evening with us picnicking along the canal banks, enjoying great food, amazing live entertainment all day and evening long, an artisan market for unique shopping, delicious food vendors, bouncy castles and other fun for the kids, and so much more!"

Some of the lineup for air

There was a Jetovator show followed by a firework show after FloatFest so all in all it is a fun filled day and a nice way to keep cool in summer.

See more floating after the jump.

#TOAF Toronto Outdoor Art Fair 2023

A field of white tents were setup in Nathan Phillips Square, full of all types of art. So art outdoors in Toronto, or TOAF. The 62nd annual fair took place from July 7-9, 2023 in the shadows of Toronto City Hall - with a beer garden.

From TOAF "great weekend of art collecting and artist discovery, installations, guided tours, soulful kids programs, live painting, and a brand new site-specific dance."