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 It was started in 1995 to celebrate the twinning of Toronto
and Kiev (Kyiv) and has grown from early attendance in 1997of
about 3000 visitors to about 250,000 and more, after the first
ten years.
By the early 1950’s roughly 48,000 Ukrainians were living in
Ontario and Toronto became the new ‘Ukrainian Capital’. Now
their numbers have risen to about 300,000 in Ontario alone.
These Ukrainian Canadians have made their mark in every facet of
life by contributing to their local communities in Ontario and
have taken the incredible opportunities available here – to
live, work, prosper and raise their families in peace.
This annual Ukrainian festival in the Bloor Street Village –
except for one year at the Harbourfront - is a celebration of
the
 Ukrainian presence in Toronto. It has established itself as
one of the premier Ukrainian festivals in North America and
takes pride in showcasing contemporary professional and amateur
artists and performers of Ukrainian heritage who celebrate their
culture through music, dance and the visual arts.
 It was also noticeable that most of the younger generations
still spoke Ukrainian – something not a regular occurrence in
the German community. These youngsters are proud of their
heritage! It appears that the memory of decades of oppression
under the old Soviet regime has created an admirable sense of
togetherness in these displaced Ukrainians, which in fact has
remained to this day. They had to stick together then and they
are still sticking together and helping each other now! But they
also reward us with their friendship and business.
 At the Runnymede end of the festival was a sort of children’s
"Midway" including a Ferris wheel and many blow-up features for
the kids to bounce around on – lots of them – and the other end,
at Jane Street, featured the colossal stage, where most of the
entertainment took place.
| At the main stage |
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This is also where the bands performed
for the Zabava street dances in the evenings. On Friday it was
HRIM – 5 men band from New York and on Saturday ZIRKA from
Toronto. Six musicians who love to play music. Both bands
performed at countless events, weddings, Zabavas etc. One of the
last performers on Sunday afternoon at the main stage was the
 LVIEV Dance Ensemble from Oshawa.
In the ‘beer garden’ area CKOPA from Mississauga entertained the
thirsty. This is also where you could try
 Ukrainian beer and
some fabulous vodka.
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| Great food from
Brandt's BBQ |
Kiosks and tents from local merchants |
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Local merchants that had set up kiosks and tents outside of
their establishments on the sidewalks to take advantage of the
many visitors strolling by and apparently picked up a lot of
additional business.
 Let’s face it. Toronto is still a great city – one of the most
envied in North America. Multiculturalism still works here – one
can tell if one visits events such as the Taste of the Danforth,
or the Kingsway, Salsa, the Polish event on Roncesvalles, Jazz
on the beaches and many more throughout the GTA. But many people
still miss "Caravan"!
Dick Altermann
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