From 18 to 20 September, the 30th Ukrainian Festival will take place in Toronto’s Bloor West Village neighbourhood, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. This is stated on the festival’s website.
According to the description, the three-day event will feature performances, exhibitions, children’s entertainment and traditional Ukrainian food.
Among the programme headliners are LELÉKA & DONBASGRL, bandura player, composer, arranger and DJ Yaroslav Dzhus, and the Ethno Fashion Ukraine fashion show. Dance, choral and musical ensembles, bands, duos and solo artists will also perform across four stages.
As part of the event, organisers will launch a Speakers Corner pavilion, where there will be a presentation of the book Stolen about Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, by former investigative journalist of Ukrainian heritage Victor Malarek, as well as discussions including: with former Canadian senator of Ukrainian heritage Stanley Kutcher, with the participation of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, on family reunification and rebuilding the future; with Canadian historian of Ukrainian heritage Lubomyr Luciuk on disinformation targeting the Ukrainian-Canadian community; with Ukrainian poet and translator Oleksandr Averbukh on poetry of memory, resilience and freedom; and others.
On 19 September, a festival parade will also take place from High Park to St. Pius X School.
About the Ukrainian Festival in Toronto:
- founded by journalist, television producer and community leader in Canada Yuriy Klyufas;
- first held after Toronto and Kyiv became sister cities in 1995;
- aims to offer the world’s largest celebration of the Ukrainian spirit, showcasing the best of Ukrainian culture and strengthening Canada’s multicultural fabric;
- attracted more than 900,000 visitors in 2022;
- is a member of Ontario Tourism, Tourism Toronto, Festival and Events Ontario, SOCAN and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Toronto Branch.