a day ago
Do West Fest takes over stretch of west end street in Toronto
A festival that bills itself as "Toronto's start to the summer" has taken over a stretch of a major west end street this weekend.
Now in its 12th year, Do West Fest celebrates the rich culture of the city's Little Portugal neighbourhood.
Sixteen blocks are closed to traffic across Dundas Street W. between Lansdowne Avenue and Shaw Street.
The streets are now filled with food trucks and local vendors instead of cars.
Organizers have set up three music stages — Lulaworld, Community and Transmit Presents — throughout the festival.
"All of them bring a bit of a different flavor," Kristyn Gelfand, the event's lead producer told CBC Toronto on Friday.
"Lulaworld has bands from as far away as Ecuador and Brazil. The Community Stage is programmed hyper-locally, so all the artists on that stage have a direct connection to this neighbourhood, whether they live or work or rehearse in this right here on Dundas," Gelfand said..
"And then [there's] the Transmit Stage, which brings in the best of Canadian indie rock from all across the country."
The festival will wrap up at 6 pm. on Saturday, but road closures on Dundas Street W. will stay in effect until midnight.
