It'll be dark in Toronto in about two hours (I'm writing this at 12:10 p.m. MST). For God's sake, go to the Festival of Lights in Kensington Market tonight!!
Here's a photo I stole to give you a taste (thanks Toronto.com):
  "Burning away the old year - the grand finale fire sculpture at the 2003 Festival of Lights" Photographer: Taras Kovaliv - (c) Red Pepper Spectacle Arts |
For more photos from last year, go here.
Kensington is a terrific nabe (most of my fruit/veggie/meat/dairy purchases are made there; I adore the Moonbeam coffee shop), although I fear it's fighting a losing battle to the forces of gentrification.
The festival is a tribute to its alt-culture spirit.
Created in 1987, the festival is designed to chase away the darkness with music, performance and, er, lanterns, the vast majority of which are home-made and funky.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. EST at College/Augusta and moves south through The Market. There are a number of performance stops along the way. It ends in Bellevue Park with soup and a giant bonfire.
If the parade doesn't banish your winter blues on the shortest day of the year, I don't know what will. :)
An additional tip: If you go, or are otherwise in the Market during the holiday season, go to Nassau and Augusta and walk a few hundred feet to the east along Nassau. Check out the crazy light display: This guy usually has both Santa and a nativity scene going!
Easily the most impressive light display I've seen in west downtown T.O.
Alas for me, I'll be still in my hometown of Edmonton (bad timing on my part), but will have the consolation prize of gnoshing at Tony's Pizzeria, run by a family of loud, publicly argumentative Italians.
Back in the Big Smoke late Wednesday/early Thursday. Expect no more blog postings until then.