Organizers of TD Sunfest are thinking of expanding the venue in 2020, after guests complained of being jam-packed in the current location.
The festivities took place at Victoria Park from July 5 to July 8, drawing a large number of people to the Forest City.
“It’s a nice problem to have, because that shows you how the community has embraced this festival,” said Alfredo Caxaj, artistic director.
Organizers were hoping to expand further downtown in 2019, but construction on Dundas Street has pushed that back to 2020.
“The construction is to make the street a flex street where people will come precisely to those events and we want to take advantage of that.”
He says every year the bar for the festival is raised. According to Caxaj, this year’s festivities were likely the most successful so far.
“We were just so pleased to see so many thousands and thousands of people coming to the park, enjoying in a free and upbeat environment,” Caxaj said.
Guests had the opportunity to experience different cultures through food and music from across the globe.
More than 20 international acts performed, including La Chiva Gantiva, Trio Dhoore, Holman Trío, Subhira Quartet, Colectro, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, Artiz, Orlando Julius and the Afro Soundz, Sidi Touré, and Gato Preto.
Caxaj says musicians made positive remarks about the environment and were happy about the accessibility between the artist and the crowd.
“You go to other festivals where there are a lot of barriers between the stages and the audience, and we don’t do that here,” Caxaj said.
He adds Sunfest wanted to create an intimate environment where everyone could enjoy themselves.
The new addition to this year’s festival, the TD Cool-down Zone, allowed guests to get some shade while having fun.
Caxaj tells 980 CFPL the most amazing part of the festival was seeing people enjoy themselves.