Taste of the Danforth draws huge crowds despite safety fears

TORONTO — Thousands of people flooded Danforth Avenue on the second day of the popular street food festival in Toronto’s Greektown amid enhanced security measures.

Some visitors formed long lines at their favourite food stalls, while others stood before the stages enjoying live music and dance performances at the Taste of the Danforth, a beloved foodfest that returned to the city after a two-year hiatus.

Toronto police officers, fire and paramedic crews and private security guards were on foot patrols along Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Jones Avenue.

Dadir Yusuf, who came with his girlfriend, Danielle Obispo, from Oshawa, Ont., said his family were regulars at the festival during his childhood because they lived in the neighbourhood, so for him the visit felt like being back at home.

Yusuf said he had mixed feelings about the festival’s safety after last month’s shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair.

“It was kind of scary to come here but now that it’s reopened, it seems like people are more lively and it just seems like a great place to come again,” he said. “Things happen in Toronto, right, and so, it’s neither here nor there, but I feel safe.”

The couple said they arrived in the morning and were planning to be there for a few hours to eat some shawarma and spanakopita, a traditional Greek savoury pie, before they left.

Howard Litchman, a spokesperson for the festival, said more than 100 restaurants were offering 24 different ethnic foods during the three days of festivities that began Friday evening.

“So, you’re going to be able, at this festival, to taste your way through the world,” he said in an interview Friday.

Litchman said while the Taste of the Danforth has always been a safe and family-friendly celebration, organizers have gone “the extra mile” with security arrangements at the event this year.

“We’ve upped the security, but not because we think there is a concern … we’re just going to go the extra mile, so (it’s) very safe to come here,” he said.

Litchman said the organizers have worked with police, emergency services and private security on a comprehensive plan to ensure public safety.

“We’re focused on making sure this place is safe, right? You know, we have crowd control, we understand the logistics of getting people to move. We have it all there,” he added.

“The plan’s in place … it’s taken care of.”

Toronto police also vowed to step up security around major street festivals following the deadly shooting.

Police also announced Friday that two 18-year-olds have been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and several other offences in the attack that killed two people, injured five others and sent thousands scrambling to safety on the evening of July 11.

The shooting has intensified fears of gun violence during Toronto’s busy summer event season.

Festivalgoer Shaleena Clements said while she is being cautious while in crowded events after the festival shooting, which happened close to her home, she will not allow fear to rob the joy of being part of a jubilant festivity.

“It definitely crossed my mind today, just to be vigilant, and make sure I’m looking around to see if anything’s happening — things I wouldn’t have normally thought about before,” she said.

Another festival participant Saqeeb Hassan said he has attended the Taste of the Danforth in the past and visited again because he likes Greek food.

Hassan, who came with her friends, said he isn’t worried about the safety of the festival.

“When you live in a big city, I think if you look at overall statistics of how safe people are, I don’t think they have changed much because of that shooting, and overall, I do still feel safe,” he said.

Hassan’s view was shared by Enzo Perez, another festivalgoer who said Toronto is pretty safe.

“It is not nothing,” he said of last month’s shooting. “But, you know, I don’t think it is worth avoiding such events just because, you know, this (shooting) happened recently.”

The event also drew crowds from out of city including Erwin Smith, who drove to Toronto from Midland, Ont., to attend the festival with his friends.

The group started their tour with beer, and Smith said they were planning to be at the event for several hours before heading to their motel.

“We are going to go and have Souvlaki and Shawarma, and stop at another bar and have some more drinks and just enjoy the festivities,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2026.

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press