It’s been a very long time since I attended Salsa on St. Clair.  If I remember correctly the last time I was there was in 2005.  I decided to attend this year for a few reasons: I want to showcase Toronto’s great culture and summer festivals.  Also, I’m a big believer that we have to get out and enjoy our local festival and events; It’s a great way to immerse yourself in what your city has to offer.  And to blow my own horn, I was dying to try out my new wide-angle zoom lens before my backpacking trip.

To get there we took public transportation and got off at St. Clair West station and from there walked to St. Clair and Christie Street.  The moment we reached our point of destination I could tell that food stands, stages and event timing were staggered with surgical precision to encourage pedestrian flow.

The music was above average, but the best thing about Salsa on St. Clair was definitely the food.  Most of the food vendors were Colombian but there was also Ecuadorian, Cuban, Peruvian and even large fast food chains like South Street Burger Co.

Overall it was a decent festival but due to its magnitude and it’s ability to draw attention I was expecting it to be much livelier.  I cannot pinpoint why exactly but it lacked the feel of an energetic Latin festival.  Unfortunately, this salsa was just not sizzling.

For more information on upcoming events and festivals in Toronto please visit See Toronto Now.