On July 15-16, 2017, at the height of the summer season in Toronto, the Festival of India will bring South Asia’s most endearing spiritual culture to the heart of downtown Toronto in a contemporary, exhilarating, and family-friendly fashion. In its 45th year, the festival continues to excite participants and attract onlookers as a feast for the eyes as well as the soul.

Festival of India will bring enchanting rhythms to Yonge Street on Saturday, July 15th at 11:00 a.m., where thousands of revelers will hand-pull three magnificent 40-foot tall floats in a grand parade. The procession will be accompanied by a fervid menagerie of drumming, singing, and dancing all the way from Bloor to Sherbourne Common. This vibrant parade, traditionally known as Ratha-Yatra, is actually a way of commemorating an age-old tradition of celebratory processions still annually held in the ancient Indian city of Puri, Orissa.

Festival-goers will find a massive, tented-outdoor pavilion that pulses with soul-enlivening food, music, shows, events, and activities. Highlights include a free vegetarian feast, an acclaimed arts & culture showcase, a South Asian Bazaar, enlightening seminars, a fun-filled kids area, cooking demonstrations, and more.