AFROFEST Is the Largest Free African Music Festival In North America.

In a city in need of for positive and hopeful narratives, AFROFEST draws over 125,000 visitors to Woodbine Park each year to celebrate African culture. Each year is larger than the previous and over half those present have been to at least five previous versions of the event.

AFROFEST is a rare opportunity to speak to the African diaspora in a space that celebrates African culture. Music Africa, the organizer for AFROFEST, is also growing, with year-long programming bringing positive stories and experiences of African culture into schools, parks, and communities.

Impact of the African Community in Toronto

Africans and the African diaspora make up a sizable community in the Greater Toronto Area. Many subdivisions in the GTA have Black populations higher than the national average including Ajax (16%), Brampton (13.5%), Pickering (11.4%), Toronto (8.5%), Mississauga (6.3%), and Whitby (6.2%) (“Visible minority groups, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories”. 2.statcan.ca. 2010-10-06.)

There are over 500,000 individuals in Ontario who identify as part of the African diaspora, with a majority located within the Greater Toronto Area.

Most new Torontonians, according to research presented in 2016 by the Martin Prosperity Institute, will come from Africa and the Middle East (54%) over the coming decades.