Toronto Patty Fest
Toronto Patty Fest, Saturday August 5, 2023 at 1531 Eglinton Ave West (Green P Carpark) from 1pm to 7pm in Toronto’s newly appointed Little Jamaica Cultural District.
Toronto Patty Fest will be a FREE one day family friendly food festival celebrating the iconic Jamaican Patty during the month of Emancipation!
Toronto Patty Fest will animate the Reggae Lane Green P Car Park by turning it into a colorful and playful Caribbean snack food event while proclaiming the Little Jamaica Cultural District, “Patty Town” for a day!
Toronto Patty makers will converge in Little Jamaica and celebrate Toronto’s most recognizable Caribbean snack food. Witness patty makers push their boundaries of creativity to deliver over the top patty creations, yet staying true to the most delicious and satisfying Caribbean snack food in the world.
The Toronto Patty Fest would not be complete without a DJ that will keep patrons swaying to the sweet sounds of R&B, reggae and soca music, while enjoying a hot patty in one hand and a cold beverage in the other. Face Painting and a Magician will be on hand to keep children entertained!
“ I’m so happy to have been granted the funding by the city of Toronto to bring this type of animation to Little Jamaica. Toronto will go down in history as hosting the FIRST Jamaican Patty Festival in the world. My desire is to see this festival grow and become an annual neighborhood event!”
Lori Beazer - Event Organizer
The Toronto Patty Fest will be another Caribbean festival event, that will add value to the Toronto Caribbean Carnival experience for out of town guests, and entice Torontonians to expand their Caribbean festival weekend celebrations!
Toronto Patty War - History
The Jamaican (Beef) Patty arrived in Toronto with immigrants in the 1960’s.
Patty/Patties, the name applied to “hamburger” and according to the Canadian Meat Inspection Act, a “patty” could only contain meat and seasoning - and no flour.
“Patty War” began in February of 1985 when a front-page headline in the Toronto Star Newspaper asked - “When is a Patty not a Patty?” The question arose when a food inspector had ordered 8 Jamaican patty makers to change the name of their product, threatening to impose fines if change wasn’t made.
In less than a week, the issue escalated into threats of lawsuits. Local papers declared it a clear overreach of the government, and Jamaican media reported that Canada had banned the beloved patty. But before patties got their day in court, there was a meeting of federal officials, the Jamaican consul-general, and a local lawyer and patty enthusiast representing the vendors reached a compromise; the shops could continue to use the name “patty” or “beef patty,” as long as they specified them as “Jamaican.”
On February 23rd 1985, Kensington Market, the neighborhood where many of the patty shops were located, threw a party to celebrate the victory.
In 2011, Jamie Bradburn, who wrote a Torontoist column called the Historicist, revisited the incident and a year later, Royson James, a contributing columnist to the Toronto Star, issued an unofficial proclamation of February 23 as Toronto Jamaican Patty Day, not be confused with National Patty Day, held annually on the first Saturday of August.
The Afro Caribbean Farmers’ Market has expanded its brand and now produces Toronto Patty Fest, bringing another level of energy and animation to Little Jamaica.
Contact: Lori Beazer
Email: afrocaribbeanfm@gmail.com
Phone: (416) 454-3848