Canada’s biggest Tamil street festival is moving to Markham after the event was called off last year due to increasing security expenses and insufficient funding from the City of Toronto.
Tamil Fest, which usually draws over 250,000 attendees in two days, will celebrate its 11th year on Aug. 22 and 23 along Birchmount Road between Aviva Way and Royal Crest Court. This marks its first year in Markham after spending a decade in Toronto.
Organizers officially kicked off the festival on July 13 at the Markham Pan Am Centre, where Mayor Frank Scarpitti joined councillors, MPs, and community leaders to welcome the event to its new location.
“Tamil Fest has proudly been hosted in the City of Toronto for the past 10 years,” said Danton Thurairajah, director of special projects for the Canadian Tamil Congress.
“Over the years, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, who has attended Tamil Fest on numerous occasions, has consistently expressed his interest in welcoming the festival to the City of Markham,” he added. “As Tamil Fest enters its 11th year, we felt it was the right time to embrace this opportunity and begin a new chapter with the support and encouragement of the City of Markham.”
Thurairajah mentioned that an increasing number of Tamil families living in Markham also made it an obvious choice.
“Today, a significant and growing number of Tamil families live in Markham, making it a natural location for an event that celebrates Tamil culture, heritage and community.”
The relocation follows last year’s cancellation due to rising security costs associated with Toronto police services as well as a lack of city support.
This year, the City of Markham is providing a $10,000 grant to help fund the festival.
At the launch event, Scarpitti expressed excitement about bringing Tamil Fest to Markham and described it as an essential part of the city’s multicultural events calendar. He also acknowledged how much the Tamil community has contributed to both Markham and Canada while reminiscing about previous visits to the festival and praising its atmosphere, performances and food.
Tamil Fest is one of North America’s largest celebrations of Tamil culture outside South Asia. The free festival generally features over 100 vendors, more than 150 performers and around 300 volunteers while attracting upwards of 250,000 visitors across two days. You can learn more about it at tamilfest. ca.
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