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Sunday In The Park 2023
By Dawar Naeem
Dawar is a Community Journalist with Focus Media Arts Centre
Regent Park, a vibrant community in downtown Toronto, has a long-standing tradition of celebrating its cultural diversity and artistic talents through the annual "Sunday in the Park" festival. In 2023, this beloved event marked its 32nd year, bringing together residents and visitors to celebrate the neighbourhood's strengths and unity.
Hosted by the Neighbourhood Information Post in collaboration with the Community Building Working Group of the Social Development Plan, Sunday in the Park marks its second in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Key partners include the City of Toronto, Toronto Community Housing, Tridel Builders, Focus Media Arts Centre, Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA), Daniels, Artscape, TNG Community Services, Fred Victor, Young Street Mission (YSM), Scotia Bank and others.
The event's co-hosts, Samir Abdella and Walied Khogali, along with Master of Ceremonies(MC) Kishka, ensured the festival's energy and spirit remained high throughout the day. Special appearances by notable figures like Kristyn Wong-Tam, the MPP for Toronto Centre, Mayor Olivia Chow, and Minister Marci Ien added prestige to the occasion.
The event took place in the Big park at 600 Dundas east. It included Family-friendly activities such as face painting, henna, free haircuts, photo booth, children activities and more. Free BBQ offering Halal, Vegetarian, and Kosher options and a vibrant market featuring local artisans and cultural products were the highlights of the event.
For entertainment there was live music and cultural dance performances by various local artists including, Neguss, DJ Focus, Happy Dancers, DJ Dhananjay, DJ Shilioh, Nrittha Kala Kendra dance group, and Snooky Tynes band.
The event ended with a raffle were many Regent Parkers won various prizes.
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FOCUS Media Arts Centre (FOCUS) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 1990 to counter negative media stereotypes of low income communities and provide relevant information to residents living in the Regent Park area and surrounding communities.
We seek to empower marginalized individuals and under represented communities to have a voice, through the use of professional training, mentorships and participatory based media practices that enable the sharing of stories, experiences and perspectives on relevant matters and issues. In brief our mandate is to empower marginalized individuals and under-serviced communities to have a voice and tell their own stories.
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