Take A Walk On The Riverside!

Toronto- October 20, 2012- Saturday October 20th marked the 4th Annual WALKFest in Toronto’s Riverside District. By popular demand Riverside’s WALKFest increased their neighbourhood walks almost four-fold, adding additional walks to the highly popular Historic Walk. Throughout the day, community members and visitors to the area were invited to partake in six differently themed walks throughout the authentic urban downtown community.

Designed to showcase Riverside’s eclectic décor and design shops, cafes, restaurants and bars as well as this historic area’s creative initiatives and community centres, the walks were guided by experts throughout Riverside community with all donations going to WoodGreen Community Services.

Anjuli Solanki, WALKFest’s event coordinator, followed the successful Jane’s Walk philosophy of community walks that help promote conversation and facilitate a sense of place; Riverside’s WALKFest highlights the Riverside District and its unique, locally oriented businesses.

Known to bring people out to explore Riverside’s unique urban community along historic Queen Street East, this year dog lovers, foodies, dance enthusiasts and art lovers alike hit the streets of Riverside district to participate in the new walks added to Riverside WALKFest’s previous self-led and historical walks. Expert guides such as Chef Scott Savoie, owner of Culinary Adventure Company, led foodies to the best eats on the east side during the Culinary Walk, and Shawn Micallef, senior editor and co-owner of Independent magazine Spacing, led a classic Riverside tour showcasing extraordinary architecture, history and development of the area on the Design Walk. Additional walks included a Dog Walk, where two and four-legged friends could experience the pet and people friendly parks and shops in Riverside, a Dance Walk, where people were encouraged to dance their way through the streets, and an Art Walk that showcased the creativity of Riverside’s local talent.

A participant from last year’s walk showed their enthusiasm for WALKFest via Twitter:

It was such a lovely event! So many great shops and eateries in Riverside. Great community! Thanks for having us! @RiversideBIA

Riverside is a community that prides itself on sustainability, the arts and creating an inviting downtown community where people live, work, dine, play, and explore. This weekend’s WALKFest was successful in showcasing this unique downtown community and promoting local businesses by drawing in hundreds of people from the Toronto area. Over the past four years, WALKFest has been successful in promoting and increasing awareness of this historic area within the City of Toronto. With this year’s turn out, WALKFest has continued to inspire new visitors to the area and encourage local community members to get involved in their neighbourhood.

If you missed out on the Riverside’s WALKFest, be sure to check out other events happening in the Riverside District through their website at: www.riverside-to.com

Follow the Riverside BIA on Facebook at /RiversideDistrict or on Twitter at @RiversideBIA.
By Guest Bloggers: Brittany Cheeseman, Victoria Mix, Stephanie Rendulic, Christopher Reyes & Emma Twells