The recent shooting at Toronto's Salsa on St. Clair festival, coupled with overcrowding at events like Do West Fest, has fed a politically charged narrative that street festivals in the city aren't as safe as they used to be.
However, with crime metrics on the decline in Toronto, this fearful narrative isn't exactly resonating with many locals who say that they still feel perfectly safe at local festivals.
blogTO spoke to people on the street to get a sense of how safe they feel at local festivals, and the responses were surprisingly consistent.
@blogto Do you consider Toronto street festivals safe? 👀 🎙️ @betabriii ♬ original sound - blogTO
None of the people we spoke to said they would be deterred from attending festivals by recent events, though many agreed there are significant unaddressed social issues at the core of the public safety question.
Do you feel safe at Toronto street festivals? Let us know in the comments below.
Kris Yue at Salsa on St. Clair