I love street festivals. Enigma has surveyed over 100 of them and we’re sure to do 100 more – they’re universally beneficial to everyone involved (and we’ve got the numbers to prove it). TD Salsa on St.Clair is an annual hispanic festival in Toronto and I was on-site to experience it from beginning to end!

Couples, families, tourists and salsa dancers wandered through the street, stopping here and there to check out the aromatic cuisine and talented musicians. Similar to last year’s Chicago Motoblot, I was impressed with the way genuine entertainment was at the heart of the event.

How about that crowd? I thought it looked pretty impressive from above.

Thousands of people were dancing in the street, from professionals to amateurs heating up the pavement with copa and sombrero. I learned a few steps in a free group lesson – a bonus skill I can take with me to future events! You can never learn too many dance moves.

Summer street food is one of life’s great pleasures, isn’t it? Our on-site team leader, Karen, recommended the pupusas from her native El Salvador, a thick corn tortilla filled with meat, cheese and beans. Tan delicioso!

Need to cool down and re-invigorate between Mambos? No hay problema. I discovered a cool indie coffee vendor called Wrestlers, specializing in cold java.

It was the perfect day to bring my two youngest kids along for a stroll in the sunshine. The Junior Event Professors helped their father with some “hands-on” research when it came to sugary churros.

And with that, another successful Event Professor research mission is complete. Maybe I’ll see you in a salsa lesson next year!

I have researched 800+ events worldwide and love to share stories. Please contact me if you want to discuss anything from visitor surveys to economic impact to sponsorship ROI measurement.

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Hasta luego!

Michael, The Event Professor