The thing about Toronto summers is that every weekend something is happening somewhere. I'd wager that multiple festivals are happening everyday at weekends. August 26, 2017 was the date for the Toronto Cider Festival (and also the Tamil Festival, Scarborough Afro-Carib Fest, Craft Beer Festival, Taiwan Fest, Korean Harvest Festival, Coconut Festival and Market, Leslieville Beerfest, Bloor Arts Fair, Scarborough Alive with Art fest, and more!)
I didn't even know about the Cider Fest until a day before. We quickly decided that it might be interesting as I love cider but have had difficulty enjoying Canadian ciders due to being spoiled by UK ones. (I used to live in Bristol which is basically known for the best cider in the entire world.) We figured that a festival would be a great chance to sample all sorts that I wouldn't normally pick up at the LCBO.
We ended up arriving just before 7PM and staying 'til after dark. There were a few pretty decent offerings and a few that I just couldn't take (the worst one smelled like urine to me, although it didn't taste like it). My favourite had to be the Muddy Waters 8% scrumpy from Duxbury's, a Meaford brewery. Sulker's kombucha cider was also quite nice to me, especially with my adoration of kombucha (as long as it's not flavoured).
There was even more to Cider Fest than just cider sampling. There was free stuff! Food trucks! Clothing! Now, I'll be honest and I didn't really have a chance to explore all the booths which is something for next year. But there were vendors giving away t-shirts and more! All for a little Instagram post. If I had been paying better attention, I totally would have done that too. Indie88 was giving away cheap sunglasses, stickers, and the best: high fives! I'm sure there was way more stuff but I was intent on drinking cider and hanging in the party zone.
I wasn't sure what the music really was but people really enjoyed it! You had DJs spinning hip-hop and pop throwbacks from the 90s and 00s. There was also a guy doing cover songs with a violin that were a huge hit. Didn't get his name but I think it was William.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time, just dancing, drinking and singing. So, here's to next year!
Please enjoy some photos and check out even more here on my flickr.
