New Years Eve in Toronto

Totally unrelated fireworks.

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Sort of related fireworks - taken at City Hall.

That little kid in diapers is about to come and kick the old year's ass as we finish 2010 and start the new year of 2011 - like the start and finish line being painted by the Honda Indy Toronto people (they foretold the future, is there anything that the Honda Indy Toronto can't do?).

Start/finish line totally related to story.

It's probably good that we use so few checks anymore because you always wrote the wrong year for a couple months, you would cross off the date, add the new date and initial the changes - every time. Young people are going what's a check? Young people don't even know things like today's hot movie True Grit is a remake of a movie of the same name starring John Wayne.  Young people are going who is John Wayne? Now I feel old, thanks you young pilgrim.

Totally unrelated party.

There are a million parties going on in the Big Smoke. The biggest will be the free annual CityTV New Year's Eve Bash at City Hall's Nathan Phillips Square with ice skating, free concerts and fireworks hosted by television personalities Gord Martineau, Tracy Moore, Kevin Frankish and Dina Pugliese. You can see Shawn Desman, Danny Fernandes, Stereos, These Kids Wear Crowns, Divine Brown and Blake McGrath.
The show starts at 10:00pm and the countdown at midnight is a chance to kiss your significant other. Try to get one of the neon balloons and don't swallow any confetti.

New Years is the time you make resolutions where you end the bad stuff and start doing the good stuff. While it seems like the good stuff should include partying and drinking generally these fall into the category of bad stuff, especially if you do it to excess. However, party like it's 1999, eat and drink then ride the free New Years morning TTC (12:01am to 4am) or take a taxi home and if you wear a lampshade or your girlfriend flashes don't forget to send a picture. Here is a great website to find a party in Toronto on New Year's Eve.

You better finish your Christmas shopping

Santa Claus is probably packing his sleigh right now - Christmas Eve is this Friday. HO HO HO!

2010 Kensington Market Winter Solstice

Flames rise high as the large structure burns at Alexandra Park after the parade.

The 21st annual Kensington Market Winter Solstice happens tonite (Dec 21, 2010) starting at 6:30pm at Oxford at Augusta. The parade finishes later at Alexandra Park around 8:00pm. Come for some fire, light and fun. The lantern festival, or festival of lights, has had a number of name changes but it continues to celebrate the shortest day/longest night of the year during the Winter Solstice.

A Firebreather gets the bonfire started on the artful fake fire.

The streets filled up fast with people gathering for the parade in Kensington Market. Large groups of drummers get a strong beat going and the intersection quickly becomes blocked with revelers moving to the drums. Later the parade and the action at the park is hard to witness because of the lack of space and the amount of people jammed together at the baseball diamond.

Flame jugglers fill the ball diamond with whirling fire as a full moon looks down on the fun.

“Celebrate the return of light on the longest, darkest night! The Kensington Market Winter Solstice is a participatory lantern parade. Make a lantern, bang a drum, wear a costume, carry a puppet …. This is a people’s celebration.” You can buy lanterns at the Community Centre for $10 and help light the way.

The event is organized by the community art group Red Pepper Spectacle Arts and started in 1987.

Jam packed intersection at Oxford and Augusta.

See my YouTube video and more pics of the night (and a link to the 2009 event) after the jump.

Laterns for sale hang at the Community Centre.

Some musicians head towards the entrance of Kensington Market.

Large puppets on sticks fill the parade route with outstretched hands

Flame juggler before the main combustion begins. 

The large paper mache fire burns hard and fast and soon is but ashes on the melted snow.

I always like to think of this festival as the Kensington Market version of Burning Man, but because of the cold, with no nudity.

You can see my pictures of the 2009 celebration here.