Cultural Hotspot launched in north Etobicoke and York neighbourhoods

TORONTO, May 25, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Mayor John Tory launched the sixth annual Cultural Hotspot, which celebrates and spotlights the arts, culture, food, events and communities of north Etobicoke and York.

Mayor Tory was joined at the launch by Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Ward 21 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the City's Economic and Community Development Committee, Councillor Frances Nunziata (Ward 5 York South-Weston) and Cultural Hotspot artists and partners.

The Cultural Hotspot will run from May through October and will feature numerous community festivals, events, dance performances and workshops for youth and seniors, including six signature projects and 22 SPARK projects.

Highlights of this year's Cultural Hotspot program include:

• Arts Etobicoke's Augmented Representations project in partnership with Mural Routes, STEPS Initiative and artist Bareket Kezwer. This collaborative mural project will weave the voices of community members into visual narratives that incorporate lived experiences, historic and current dialogue and explore Indigenous roots. This project is generously supported by Toronto Pearson International Airport.
• RexFest, a two-day slam poetry competition presented by Lakeshore Arts will provide youth ages 12 to 19 the opportunity to perform on June 22 and 23 at Thistletown Community Centre. This project is generously supported by Tim Hortons.
• The Cyborg Circus Project's Project Disruption is a disability-centred performing arts program for youth aged 16 to 25. Working in collaboration with practicing artists with disabilities, young people will create and perform new, short works that reflect their experiences and invite new visions for the future.
• The HOT Eats program will celebrate the vibrant neighbourhoods of north Etobicoke and York. Residents and visitors will be encouraged to experience diverse cuisines with a giveaway campaign this summer in partnership with Star Metroland Media.

More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/culturalhotspot/, on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/culturalhotspot and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/culturalhotspot. The event hashtag is #CulturalHotspot.

Since Cultural Hotspot's inception in 2014, hundreds of young people's artistic capabilities have been nurtured and more than 100,000 people have attended over 200 projects and events. Cultural Hotspot is produced by the City in collaboration with local arts, cultural, educational and heritage organizations, community partners and local businesses. It builds on existing community strengths while developing resources outside of Toronto's downtown as recommended by the City's Economic Development and Culture Divisional Strategy.

Quotes
"The annual Cultural Hotspot provides residents the opportunity to explore many vibrant neighbourhoods in Toronto and encourages people to visit all corners of our city. This year's Cultural Hotspot will highlight the diverse arts, culture, food and events scene of North Etobicoke and York. I hope Torontonians will show their support to these communities by visiting the various events from now until October."
- Mayor John Tory

"The Cultural Hotspot showcases that Toronto's arts and culture scene goes beyond the downtown core. Our city's vitality is present in each one of our communities and it is important we highlight them."
- Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Ward 21 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the City's Economic and Community Development Committee

"We've always known that York and north Etobicoke have dynamic communities and now the City's Cultural Hotspot is our opportunity to shine a light on the depth of art, theatre, dance, music, poetry and food that we have to share."
- Councillor Frances Nunziata (Ward 5 York South-Weston)

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

SOURCE City of Toronto