Update: Take a first look at the festival with videos from opening day

From the official website:

Discover Ukrainian culture in Canada and share the Ukrainian spirit at North America’s Largest Ukrainian Street Festival. This is your opportunity to experience Ukrainian culture and hospitality at its best. As always there will be non-stop entertainment with Ukrainian performers from the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, the USA and Ukraine which will include dancers, vocalists and musicians. Don’t miss the YOUTH segment on the grand stage at Jane Street! And if you wish – join the dancing at the evening ZABAVA/Street Dance on both Friday and Saturday.

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Festival Hours:  Friday September 17, 2010   5pm – 1am

Saturday, September 18, 2010   9am – 1am

Sunday, September 19, 2010   11am – 7pm

Annual Festival Parade:  Saturday, September 18, 2010  11am – 12 noon with Festival Marshal Ken Kostick

Festival Location: Bloor West Village, Toronto, between Jane St. and Runnymede Rd. Ride The Rocket, Take The TTC!

Main Stage: View our performer biographies, click here.

Festival Map & Program: View our Festival layout, attractions and performance times, click here.

View Larger Map

We outed Ken Kostick back in April as of being Ukrainian descent. We’re not really sure if anyone else noticed, so we’ll take that as the festival organizers are readers of our site 🙂

Ukraine’s Music Sensation MAD HEADS XL perform at a special launch party tonight at ‘My Place’ 2448 Bloor St. West and perform for the public Saturday night as well.

For more information check out the official website & Facebook event page. You can also read my review of last year’s festival. See you there!

The official Opening ceremony for the Montreal Ukrainian Festival 2010 will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, at 12pm at Parc de l’Ukraine. The site will be open to visitors on Friday evening, September 10, 2010, at 6pm.

Friday September 10th 2010 6pm – 10pm (BEER GARDEN)

Saturday September 11th 2010 10am – 10pm

Sunday September 12th 2010 10am – 5pm

The Montreal Ukrainian Festival will showcase performances by various Ukrainian, Canadian and Quebec artists, singers, dancers, comedians and choirs.

Throughout the day, festival-goers will be able to browse through many kiosks featuring Ukrainian cuisine, folk art and crafts, local businesses and information booths.

To keep the young ones entertained, the Montreal Ukrainian Festival will offer a supervised children’s area with games, face painting and other fun activities.

Directions

Parc de l’Ukraine is on the corner of 12th Avenue and Bellechasse across from St-Sophie’s Ukrainian Church

View Larger Map

Directions via Public Transport (STM)

• Joliette Metro station (green line)
  Take the 67 bus (St-Michel) north until Bellechasse. Walk 1 block east.
• St-Michel Metro station (blue line)
  Take the 67 bus (St-Michel) south until Bellechasse. Walk 1 block east.
• Beaubien Metro station (orange line)
  Take the 18 bus (Beaubien) east until St-Michel Blvd. Walk 1 block south to rue de l’Ukraine, then 1 block east.
• Rosemont Metro station (orange line)
  Take the 197 bus (Rosemont) east until St-Michel Blvd. Walk 1 block north to Bellechasse, then 1 block east.

This year’s Toronto Ukrainian Independence festival has come to end. Despite the rain another large crowd gathered for the festivities of ‘Taste of Ukraine’ as well as the evening zabava with Ukrainian Canadian rock band Klooch.

I have found some event pictures from the Toronto Sun, as well as a gallery from Facebook, (update: here’s another), and yet another gallery. Also there are some videos of the event:

Update: Toronto mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi also attended the event. 

Flag raising ceremony

Also tomorrow (August 24th) there will be a flag raising ceremony in Toronto at Queen’s Park at noon.

Update: Here are some pictures from the Independence Day ceremony in Ottawa, Ontario

This is my first mobile post since i have no internet while im outta town this week so I have to make this short: here’s the flyer 🙂