Despite six months of talks with the city to address “logistical issues”, the organizers of the popular three-day festival said they simply could not make it work and decided to “rethink” this year’s event.
“The short timeframe available for adapting the event to the road changes meant that the Taste of Danforth in 2022 was in great danger of not being as successful as it once was,” Greektown in the Danforth Business Improvement Area (BIA) said.  said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“Our members and the wider community have high expectations for a great event.”
The business association said instead that it would host “local” events in the lane.
“So now we’re going to take the time, working hand in hand with the city and all of our partners, to put in the best Danforth flavor ever made in 2023,” the BIA said.
Earlier this month, festival organizers reiterated their demand to remove designated bike lanes and CafeTO patios for restraint lanes during the event.
At the time, Toronto city spokesman Brad Ross said the organizers of the Taste of the Danforth had to accept this “new reality” if they were to proceed with the event.
On June 1, he said the removal and relocation of sidewalks and sidewalks was a “significant undertaking”.
“We are looking for at least nine days of downtime for the removal of bike lanes and CafeTO facilities and then we have to reinstall them,” Ross told CP24.
Today, he said that the city “understands” the decision of the BIA and estimates that “the best way to ensure the long-term success of the festival is to postpone its resumption until 2023.”
In a statement to CP24, Ross said the city would “continue to work with all BIAs at festivals and look forward to working with GreekTown at Danforth BIA on a redesigned Danforth flavor in 2023.”
He also said that the city will help Greektown at Danforth BIA “in any way it can, as it brings local events to Danforth this summer where music, food and the vibrant community for which Danforth is known can be enjoyed by all” .
Local Comm.  Paula Fletcher also said she respects the BIA’s determination that “the best option to bring back a successful Taste of the Danforth event is to rethink the 2023 event to allow extra planning time for this very popular street festival”.
“Like many Toronto-Danforth residents, I will celebrate the vibrant business community and street atmosphere at GreekTown this summer with its 32 CaféTO patios and live street music and welcome locals from all over to join us and “to continue to strongly support our local businesses,” the Toronto-Danforth spokesman said in a statement.
“I’m sure when Taste returns to Danforth it will be worth the wait.” 
After a two-year pandemic break, the Taste of the Danforth was scheduled to run from August 5 to 7 on Danforth Avenue, from Broadview to Donlands Avenue.
Considered one of Canada’s largest street festivals, it was expected to receive around 1.6 million visitors in three days.
In 2019, the event had a financial impact of about $ 70 million, organizers said.