ORGANISERS of the inaugural Toronto Blast from the Past Car, Music and Dance Festival said Sunday’s event exceeded all expectations.
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An estimated 5000 attended the event.
The Toronto foreshore, including Victory Parade and The Boulevarde was transformed into something resembling the set from the TV series Happy Days, where the culture of the 1950s and 60s was celebrated.
Think old time rock and roll music, swing and rockabilly dancing, classic and vintage cars, and 1950s fashions.
Brenda Hartmire, of Lake Side Marketing and Events, said they’d set out to create the atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, and it worked.
“The car people, the music and the dancers, and the community that gets dressed up really got behind it and enhanced the atmosphere,” Ms Hartmire said.
Feedback from shop owners and vendors suggests that many traders did well.
“The ice-cream store on Victory Parade actually did so well that they completely sold out and had to close early,” Ms Hartmire said.
Feedback from car enthusiasts was very positive, she said, with the variety of cars and the layout especially appreciated.
Ms Hartmire said the resident shops and vendors noted the high number of out-of-town visitors on the day.
“Most of the cafes did really well, and saw lots of new people, which is what we’re looking for,” she said.
Several of the people whom the Lakes Mail spoke to on Sunday had travelled from Newcastle and Sydney for the day.
Plans are already under way for next year’s event, with many vendors already asking for invitations for 2017.
Ms Hartmire said Sunday’s event coincided with other fixtures on the state’s old time rock and roll circuit, and may have impacted on the already impressive numbers at Toronto.
Given that the festival has such pulling power across a wide catchment, she said careful attention would be paid to scheduling for next year’s festival to avoid clashes with similar events around the state.
“But we were very pleased with the turnout, which was far better than anyone could have imagined for our first festival,” she said.