Despite funding challenges that cast doubts on the future of one street festival in Toronto, the two-day event is officially coming back to the city smaller but mightier. 

The Geary Art Crawl was first produced by Uma Nota Culture in 2021, and saw an estimated 30,000 people pass through the industrial strip during its first event. 

The rain-or-shine festival features lots of music, visual art installations, food, and pop-ups, with a spotlight on local businesses and vendors that occupy the lively block just north of Dupont. 

However, the Uma Nota Culture announced on Aug. 5 that the future of the celebration was on the rocks after the festival failed to receive critical funding needed from the provincial government despite years of success.

Future of Toronto street festival on the rocks after lack of funding https://t.co/bAi4ddYPrk #Toronto #TorontoArt #GearyArtCrawl

— blogTO (@blogTO) August 25, 2023

The team noted that timelines for the rollout of the funding program had been significantly delayed, leading many organizers to scramble after the fact or at the eleventh hour. 

"We are not alone in this, and have been working with industry advocacy groups to address it. At this point, we are trying to appeal to the province and the City to see if they can help us reach the minimum required budget to produce the 2023 Geary Art Crawl," the update read. 

In an effort to save the festival, organizers encouraged attendees to contact the Premier, local MPPs, MPs, and city councillors to vouch for the event as a significant gathering in the neighbourhood. 

After candidly publicizing its troubles, the festival was met with an outpouring of love and support from the community, with generous contributions made through the event's donation link. 

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On Wednesday, the festival announced that it would be returning to the neighbourhood on a smaller scale, to the relief of artists and small business owners in the area, who greatly depend on the art crawl for exposure. 

Although the festival will be forced to downsize a bit, there are still lots of activations, bars, live music, and workshops to look forward to. 

The 2023 Geary Art Crawl takes place on Sept. 23 from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sept. 24 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Geary Avenue between Ossington Avenue to the very west end of Geary.