Twenty years ago, members of Action for Healthy Communities, Bissell Centre, the Our Voice street newspaper, and the neighbourhoods of Boyle Street and McCauley got together to help inner city artists record and produce a CD showcasing the diverse musical voices within the communities. This CD, or rather project, was named “Patchworks” and would go on to inspire a daughter project entitled “Heart of the City.”

On June 12th, 2004, the first annual festival was held at Giovanni Caboto Park with 19 musical acts performing. The park hosted around 300 people that day, going up to 700 the following year. Heart of the City would continue to grow, adding free workshops, free activities for the whole family, and a second day of programming in 2010.

As we gear up for our 20th anniversary in 2024, the Heart of the City Festival Society (HOTCFS) has decided not to host our annual two-day festival in 2023. Instead, we intend on stretching the festival’s regular programming over the remainder of the year by hosting a series of events throughout our district. We have an almost brand-new Board of Directors and we plan to take this time to strengthen and reboot our organization while still upholding our mission to support and promote the artists and artisans in our communities.

We want to thank you, our community members, the Boyle McCauley News, all of the artists and creatives who have contributed to the festival thus far, and, of course, all of the board members and volunteers before us for their diligence over the years. HOTCFS would not be possible without the support and dedication of our volunteers and sponsors.

We will continue to update you regularly on our socials and website at www.heartcityfest.com, but, as always, you can reach us by email at heartcityfest@gmail.com with any questions and suggestions. We’re also @heartcityfest on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you have any photographs or footage of previous festivals or any stories you wish to share, please do not hesitate to pass them along. We have something special in store for our 20th anniversary! Stay tuned.

Jakki is HOTC’s Producer and a member of the festival’s Board of Directors.