Date change for Toronto Day?

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

After being hampered by rain for a fourth-straight year, organisers of the Toronto International Jamaica Day are contemplating a date change for the event.

The latter stages of the July 23 show at Toronto's Water World Kingdom was affected by unstable weather, which drove hundreds of patrons scampering for cover. Three of the billed acts (Ernie Smith, Eric Donaldson and

Serani) eventually performed, but deejay Baby Cham, who was billed as the featured performer, did not show.

"We haven't got the exact figures as yet, but I'd say the crowd was down significantly," said Hewitt Loague, who started Toronto Day in 1992.

"We're thinking seriously about changing the date, because the rain has become a regular thing."

Loague said he will discuss a new date for the show with his committee soon.

He estimated that just over 6,000 persons attended this year's show, which was held at the Water World Kingdom amusement park in Brampton for the first time. Most of them came from Scarborough and Eglinton, home to large Jamaican communities.

Ironically, Jamaica Day 2011 took place two days after the hottest day of the year in Toronto forced city officials to shut down construction sites to ensure the safety of workers.

The show traditionally takes place one week before the annual Caribana festival - a daylong calypso/soca event that draws thousands of mainly Trinidadian immigrants. Caribana earns hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for the Greater Toronto Area.