Halloweek makes do with less money, not enough volunteers.
This month will see the return of Halloweek, a weeklong program of Halloween-themed events taking place in the gaybourhood in honour of the homo high holiday. But with funding for the festivities down from last year creative producer David Wootton says he’s had his work cut out for him.
"I’ve been working on Halloweek since May," says Wootton, who is the coordinator of the Church-Wellesley Village Business Improvement Area (CWVBIA), adding that although there isn’t as much money for the fest this year the offerings have been expanded from three events to seven including a family-friendly Village Fair and Fete presented by the 519 Community Centre.
Fright night has been celebrated on Church St for decades, but last year CWVBIA expanded the offerings to a weeklong celebration in the hopes of drawing more tourists to Toronto, with partial funding coming from Tourism Toronto. Last year a three-year agreement was struck that saw Tourism Toronto provide funding to kickstart the festival, with diminishing amounts each year.
