Posted by Greg Clow in events, events upcoming on August 8, 2007 at 11:34 pm

We're coming up on another of those summer weekends when there are an absolutely ridiculous number of events happening in Toronto, and three of the biggest ones are focussed on food and/or drink:

For those who like the burn, the 10th annual Hot & Spicy Food Festival at Harbourfront will be the place to be. The fest will feature a Red Hot Market where you can stock up on your favourite hot sauces, spicy cuisine in the World Café, live music and dance, cooking demos, and the Hot & Spicy Iron Chef Competition, with yours truly representing Taste T.O. on the judging panel for the finals on Sunday.

If meat-on-a-stick is more your thing, then head east to Greektown for the 13th annual Taste of the Danforth. The granddaddy of all of Toronto's neighbourhood "Taste of..." events, this ever-popular festival will of course feature plenty of souvlaki, spanakopita and calamari, but many other cuisines will also be represented, and there will be live entertainment, beer and wine gardens, and much more to enjoy.

Finally, if you want to skip the eating and go straight to the drinking, the 12th edition of Toronto's Festival of Beer is taking place at Fort York. This year, the festivities kick off a day earlier than usual, with the Thursday night Bowmalls Ball gala featuring a live performance by Spirit of the West as well as a poker tournament. The festival then continues until Sunday, with plenty of beer from brewers both large and small. Saturday is already sold out, but tickets to the other three days are still available via the website and at the gates while supplies last.