Afrofest 2026 cancelled over Woodbine Park capacity concerns

Toronto’s Afrofest will not go ahead in 2026 after organizers said new capacity restrictions at Woodbine Park made the event unsafe to stage as planned. Music Africa, the festival’s organizers, said the City of Toronto responded too late to their permit request and later lowered the park’s operational limit from 17,000 to 5,000. The festival typically draws as many as 40,000 attendees over the course of a day. Organizers said they had planned additional safety measures, including ticketing, fencing and controlled entry. But they said too many people would still likely arrive expecting to get in, creating a safety risk outside the gates that could not be managed responsibly. They said they will use the extra time to work with the city and find a larger venue for next year.