One of the signature events of the Festival since its inception in 1995, the Ashkenaz parade is a joyous precession of music and giant puppets across the harbourfront site. This years parade is co-led by two of Toronto’s leading instigators of spontaneoud revelry, and street-based celebration. Lemon Bucket Orkestra has been thrilling audiences worldwide for over a decade with their incendiary brand of Balkan and East European party music. Equal parts exhilarating precession and reckless abandon, their performances are aptly described as ‘amazing, frenetic, gloriously-anarchic and ultimately joyous!’ (Winnipeg Free Press).

Since 2018, Toronto Klezmer Society has been bringing together musicians from all backgrounds to learn about klezmer music through jams, workshops, and specials performances. Led by drummer Lorie Wolf, the collection features a small core group that often balloons up to two dozen or more with the participation of professionals and enthusiasts alike. emphasizing fun and community, TKS transmits the spirit of Eastern European Jewish instrumental traditions to new generations.