Culture

TORONTO - Let's Get This Party Started

by Mary Richard | March 6, 2009 at 06:41 am

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The City of Toronto is celebrating a major milestone today, its 175th birthday.

The day's festivities open and close with traditional First Nation ceremonies.

HERITAGE - UNITY - DIVERSITY

Although Toronto's earliest settlers were mainly from the British Isles, it's now grown to be one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, with about 50% of it's people arriving from outside Canada.

City Hall has opened its doors to celebrate our heritage, unity and diversity - through music, literature and art.

It will be transformed into an exhibition hall featuring art installations, spoken word, dance and music. Special programming will also commemorate the City's early history.

To check out this weekend's celebrations, including free entry to all eight of Toronto's historic museums, click on the City of Toronto's official link.

Torontoist.com is also a good source for this weekend's celebrations.

NPer cmegkp also has a 175 Years of Toronto celebration post, with links to this weekend's happenings.

The National Post has a photo gallery showing some photos, from the Toronto Archives, which will be in a commemorative coffee table book - Toronto's Visual Legacy: Official City Photography from 1856 to the present, being launched this weekend.

The city has changed quite a bit over the past 175 years, but we remain the Canadian hub of culture, entertainment, and finance. From a bustling centre of just under 200,000 in the late 1800s, the city has morphed into a metropolis that's home to over 2 million people.

Commemorating and remembering our past is a useful step toward moving forward together for a better future!