Cabbagetown is one of Toronto’s most picturesque neighbourhoods. It is bounded by Wellesley Street to the north, Gerrard Street to the south, Sherbourne Street to the west, and the Don River to the east.
Because it’s close to public transit and the Don Valley Parkway the neighbourhood is easily accessible.
Cabbagetown is home to the largest continuous area of preserved late-Victorian housing in North America and is famous for its picture-perfect gardens. Semis and fully attached homes in every 19th-century flavour – from Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Second Empire, and bay and gable – are available. Many artists, musicians, journalists and writers make their home here, as well as professors, doctors and social workers, many of whom are affiliated with the nearby University of Toronto.
Cabbagetown is quite family oriented, with six local schools in the area and a few great parks, one which is always busy with families in the warmer months enjoying the park's splash pad.
Cabbagetown's name derives from the Irish immigrants who moved to the neighbourhood beginning in the late 1840s, said to have been so poor that they grew cabbage in their front yards.
Cultural activities
Cabbagetown celebrates its sense of community every September during The Cabbagetown Festival, which includes a pub crawl, as well as a street and film festival.
The Cabbagetown Festival is held on the second weekend in September each year. Various individual events during the week lead up to the two-day weekend Festival. The highlight of the Cabbagetown Festival is a 10:00 am parade on Saturday morning. An arts and crafts fair occurs all weekend in Riverdale Park West, adjacent to Riverdale Farm. Vendors come from all over for this event. Organization of the festival is coordinated by the Old Cabbagetown Business Improvement Area (OCBIA). The festival also includes a 'Tour of Homes' organized by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association. Each year several different local homes are opened to a paying public. Tickets for afternoon and evening tours are limited and usually sell out quickly.
The annual Cabbagetown Short Film & Video Festival showcases short films from around the world and is held during the Cabbagetown Festival each year. Actress, producer and writer Gina Dineen founded the Short Film & Video Festival in 1992. Since then it has grown into an impressive international juried screening, showcasing many different Canadian filmmakers and a full range of genres including animation, documentary, dramatic narrative, comedy, experimental and music.
Dance & Theatre Facilities
A heritage-designated renovated church, the Winchester Street Theatre, at 80 Winchester Street, houses both Toronto Dance Theatre and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Close by at 509 Parliament Street, the Danny Grossman Dance Company, the Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, The School of the Canadian Children's Dance Theatre and TILT Sound + Motion share a large renovated building that housed some of the CBC's radio studios until the early 1990s. These venues host both dance and theatre performances at various times during the year.
The first Sunday in May sees the annual Forsythia festival organized in large part by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association. The festival includes a small parade from Riverdale Park West to Wellesley Park, where games and family entertainment are held. Local resident, storyteller and entertainer Tony Brady (1935–1991) founded the Forsythia Festival in 1971 and participated each year in character as his alter ego, Briget The Clown.
