Art meets heart at Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy: In conversation with Mackenzie Muldoon

Since the turn of the century, have you ever made your way to the city’s annual late-summer festival Toronto International Buskerfest? Have you found yourself amazed and enthralled by the wide, sometimes wild range of performers it brings together? 

If not, read on to discover why you may want to make 2023 the year you do. And if so, one of the people you owe thanks to is Mackenzie Muldoon, Director of Communications for Buskerfest and Epilepsy Toronto. With a tenure dating back to the festival’s inception in 2000, she has maintained an unwavering dual commitment to entertainment and a worthy cause. 

“I hate to date myself, but… I have actually been working on the festival since it began back in 2000,” Muldoon humbly reflects. “I started out as the Volunteer Coordinator, and have worn many hats over the years. Currently and for the past many years, I have been the Entertainment and Marketing Director, and it has been such an honour to work with the BuskerFest and Epilepsy Toronto team for all these years. So many of us have been here for a long time, as we just love this festival, the entertainers, and the people it brings together so much!”

The genesis of Toronto Buskerfest lies in a fortuitous encounter and an inspiring vision. “Back in 1999, our Executive Director, Geoff Bobb, was looking for a new way to raise funds for Epilepsy Toronto,” Mackenzie explains. “He attended the Busker Festival in Kingston, Ontario and was blown away.” He wondered why Toronto didn’t have a similar event, and so the seed was planted. The idea behind BuskerFest was to provide Toronto with an exciting, fun and entertaining event that also raises money for an important organization, Epilepsy Toronto. To this day, BuskerFest is the only major arts festival in the world that is organized and run by a charity as a fundraising event. “Epilepsy affects 1 in 100 people, and anyone can develop epilepsy at any time in their life,” Muldoon explains. “We hope that Buskerfest also helps to raise some awareness about this incredibly common condition.”

With anticipation building for this year’s Toronto Buskerfest, Muldoon’s enthusiasm for the festival’s diversity of entertainment options is palpable: “We have an incredible lineup of performers from around the globe – performers who spend a lifetime honing their craft and choose to perform on the street and in festivals, where they are accessible to all. We have incredible jugglers, magicians, daredevils, acrobats, contortionists, hula hoopers, clowns, musicians, fire performers, and so much more!”

And this year’s BuskerFest also introduces a brand-new dimension that cements Muldoon’s assertion that “this event is for everyone”: “For the first time, we are featuring performers of the four-legged variety, with our NEW feature: Bark in the Park TO. This area will not only feature vendors and activities geared towards our canine friends, but it also has performances BY dogs, and even a cat!”

So with more than 100 human performers gracing the festival’s stages, how can the festival goers maximize their enjoyment?  Muldoon advises keeping it simple: “come with an open mind and an open schedule, and just wander.” Performances will take place throughout Woodbine Park on seven different stages, as well as in between the stages. “There will be big shows and small shows – and I truly believe there are performances for everyone. Plus, there is a Beer Garden with live music, an artisan village, lots of food options, and a Family Fun Zone with interactive workshops and a whole NEW BuskerBricks area, too!”

Embodying the spirit of creativity, community, and compassion – not to mention outstanding entertainment and four-legged fun – Toronto international Buskerfest for Epilepsy happens this Labour Day weekend. 

For information, including a map and performance schedule, visit torontobuskerfest.com.

© Arpita Ghosal, Sesayarts Magazine, 2023