Word on the Street

In 1989, the Book and Periodical Council decided that Toronto — Canada's publishing hub — should host a large public festival celebrating reading and the written word. The organization incorporated as the non-profit Toronto Book and Magazine Fair in March 1990 and rebranded as Word on the Street. The inaugural festival took place on September 30, 1990, along a closed section of Queen Street West, timed to coincide with International Literacy Year; an estimated 30,000 people attended.

A national franchise, and a moving venue

In 1994 the organization incorporated federally and registered as a charity, and sister festivals followed in Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Kitchener, Saskatoon and Lethbridge. Toronto's event stayed on Queen Street West through 2003, moved to Queen's Park in 2004, and relocated again to Harbourfront Centre for 2015. Now organized around literacy and Canadian publishing, the free, one-day event features hundreds of exhibitors, author readings and children's programming, and remains Canada's largest annual book and magazine festival.

Sources

• Word on the Street — Festival History