Church Street Fetish Fair returns; new executive producer appointed

May 7, 2007, Toronto — The fourth annual Church Street fetish Fair will take place in Toronto on Sunday, August 19, 2007. The fair is the only annual fetish celebration to take place in the heart of Toronto’s gay village, closing the world-famous Church Street for a 10-hour festival.

Produced by the Church-Wellesley Village Business Improvement Area (CWVBIA), the Church Street Fetish Fair attracted more than 15,000 people last year. Attracting record-setting crowds each year since its inception in 2004, Church Street Fetish Fair has entrenched its reputation as a major annual event in Toronto’s internationally renowned fetish scene.

The CWVBIA is pleased to announce the appointment of Cam Lewis as Executive Producer of the 2007 Church Street Fetish Fair. Mr. Lewis is a well-known business leader and volunteer in Toronto’s gay community and has served on the organizing committee’s for Church Street Fetish Fair for the past three years. Mr. Lewis is the General Manager of Steamworks (Toronto), a member of the Management Board of the CWVBIA, and former Mr. Leather Fellowship 2005 with the Mr. Leatherman Toronto Competition. He succeeds David Kloss, who was executive producer of the fair for the first three years.

Church Street Fetish Fair is produced with the assistance of 100 dedicated volunteers, with people turning out to work at the fair from within the local community and as far away as Montreal.

“The heart of the Church-Wellesley Village will be turned into a sexy pedestrian mall, featuring stage entertainment, street performers, demonstrations and a marketplace of vendors and community groups,” says Mr. Lewis.

Mr. Lewis noted that people might be surprised at the diversity of entertainment found at a fetish fair. Last year the main stage entertainment ranged from jazz to country and western, to more than a dozen of Toronto’s best drag performers. The fair ended with what has become an annual tradition: an after-dusk fire-breathing show.

There is something for everyone at the fair and people are encouraged to come dressed in fetish but it’s definitely not a requirement. The only requirement is to come prepared to have a great day out on the street.

“In past years we’ve had the support from Toronto City Council and the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario for special permits that allowed bars and restaurants to set up extended patio areas. It’s a very popular feature of the day and we hope to again this year allow the community to move outside of our venues and into the street,” says Mr. Lewis.

The fair will also include the third annual North American Bootblack Contest. Competitors will vie for cash prizes and the title of North American Bootblack 2007 by demonstrating their blacking skills and boot care techniques. Competitors are judged in three categories: Technique, Artistry and Customer Relations. This year’s winner will succeed Gene Harrack, North American Bootblack 2006.

The CWVBIA launched Church Street Fetish Fair in 2004 as an addition to the roster of acclaimed events that have created Toronto’s international reputation as a destination-location for travelers seeking celebrations and community events for leather, fetish and kink communities.

The Church Street Fetish Fair will take place the same weekend as Leather Ball XIII, the award-winning annual dance event produced by Mr. Leatherman Toronto Competition Inc. The combination of the two events results in a major weekend on the city’s summer calendar.

In its mission statement the CWVBIA notes it is “deeply committed to preserving and improving our diverse urban community through high energy promotion of the business district and civic engagement with a remembrance of a history rich in advocacy for sexual liberation, social justice and equality.”

The CWVBIA exists because of, and works on behalf of, its member businesses. With this goal in mind, the structure and the approach of the Church Street Fetish Fair is different than many other cultural celebrations and street parties where the focus includes heavy participation by corporations and businesses that compete with neighbourhood businesses. Though we welcome outside support, member businesses in the CWVBIA district have priority status with the festival.

For more information and to track developments in this year’s fair, visit http://www.churchstreetfetishfair.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Cam Lewis
Executive Producer, CSFF
Cam@steamworksonline.com

Dwayne Shaw
CWVBIA Coordinator
416-393-6363
info@churchwellesleyvillage.ca

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