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The Toronto Waterfront Festival, formerly the Redpath Waterfront Festival, has announced that the world’s largest rubber duck will finally return to the annual festival on September 16-17, 2023.
In 2017, the giant yellow duck made a splash in Toronto when it floated across Lake Ontario to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Attracted by the Mana Duck, more than 750,000 people attended the three-day celebration and the Waterfront Festival generated an estimated economic impact of US$7.6 million for the City of Toronto.
The festival, which partners with Waterfront BIA, announced the return of Mama Duck in 2020, but unfortunately had to cancel her visit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was only a matter of time before Mama Duck, who is six stories tall, returned.
“The number one show that we are continually asked to bring back is by far the biggest rubber duck in the world. After 6 years, we are thrilled to have Mama Duck back at the Toronto Waterfront to celebrate the last weekend of summer,” said Festival President Nancy Gavin.
As a novelty for this edition, the festival announced the change of name. For the past 11 years, Redpath Sugar has been an incredible title sponsor of the Toronto Waterfront Festival. While it will not be returning as the event’s title sponsor, it will continue its involvement as an important festival partner.
“The Toronto Waterfront Festival has been, and continues to be, a wonderful way for us to support tourism, talent and business. We are excited to continue our participation in the festival, which reflects our commitment to being a good neighbor and our passion for seeing Toronto’s waterfront grow and prosper,” said Judy Yu, Brand Development Manager at Redpath Sugar. Taking a dip in the past, the main highlights of the first event, in 2017, which was attended by Mama Duck were:
- Over 750,000 attendees during the three-day event
- The total economic impact of the 2017 Redpath Waterfront Festival was estimated at $7.6 million.
- Non-local attendees and event operations resulted in approximately $10.6 million in new spending and local residents spent a total of $16.5 million.
- The festival attracted visitors from various regions. 31% of attendees lived more than 40 km from the venue and the festival had a record number of visitors from the United States.
- 75% of visitors said Pato was the main reason for their visit.
More festival details will be announced in the coming months, but Mama Duck will be the star of the show. The 2023 festival partners include: Redpath Sugar, The Waterfront BIA, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Waterfront Toronto and Queens Quay Terminal. For more information about the festival, visit www.towaterfrontfest.com and @towaterfrontfest on social media.
About the Toronto Waterfront Festival
The Toronto Waterfront Festival is an annual summer event. It offers diverse activities on land and in the water, for people of all ages and interests. It aims to promote Toronto locally and internationally as a premier waterfront destination. With music, food, nautical programs and entertainment, the festival offers something for everyone.
In addition to Mama Duck, this year the festival will feature interactive activities, giveaways, live entertainment, local food trucks and more. The official address of the event will be identified by the presence of the big yellow duck:
September 16th and 17th, 2023
7 Queens Quay East (Waterfront) Toronto
The best way to get there is by public transport, which is easily accessible on foot from Union Station.
