It was a perfect weekend for a street fest: sunny, slightly breezy and not too warm.

The three-day Cabbagetown festival offered various activities; a marathon, pub crawl, walking tour and even a film festival.

Your physical, mental and even spiritual needs could all be taken care of within a few blocks, as groups from different religions, political parties, neighborhood associations, all vied for the attention of festival-goers meandering up and down Parliament, Carlton and Winchester streets .

A party atmosphere reigned as the tantalizing aroma of barbecued food floated in the air and people lined up to partake of the various offerings. Go Freddy Go, the St Jamestown Youth Centre Steel Drum Band and Trish and the Divas were just a few of the bands that kept the party going.

Shoppers could find deals at booths where various artists exposed their wares; everything from handmade jewelry to clothing, soaps, and CDs.

Two of the vendors were selling a product which made a difference thousands of kilometers away; Trevor McHaney and his brother Chris, who run ravelwear.com with two other partners, were selling fair trade t-shirts. Their company supports a small four-woman cooperative in El Salvador.

In addition to buying shirts from the women, the brothers donate money from their profits once a year.

“The women have been able to add on extra rooms and buy a washing machine for their fabrics,” says one of the brothers, who both speak almost at once. “This helps them and helps us as well.”

They hope to eventually expand into children’s clothes and handbags.

After the film festival, parade, marathon, big breakfasts, corn roast, barn dance and shopping for bargains, participants went home fully satiated. This may not the biggest street festival in Toronto, but the effort and the feeling of community that emanated from it made it the friendliest.