The Musical Toronto Islands

I’ve rarely taken the time to explore the Toronto Islands. I have vague memories of Centre Island as a child, taking the ferry over, seeing the skyline, and riding on the swans and trains with my sister.

As my parents old photo album shows, the view of the skyline was quite different 20 years ago!

A couple of times in my 20s I boarded a sweaty, packed ferry shuffling anxious attendees to Virgin Fest or Wake Fest (both of which I DJed at, picture below Wake Fest 2007). Nobody, least of all me, was thinking about the view of the skyline or the peacefulness of the beaches on those weekends!

That all changed this month.The resurgence started with several weddings at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC). For three weekends in a row, we DJed memorable events for wonderful couples.  

Each event had a similar magic to it: taking the ferry ride from Cherry St., arriving at the classy venue via a long dock, wild dance parties, and seeing unprecedented views of the city from a rarely seen vantage point.

The photo seen here above of Cathy & Neil having their ceremony at the RCYC got more traction on facebook than any other photo we have ever posted.

The RCYC ballroom, seen here in full dance party mode, has a classic ship-like vibe to the room, and can accommodate upwards of 180 guests.  The RCYC has a strict last call, so at the end of the night everyone boards the private ferry together, giving guests one last hazy look at the night skyline before being shuttled to the main land.

We are hoping to continue to build on the relationship with RCYC and hopefully have many more special summer nights together next season. For more info on the RCYC visit https://rcyc.ca/DINING-(1)/Weddings.aspx or contact Claudia at claudiachiappetta@rcyc.ca 
On a personal note, friends and I went to Ward’s Island last week for a beach day. We took the $7 return ferry, ate awesome burgers at the Islands Cafe, and swam in the south-facing water. We even got to see the newly unveiled “Jack Layton Ferry Terminal” sign, which also has special memories as I got the chance to interview him during my time as a reporter with CTV, but also had the esteemed pleasure of DJing his daughters’ wedding at the Capitol Theatre.

So whether you are looking for a place to get the guitar out, or possibly scout a quintessential Toronto venue for your upcoming wedding, enjoy a day at the island before summer comes to a close. Maybe I’ll see you there!
By |2017-03-14T11:38:38+00:00August 27th, 2013|RCYC, Toronto Islands, Toronto Skyline, VFest, Wake Fest|0 Comments

About the Author:

Danny Floh Back
Danny Floh Back is the visionary behind Team Floh Back, Toronto's Top Event DJs specializing in corporate events and weddings. He is is also a Dean's List graduate and Chancellor's Scholar from Carleton University's Journalism department.

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