The St. Clair West neighbourhood has had some conflict-filled times over the past few years. Who can forget the St. Clair streetcar ROW debacle, during which there were calls to boycott the beleaguered community? We think that it’s time to forgive and forget, and how better to do that than with a sultry summer samba party?

Salsa on St. Clair emerged two years ago to stake its own claim on the city’s busy summer festival schedule and will be running for a third year this Saturday from 12–11:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12–8:00 p.m. The festival, which is the kickoff of Toronto’s Latin Week, is a celebration of Latin music, art, food, dance, and culture taking place in St. Clair’s Hillcrest Village (west of Bathurst, between Wynona Drive and Wychwood Avenue). Festival organizers promise more stages, events, Latin dance lessons and “hot spots” than ever before. The festival’s first two years suffered from a common affliction of nascent summer street festivals—too much street with not enough to fill it, so more content is a welcome addition.

New this year is a large interactive soccer zone, which should draw in crowds of stubbly soccer hooligans fresh from watching the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Also, be sure to look out for Veronica Mesa, an up-and-coming Toronto-based Latin singer with a gorgeous voice on the main stage on Saturday night. Check it out—Torontoist will be in a humourous attempt to meringue and to learn how to sensually roll our r's.

Photo by dzgnboy from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.