Tall Ships Festival Toronto

Yesterday afternoon, I had a chance to check out the Redpath Waterfront Festival Tall Ships, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812. Toronto’s harbourfront will be the only port where all of the tall ships will dock, and is a great opportunity to see the stunning old-fashioned ships, and pretend you’re a pirate.

I wore a lace crochet dress from Target, snakeskin wedges and a transparent “Chanel” purse from Forever 21 (you can see the real thing here).

I’m obsessed with this clear purse, which a salesperson pointed out, forces me to constantly clean out my bag. Transparent details are a huge trend in accessories this summer, and I love the classic shape of this bag. It fits all my essentials but is so light thanks to the construction.

This look is perfect to spend a day on a patio or boardwalk, but I wish it had more nautical touches in spirit with the ships of the festival.

We didn’t get to see all the ships (we plan on returning today), but we checked out the Parks Canada booths and learned about tourist destinations nearby… apparently they have bus services to Ontario parks! After getting an airbrush tattoo and saying hi to the beaver, we headed in search of food…

At Sugar Beach (just east of Harbourfront, beside the Redpath Sugar Factory), P.E.I. had a promotional booth offering free mussels and fries. I’m allergic to shellfish, but my boyfriend didn’t mind having a second helping.

Around the corner, we went to the Against the Grain patio. They were having a buck-a-shuck special, so I watched on as my boyfriend slurped the grey opalescent fruits.

I’m slowly discovering more and more places with gluten-free brews, and this restaurant had New Grist Gluten Free. A little bit too fruity for my liking, it still had a wheat-y taste to it. I’ve tried others that taste like rice, so this one isn’t too bad, and is worth the visit to their patio to admire the serene view of sailboats floating by.

Since it was the longest day of the year, it was still sunny after dinner, so we vegged out on the beach, which featured adorable pink umbrellas and a fun band playing free music to the family crowd.

I think you can even see the reflection of the beach in my grandma’s vintage sunglasses.

If you’re in Toronto this weekend, definitely check out the tall ships. I thought the $20 admission to the boats was a bit much, but well worth it if you had a child (or child at heart) obsessed with boats. I loved the laidback vibe of the festival, and seeing everyone’s face light up at the sight of ships and food truck mussels.