WAYO
Children Festival
2025 - Jamii's 6th Annual
WHEN
SHOW TIMES
WHERE
In August 2025, families across Toronto were invited to experience one of the city’s most imaginative and joyful events for young audiences, Wayo, the 6th annual children’s festival presented by us at Jamii.
Running from August 7 to 10, WAYO was a four-day celebration designed especially for children under 12 and their families. We transformed two of Toronto’s heritage gems, Berkeley Castle and the Berkeley Theatre (Canadian Stage), into an immersive, maze-style journey of discovery and wonder.
This year, children had the chance to explore the world one continent at a time through a series of interactive artistic experiences. They dove into the enchanting music of Africa, experienced the magic of Filipino storytelling from Asia, swayed to the sounds of French accordion and Flamenco dancing from Europe, moved to the rhythms of Chilean dance from South America, crafted penguins of icy Antarctica, and were mesmerized by the dances and rhythms of Oceania. At every turn, a new world came to life, inviting festivalgoers to reflect on how many continents we count, where they get their names from, and what the world map looks like when viewed from a different perspective.
We were excited to feature a fantastic lineup of artists: Queen Hezumuryango, Michael Mortley, Carmen Romero, Tangi Ropars, Patrick de Belen, Vrunda Upadhyay, Aliki La Bercasio, Ximena Loayza, Osvaldo Barreda, Zully Ceballos, Troy Feldman, Hayley Landry, and Linda Epp.
New this year: On August 7, the festival opened with an internationally acclaimed dance performance presented in partnership with SummerWorks. FreeSteps – NiNi by Taiwanese choreographer Wei-Chia Su. This meditative solo invited families to slow down and imagine, setting the tone for the creative adventure ahead.*
With tickets at only $5 each, the festival welcomed a record breaking number of audience members: 768 attendees over 16 shows!
More than just a festival, WAYO embodied our broader mission to create accessible, inclusive arts experiences that strengthen community and inspire creativity in people of all ages.
Special thanks went to our amazing partners, Berkeley Castle and Canadian Stage, and to our generous funders: Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, and Rama Gaming House.
FreeSteps - Grand Canyon by HORSE was generously supported with funding from the Taipei Cultural Center in New York, as well as the sponsoring program from National Culture and Arts Foundation Taiwan: Taiwan Top.
PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY JAMII
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADIAN STAGE AND BERKELEY CASTLE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ISORINE MARC
PERFORMERS/ARTISTS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)
NORTH AMERICA
TROY FELDMAN, STILT WALKER - (AUG 7, 8, 10)
HAYLEY LANDRY, STILT WALKER (AUG 9)
OCEANIA
ALIKI LA BERCASIO, DANCER
EUROPE
CARMEN ROMERO, DANCER
TANGI ROPARS, ACCORDIONIST
ASIA
PATRICK DE BELEN, SPOKEN WORD POET
PEI-YUNG CHEN, DANCER (FreeSteps – Grand Canyon*)
VRUNDA UPADHYAY, DANCER
SOUTH AMERICA
XIMENA LOAYZA, DANCER
OSVALDO BARREDA, DANCER (AUG 8 & 10)
ZULLY CEVALLOS, DANCER (AUG 7 & 9)
AFRICA
QUEEN HEZUMURYANGO, OPERA SINGER
MICHAEL MORTLEY, DANCER
ANTARCTICA
LINDA EPP, FACE PAINTER
*MORE INFO ABOUT FREESTEPS-GRAND CANYON at summerworks.ca
THE JAMII TEAM
ISORINE MARC, FOUNDER & ALCHEMIST
AFNAN YAKOT, PROJECT & EVENT COORDINATOR
IRIS UNLU, AMPLIFIER (DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS)
YUSRA YACOUT, ENABLER (ADMINISTRATOR)
COLLEAN CHAU, COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT
JAE YANG and AKRAM YACOUT, PHOTOGRAPHERS
LAURA DITTMANN, VIDEOGRAPHER
EVENT CREW
AÉLA KURIA
CAROLINA ROJAS
GHADER BSMAR
KAREN LAM
NADA YAKOT
RUTHMARIE WILLIAMS
TYSON PINETTE-HUBSCHMANN
ZÉLIA KURIA
A festival for children and children at heart since 2020!
In partnership with Berkeley Castle and Canadian Stage
Each year, Jamii invites families and young adventurers to embark on an artistic journey filled with wonder and imagination. Held in the heart of the vibrant Esplanade neighbourhood, WAYO has been a resounding success, with hundreds of attendees joining us for an unforgettable experience every year.
What sets WAYO Children's Festival apart is its unique concept. It's a parkour-like adventure through the world of art, where groups of audience members explore captivating live installations within two heritage buildings at 2 Berkeley St (Berkeley Castle), 26 Berkeley St (Canadian Stage/Berkeley Theatre). These historic venues provide the perfect backdrop for our creative performances.
CHECK OUT PREVIOUS YEARS' WAYO!
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