Drummers in Exile

The Drummers in Exile group have been around for years, sprouting from the loosely-collected drum, dance, and fire circle that took place in Trinity-Bellwoods Park each week. After getting kicked out of Trinity-Bellwoods park due to complaints on accusations of parks violations, the nomadic group moved from place to place.

Queen's Park would harbour the Drum Circle for a couple of years before complaints once again sent them on the move. The Kathedral, of the now defunct Big Bop Complex would harbour the circle on cold winter nights. In the summer, Cherry Beach served as a second, familiar refuge for the circle. A great, secluded location, it would allow the drum and dance circles to continue, but it became increasingly difficult to manage the size of the circle's populace.

Finally, steps were made by the self-appointed organizers to once again return to Trinity-Bellwoods park. After many meetings with city council and the Parks and Rec. departement, a permit would be granted for a small amount of circles to continue for the couple short months of each summer. Even with a permit, the circle was under the watchful eye of municipal officials and police, and was consistently in danger of being shut down to noise complaints (after 11:00pm) and complaints of open drug and alcohol consumption, fighting and public fornication and urination. While all of the above did occur at some point or another at the circles, they were generally peaceful, trouble-free gatherings that drew in a large crowd of people from different backgrounds.

When the (recent) war on Toronto's club scene reached its peak, and nightclub after nightclub would be systematically shut down, young, displaced partygoers would seek a new home for themselves. When the Big Bop finally shut down, it was the end of an era. All-ages parties and the venues that would house them became few and far between, and displaced partygoers no longer had an outlet for their drug, party, and music needs. While there was no rave music at the drum circles, it was seen as a free "party zone" for these young ravers, and they brought their drug culture and their drug dealers with them. The circles quickly became a playground for drug dealers, and the large, open market meant that they would never be without a dedicated clientele. This new and open drug use would become the source of more complaints by local residents and city officials, and finally Parks employees would come in the photograph, document, and experience the circle for themselves. Suffice to say, they were not pleased with what they saw. The end of the 2010 season would mark the indefinite suspension of the drum circle permit, and now the future of the outdoor drum and dance circles is once again uncertain.

Indoor drum circles continue at the Annex Wreckroom, and it should be noted that there have been no complaints whatsoever. In fact, the crowd at the indoor drum circles are smaller, more passionate, dedicated, and fun-loving than the larger outdoor crowds. There has never been a fight, and attendees even bring in finger-foods for a regular bring-what-you-can potluck.

I have a lot more to say on the subject, but I really just uploaded this photo and wrote this writeup as a procrastinating time-waster while in the middle of working on a web-promo project due tonight. Just know that I am quite passionate about the drum circle, and that the outdoor drum circles at Trinity-Bellwoods park were some of my favourite events that my city ever had to offer. Really I went in too much detail about the negative points, but they were certainly worth mentioning. In actuality, the circle was hardly as bad as my little writeup made it sound. Really, its something that you would have to experience for yourselves. Hopefully some day soon the circle will be able to continue and flourish outdoors.