TORONTO — Mayor Rob Ford on Monday invited all his mayoral rivals to the annual event called Ford Fest, while they urged the city to shut the event down.

Both the Olivia Chow and John Tory campaigns called on bureaucrats to reject the Ford family’s request for a permit to hold the free event in Thomson Memorial Park on Friday, claiming it violated election rules.

The city doesn’t issue permits, licences or leases for the use of City of Toronto facilities, including squares and parks, for any particular candidate during an election.

“We would hope the city not issue a permit for Ford Fest because we can’t see how it’s not a campaign event,” Chow campaign spokesman Jamey Heath said.

John Tory campaign spokesman Amanda Galbraith said they believe “the Fords are breaking the rules” with Ford Fest in a city park.

“This is an abuse of the law,” Galbraith said. “City parks should not be for political events.”

City officials confirmed the permit — which hasn’t been issued yet — will likely be granted because there are “no administrative reasons” to deny it.

Ford shrugged off the criticism and invited his rivals and council candidates to come out.

“I invite everyone to Ford Fest — even the other candidates if they want to come,” he said. “We’ve been doing it since 1995, when my dad got elected. It is our 19th year. It got too big, obviously, for my mom’s backyard.

“It gets a little emotional because my dad’s not here with us, and he started it,” Ford said.

The mayor’s 2010 election campaign expenses listed three events, called Ford Fest 1, Ford Fest 2 and Ford Fest 3, as campaign events.

Asked to explain what Ford Fest is if it isn’t a campaign event, Ford fired back, “You’re really disrespecting my father and I don’t appreciate that.”