Toronto Festivals and Events

The Ex

The Canadian National Exhibition, locally known as The Ex, takes over the grounds of Exhibition Place every summer during the last two weeks of August. One of the largest annual fairs in all of North America, The Ex features a midway, a food pavilion, a three-day air show, a casino, concerts, international exhibits, and more. Visit the Better Living Centre to escape to the country; you can try your hand at digging for potatoes and milking cows. No visit to The Ex would be complete without a trip to the beloved Toronto Star Food Building. One hundred vendors sell food from every corner of the globe, as well as midway staples like hot dogs and cotton candy. On the midway, you can find some tame rides - like the Ferris wheel - but most of the rides are of the spinning variety. Riders should have daredevil attitudes and strong stomachs. If you’d rather experience the midway on solid ground, test your luck at one of the games or - better yet - down a dozen Tiny Tom doughnuts, arguably the city’s favourite donut.

If you’re riding the Tilt-a-Whirl, you’ll need Ride Coupons. Most rides will cost you three to six Ride Coupons; one Ride Coupon costs $1. A better deal is the All Day Midway Pass. For $33, you’ll enjoy unlimited rides. General admission to The Ex costs an additional $15, or $11 for children and seniors. To buy tickets online, and to see a list of all the events happening at The Ex, head to www.theex.com.

Caribana Festival

The biggest party of the summer, Caribana is North America’s largest Caribbean carnival. The highlight of the festival is the Caribana Parade, an incredible procession of masqueraders wearing the most spectacular costumes ever conceived - picture towering wings and soaring crowns covered in shining sequins. And don’t miss out on Pan Alive, a steelpan showdown where judges reward the best players of the Ontario Steelband Association. Caribana takes over Lake Shore Boulevard and the CNE grounds every summer. For dates and directions, head to www.caribana.com.

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

Every September, movie stars, paparazzi, and movie lovers take over downtown Toronto. TIFF introduces audiences to new blockbusters and intriguing indie movies. Just how influential is the festival? TIFF awarded Slumdog Millionaire the Cadillac People’s Choice Award in 2008, and introduced Hotel Rwanda to North American viewers in 2004. Visit www.tiff.net to learn more about the festival.

Beaches International Jazz Festival

This free festival celebrates jazz music and all its incarnations. From formal concerts in Kew Gardens Park to jam sessions along Queen Street East, you can watch over 100 bands perform. The 10-day Beaches International Jazz Festival takes place every July; for more information, visit www.beachesjazz.com.

Luminato

Billed the “Toronto Festival of Arts+Creativity,” Luminato is a young festival at only three years old. But it has quickly become one of the city’s favourites. Over ten days every summer, Toronto’s streets, parks, and public spaces are transformed into stages for theatre, dance, and musical performances. Venues across the city also stage special exhibitions of art, design, literature, and film. Luminato’s mantra, “accidental encounters with art,” best describes this event. And the best part of the festival is it’s cost - you can experience a world of culture for free. For more information, visit www.luminato.com.

North by Northeast Music & Film Festival

Be the first to hear the next greatest band at the North by Northeast Music Festival. For five nights in June, 625 new hometown and international artists perform at venues across the city. Head to one of the many club showcases to shout, dance, and sweat until the early morning hours. If you’d rather keep to an early bedtime, take in a free daytime or evening performance at one of the festival’s outdoor venues. To learn more about this year’s line-up, visit www.nxne.com.

Pride Toronto This is the third largest Pride festival in the world. The 10-day event features cultural programming, a community marketplace, and live entertainment that celebrates the accomplishments of Toronto’s gay and lesbian communities. The festival’s highlight is the Pride Parade, featuring incredible costumes, choreography, and special effects; even Toronto’s mayor loosens his tie and joins in the celebrations. Head to www.pridetoronto.com for more information.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

This event brings a bit of country into the city. Breeders bring their animals and farmers bring their prizewinning gigantic produce to the CNE grounds every November. Kids especially love the Superdogs show, where adorable canines run obstacle courses, jump fences, and even sing along to popular tunes. The Royal Horse Show is always popular with festival-goers; visit the Horse Barns to see the handlers preparing the horses for the intense competitions in the Ricoh Coliseum. To purchase tickets, visit www.royalfair.org.

The Santa Claus Parade

A Toronto tradition since 1905, it wouldn’t be Christmas in the city without the Santa Claus Parade. Over half a million people bundle up against the chilly November air to watch the colourful floats and happy clowns and to listen to the marching bands. The parade route winds its way downtown, starting at the Bloor and Christie Streets intersection and making its way along Bloor, Avenue, University, and Queen. No matter where you sit on the route, you’ll have a clear view of the gigantic floats and the jolly man in the red suit. For dates and detailed route information, visit www.thesantaclausparade.ca.

Taste of the Danforth

In a recent Decima Research poll, 90 percent of respondents voted Taste of the Danforth as their favourite Greater Toronto Area festival. This is a city that loves its food. One weekend every summer, GreekTown on the Danforth is closed to traffic and opened to pedestrians; in 2009, 1.7 million of them came to the event. The entertainment - including Greek dancing and performances from hit Broadway shows - is a main attraction, but most visitors come to the festival for the souvlaki and the spanakopita. With so many food booths lining the street, you’d be wise to arrive with an empty stomach. To learn more about this festival, visit www.tasteofthedanforth.com

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche

Staying up all night to watch the sunrise has never been so entertaining. One night every fall, 500 contemporary artists transform Toronto into a living and breathing gallery. The one-of-a-kind art exhibits are guaranteed to make you think. Stop by City Hall to see four seven-metre-square lamps display code sequences, or watch local celebrities gamble with real money as they race their top hats around a Monopoly board. Some of the multimedia installations will seem profound, and some will seem downright strange. But listening to an invisible parade with hundreds of other sleepless festival goers at three in the morning is an experience worth staying up for. Visit www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca for the date of the festival and the locations of each exhibition.

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