Toronto Summer Festivals

Summer means festival time in Toronto. From jazz festivals to food festivals, there’s always something going on in the city to make your Toronto extended stay experience and awesome one.

ONGOING

PS Kensington, The last Sunday of every month, May – October
Kensington Market is an interesting and eclectic place any day of the week.  But on the last Sunday of every month in the summer the neighbourhood puts on a show as Augusta, Kensington and Baldwin streets are closed to traffic. This means human scale games of Scrabble, arts and crafts, buskers to entertain, street food vendors, BBQ’s,  and a so much more. They have a different theme every month which means there’s always something fresh going on.

JUNE

Luminato, June 11-20thth, 2010
Now in its fifth year, Luminato is an annual ten-day celebration where Toronto’s stages, streets, and public spaces are illuminated with arts and creativity. Luminato is a multi-disciplinary festival of theatre, dance, classical and contemporary music, film, literature, visual arts, design, magic and more.

NXNE, June 17 – 21st, 2009
Now in its 16th year, The North by Northeast Music & Film Festival and Conference (NXNE) is Canada’s #1 showcase for the best new music and music-related films. For seven days and nights this June, NXNE takes over Toronto with the best entertainment, the freshest music-related ideas, and a brand-new interactive digital media conference — all within a few km of each other. Last year, over 250,000 fans, artists, and industry pros experienced NXNE, generating an economic impact on Toronto of over $34 million.

Pride, June 19th – 28th
A ten day long event, Pride Week is one of the premier arts and cultural festivals in Canada and one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world with an estimated attendance of over 1,2 million people. An award winning festival, Pride Week is one of only eight officially designated City of Toronto “Signature Events”, is recognized as one of the “Top 50 Festivals in Ontario” by Festivals and Events Ontario, and has been awarded the “Best Festival in Canada” award by the Canadian Special Event Industry two years in a row.

Toronto Jazz Festival, June 25th – July 4th
The TD Toronto Jazz Festival has become known as one of North America’s premier jazz festivals produced annually by Toronto Downtown Jazz, a Canadian registered charity. What began in 1987 as an eight day showcase of jazz now attracts in excess of 500,000 loyal patrons annually over 10 days. Attractions include more than 350 performances with over 1,500 musicians performing at approximately 40 locations around Toronto. The heart of the Festival is located at Nathan Phillips Square with an impressive 1,200 seat fully-licensed Mainstage Concert Theatre and outdoor stage, and where many extraordinary events are offered free to the public.

JULY

Toronto Ribfest, July 1
Toronto Ribfest, the largest Canada Day celebration, is held over the long weekend at Centennial Park in west Toronto. Now in its 11th year, this popular event put on by the Rotary Club of Etobicoke attracts well over 100,000 visitors who come to enjoy live music, great food and deals. Children are delighted with the carnival rides and the programming specifically for them. On Canada Day, a lively fireworks display celebrates Canada’s birthday at nightfall.

Fringe Festival, July 1 – 12th, 2009

The Fringe is Toronto’s largest theatre festival. In 2009 it will be host to over 150 theatre companies from around the globe – most from right here in Toronto! With over 29 different venues and 800+ artists, the Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival is Toronto’s largest theatre festival. Join the excitement and beat the economic blues with 59,000 other Fringers as you sit back and see Broadways’ next hit, or something wild and wacky – all for under $10. Productions range from dramas to musical extravaganzas to improv and take place in local theatres as well as in unusual spots: playgrounds, parking lots and more. A FringeKids! venue hosts eight plays exclusively for children and families. The festival also hosts a beer tent, two outdoor patios and a free nightly Cabaret.

Summerlicious, July 3 – 19th, 2009
With 150 restaurants across Toronto offering three-course prix fixe menus from July 9 to 25, Summerlicious offers restaurant lovers an opportunity to satisfy their appetites for delicious food and perhaps discover a new favourite restaurant in the process.

Corso Italia Festival, July 4 – 5th, 2009
The Corso Italia Festival is a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to experience the food and culture of Toronto’s own Corso Italia. Over 30 bands will perform live on street corners, patios and balconies. We feature a variety of music from classical to salsa. In addition, food and beverage retailers will offer a mouth-watering selection of tastes and flavours, with promotions and samples of their cuisine.

Night it Up, July 10th, 2009
Lots of food, performances, merch, dancing, sports, and so much more. Don’t miss out!

Beats, Breaks and Culture, July 10 – 12th, 2009
Harbourfront Centre hosts festivals throughout the summer but this one consistently ranks the best of the bunch. It is THE pre-eminent electronic music festival in Toronto offering a chance to chill and listen to ambient beats by the lake courtesy of local and international talent including – this year – Holy F**K.

Afrofest, July 11 – 12th, 2009
Music Africa’s premier event “Afrofest” has grown from strength to strength every year. The Queen’s Park event, “Afrofest in the Park” is the largest annual African music event in Canada. It is also the biggest single annual gathering–place for different African communities for any purpose in the city of Toronto, which itself gives the event huge significance.

Mexico Beyond Your Expectations, July 17 – 19th, 2009
Not voted by readers but for a good reason – this festival, hosted by Harbourfront Centre, is new this year but it’s filled with so much promise we just had to add it to the list. Mexican band Cafe Tucaba normally plays in front of jam packed stadiums back in their home country but here they’ll be strutting their stuff for free on the Sirius Stage. There’s also a Mexican cooking clinic by Frida’s chef and free Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling).

Beaches International Jazz Festival, July 17 – 26th, 2009
The city’s best jazz festival consumes the Beaches for 10 days in July and features an international line-up of Jazz bands and soloists. We’ll have a preview on the site soon.

Canadian Voices, July 24 – 26th, 2009
Another new festival this year and one we just had to add thanks to it’s stellar programming of Canadian music talent including Amy Milan, The Dears, Laura Barret and Gentleman Reg. Throw in a couple of poetry slams and sounds like a great weekend.

AUGUST

Caribana, July 30 – August 1st, 2009
You either love or hate Caribana. Tourism Toronto spends a crazy amount of effort promoting this festival that sees half of North Toronto vacate to Cottage Country just to avoid the traffic snarls and sometimes violent outbursts. Now in its 42nd year, this is the largest celebration of Caribbean culture in North America.

The Beer Festival, August 6 – 9th, 2009
Beer lovers can’t get enough of this food festival which this year has adopted the inevitable Beerlicious moniker. There are 200 beers on offer – many of them local and Canadian microbrews – that sampling anywhere near a quarter of them can lead to a serious hangover. Oh, and did I mention there’s grilled meat and music too? Better get tickets early as this event can sell out.

Taste of the Danforth, August 7 – 9th, 2009
Like Caribana, we tend to either love this street festival or stay far far away. An abundance of souvlaki? Check! Insane crowds? Check! Thai food? Check! Read last year’s primer to decide whether this is right for you.

Summerworks, August 6 – 16th, 2009
Toronto’s “other” summer theatre festival, Summerworks also includes a bit of music and art to round out its programming. It’s “Fringe-style” but with a somewhat more curated approach.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival August 13-20th 2010
Toronto After Dark Film Festival is one of the world’s leading showcases of thrilling cinema. The critically acclaimed annual festival, now in its 5th Year, showcases new horror, sci-fi, action and cult films from around the world, including numerous award-winning features and shorts.

Hot N Spicy Food Festival, August 15 – 17th, 2009
Thai, Indian, Cajun and Caribbean food are just some of what’s represented at Harbourfront Centre’s biggest (and spiciest) food festival of the year. See previous coverage. Beyond sumptuous food samplings there also a nice mix of music, dance and other activities.

Festival of South Asia, August 21 – 23rd, 2009
Poor Little India often gets overlooked when it comes to summer festivals, but not on this list. These three days in August might just be the best time to sample the culinary and commercial offerings from Gerrard Street East, highlighted, for me, by the fresh roasted corn and abundant dosa.

Resources: http://www.blogto.com/toronto/lists/the_top_20_summer_festivals_in_toronto/