17 h. ago Massive wine festival celebrating Canada lands in Toronto this summer

A brand-new wine festival exclusively celebrating Canadian wineries is coming to Toronto this summer, with unlimited samples and local eats.While countries like Italy, France and even New Zealand tend to hog the spotlight on the world wine stage, Canada just so happens to be home to some great wineries of its own, and it's only fair that they get their time to shine, too.Enter Elbows Up Coast-to-Coast Wine Fair, which is taking over Fort York this July for one whole day spent saluting the country's best grape growers.Co-opting the hockey phrase made popular by Canadian comedy legend Mike Myers as a response to tariff threats from below the border, the brand-new wine festival was born out of the desire to uplift boozy beverages cultivated on home turf.At the inaugural installment of the festival, you can expect to explore over 25 different wineries based everywhere from B.C.'s Okanagan Valley to Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley and in between.Geary Avenue favourite Para...

Culture

5 d. ago North America's biggest rib and beer festival is taking over a Toronto park this weekend

Get those wet wipes out and prepare for a saucy weekend, because the Northern Heat Rib Series — the biggest rib and beer tour in North America — is about to kick off its Toronto summer season with a huge festival this weekend.Could there be a more perfect way to celebrate Father's Day than with pitmasters and breweries as far as the eye can see? Heck, even if you're not celebrating the holiday, it sounds like a mighty fine way to spend a sunny June weekend.While Toronto hosts its fair share of ribfests over the course of the summer, there are none quite as popular and wide-spanning than those held by Northern Heat, who are putting on a total of 16 festivals across Ontario this spring and summer.For Toronto's part, it all kicks off with the Beaches Ribfest, which lands in Woodbine Park this Friday, June 13.While the festival's lineup of some of Ontario's top barbecue vendors is certainly the star of the show, there will also be plenty of othe...

Culture

5 d. ago Toronto Pride says no ‘noticeable differences’ to events despite $900k funding gap

Pride Toronto’s executive director Kojo Modeste says the festival faces a $900,000 shortfall that is likely to impact programming next year. 

Economics

6 d. ago Toronto's waterfront will be overrun with sailboats and pirate ships this month

The Toronto waterfront is going to be completely taken over by pirate ships and sailboats this month, but luckily, there's a very fun reason why.If you happen to notice that the Toronto waterfront seems abnormally flooded with tall ships and other large sailboats this month, do not be afraid — Blackbeard and his motley crew haven't arisen from their watery graves to squirrel away the city's riches: it's actually the Toronto Waterfront Festival, back for another season.Taking place at and around Sugar Beach, just off Queens Quay, the festival is a lauded celebration of Toronto's mostly pristine, always breathtaking yet too often underappreciated waterfront with fun activities, live entertainment and festival foods.The real star of the show, though, is the Parade of Sail, which is set to take place on Friday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will see an impressive fleet of historic tall ships take sail.Among the vessels you'll see overtaking...

Other

6 d. ago Huge Vietnamese street food festival coming to Toronto next month

An epic food festival celebrating Vietnamese cuisine and culture is taking over downtown Toronto this summer.As someone who can always — and I mean always — get behind some Vietnamese food, I may be biased, but gorging myself on Banh Mi and Bun Cha under the sun is quite possibly the perfect way to spend a summer day.If you're anything like me, then you're in luck, because a huge, three-day-long festival celebrating Vietnamese food and culture is setting up shop in the heart of the city next month. I'm already drooling.Taste of Vietnam began as a grassroots operation with just a handful of local volunteers and has since blossomed into one of the ultimate multicultural celebrations of the summer in Toronto, and this year they're marking their fifth anniversary with the biggest and best event yet.Taking over Nathan Phillips Square from July 24 to 26, the festival is set to host dozens of local Vietnamese and fusion street food favourites, including Marry Me...

Culture

7 d. ago Entire Toronto neighbourhood will be taken over by epic food festival this weekend

Put on your stretchy pants and prepare to sample eats from some of the best restaurants in Toronto, because Taste of Little Italy is coming back this weekend.Whether you're a certified foodie or just enjoy a good summer street festival, you're in luck this weekend, because Taste of Little Italy is set to house over 200 local businesses from the neighbourhood and beyond, serving up droolworthy eats and unique treasures to treat yourself to.From long-standing local legends like Riviera Bakery and Bella Vista to trendy newer additions like Bear Steak Sandwiches, Susie's Rise and Dine and The Radici Project, there's truly something for everyone in the mix at this year's festival, but it's not only about the food.This year, the festival will also feature a brand-new main stage, which will serve as the go-to spot for live entertainment for the entire weekend. You'll be able to catch everything from cooking demonstrations to live DJ sets, and even...

Culture

1 week ago Road closures set to make for weekend of nightmare traffic in Toronto

Getting around Toronto on any given weekend is a challenge, but the coming days and all of the events they hold to kick off the summer season are going to make things even worse than usual for road users.On top of streets shutting down for things like Do West Fest, there is all of the existing roadwork that is already causing lane closures on various arteries, TTC closures, and happenings that, even though they won't actually shutter any roads, will cause some additional congestion to consider.Here are the various closures that motorists, surface transit users, cyclists and even pedestrians should keep in mind as they plan their weekend:Do West FestDundas Street West between Lansdowne and Shaw will be shuttered from 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 6, to 12 a.m. on Monday, June 9, 2025, for this annual street festival, which sees approximately one million people flood the streets to party and enjoy local businesses.Toronto police note that north and southbound traffic wi...

Transport

2 w. ago International superstars just added to huge NXNE lineup in Toronto this month

One of Canada's biggest music festivals returns to Toronto this month with a huge lineup of events, and two international superstars have been added to the list.Back for its 30th year, NXNE features live concerts, networking, pop-up panels, and more from June 11 to 15.Canada's most important discovery music festival is also presenting the Billboard Summit at the TIFF Lightbox on June 11. Just added to the bill are influential electronic music hitmakers, deadmau5 and Rezz.Rezzdeadmau5 has earned seven Grammy Award nominations and won four Juno Awards for songs like "Strobe" and "The Veldt."Rezz has two Juno Awards under her belt and has been nominated three times for Female Artist of the Year at the Electronic Dance Music Awards.The powerhouse DJ and producer duo's session is part of a stacked schedule at the Billboard Summit, presented in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival and Toronto Metropolitan University.Attendees will also h...

Society

2 w. ago The secret party at Toronto's hottest street festival this week you need to know about

One of Toronto's most eagerly anticipated annual street festivals is back this weekend, and there's a not-so-secret party happening in the middle of the action, brought to you by one of the city's favourite party collectives.As sure a sign of summer's return as sun-drenched patios and folks flocking to Woodbine Beach, Do West Fest is back this weekend, bringing three days of non-stop action to Dundas West between Ossington and Lansdowne.With last year's festival drawing an estimated 750,000 visitors, it's safe to say that Do West Fest is consistently one of the city's biggest street festivals, and with over 20 licensed patios and 200 local vendors, it's also (if I may be so frank) one of the best.Across the festival's 16-block run, you'll stumble upon a number of stages with live music and entertainment, street food vendors serving up every type of cuisine you could dream of and vendors selling everything from handmade crafts and goods to...

Culture

2 w. ago Guillermo del Toro is hosting a horror film festival in Toronto this summer

World-famous director Guillermo del Toro is hosting a brand-new Canadian horror film festival in Toronto this summer.You can't spell Toronto without Toro, and, at this point, the Oscar-winning director of The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro, is right up there with Drake in terms of publicly expressing his love for the city.From shouting out local businesses like Meeplemart, Vinegar Syndrome and Acadia Bookstore to frequenting restaurants like Hastings Snack Bar and Pai, the Guadalajara-born director and longtime Toronto resident never shies away from his passion for the city and Canada at large.Now, he's taking things to the big screen with a brand-new horror film festival running from July 9 to 13, entitled From Rabid to Skinamarink: Canadian Movie Madness, and it's all taking place at the TIFF Lightbox.The showcase features a lineup of films by Canadian filmmakers handpicked by del Toro himself, includi...

Culture

2 w. ago Toronto neighbourhood hosting a huge food festival next week

One Toronto neighbourhood will host an enormous food festival next week, featuring a slew of cuisines from around the world.After finding smashing success with their 2023 and 2024 festivals, Taste of North York is gearing up for their third year in a row, and it could quite possibly be their biggest and best event yet.Run by NeighbourLink North York, a Willowdale community charity that operates two food banks and community programs for seniors, newcomers and youth, the festival doubles as a tasty way to explore the foods and flavours of North York and to support the community.Running from June 6 to June 8, the festival will flood Mel Lastman Square with the sizzling specialties from the neighbourhood's Chinese, Korean, Indian, Persian, Latin, Ukrainian, Caribbean, Tamil, Japanese, Vietnamese and Filipino eateries, allowing you to explore what "Taste North York" really means.Among the dozens of food vendors in the mix, you can expect eats from El Milagrito (Mexican...

Culture

3 w. ago Toronto festival shutting down street with hundreds of free concerts this summer

Make sure to mark your calendar, because one of Toronto's biggest summer festivals is just around the corner, promising nearly a month full of music, dancing, and concerts — all for free.  The Beaches International Jazz Festival is a three-week-long music festival held each year in July, and is one of Canada's largest free jazz festivals with nearly one million attendees throughout its programs. Each year, the festival highlights internationally acclaimed jazz performers and local talent, including new generation jazz musicians. However, don't let the name fool you, because you can expect to hear a lot more than just jazz, with artists set to play genres spanning from hip hop to house, disco to funk, and ska to salsa. The festival takes place across multiple venues, including Woobine Park and Jimmie Simpson Park, as well as a two-kilometre stretch of Queen Street East during its annual StreetFest, which takes place on July 24 and 25 this ye...

Culture

3 w. ago Toronto's most cursed intersection about to be a total mess yet again

A Toronto intersection that has been the centre of a massive condo boom, years-long construction on the city's most problematic transit line, and other roadwork that has made it a hellish place for both drivers and pedestrians is set to be hindered once again by, you guessed it, further "improvements."While crews are still wrapping up work on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT — which is now expected to open in September after countless delays — Metrolinx is shutting down parts of the crowded corner of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue for approximately three full days starting this weekend, which may extend longer, depending on how things go.The closure is, according to a construction notice, for utility works related to the LRT line, and will necessitate intermittent lane closures both ways on Yonge Street north of Eglinton.One lane of traffic will remain open at all times, but those in the area can expec...

Other

3 w. ago Ottawa police shut down another unlicensed cannabis dispensary on Dalhousie Street

The business had been given an order to shut down operations, but continued to remain open, Ottawa police said.

Events

3 w. ago Epic Caribbean food and music festival coming to Toronto this summer

Jerkfest is back, Toronto. The annual festival celebrating Caribbean food, music, art, and community will return this summer from Friday, Aug. 8, to Sunday, Aug. 10."We're excited to bring back JerkFest Toronto for another unforgettable year of celebrating Caribbean culture through music, food, and community," says Anthony Plummer, founder and executive director of Caribbean Promotions Arts and Culture Inc."You can get up close with talented chefs, dive into the rich sights, sounds, and tastes of Caribbean culture — it's a full-on island experience right in the city that you don't want to miss."The 2025 festivities will take place in Etobicoke at Centennial Park, which is accessible by TTC.While more information about the festival won't be available until closer to the event, right now we have some details about the epic performances, including Friday night headliner, Jamaican dancehall superstar Valiant.With almost 300 millio...

Culture