Category Archives: Toronto festivals

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals, Toronto music

220. Toronto Summer Music Festival

August 8, 2011

Entering its sixth season, the Toronto Summer Music Festival and academy brings world-renowned musicians to Toronto for an amazing combination of concerts, lectures and Masterclasses. Tonight’s performance highlights the National Youth Orchestra of Canada at Koerner Hall, giving you the opportunity to discover the next generation of Canadian orchestral musicians! The National Youth Orchestra will play Strauss’s most popular opera, Der Rosenkavalier, and Mahler’s Symphony no. 5. A pre-concert talk kicks off the evening at 6:15pm, and will feature guest-speaker Tom Allen as he discusses Strauss and Mahler: Fame, fate and power.

Toronto Summer Music Festival

The concert starts at 7:30pm; tickets range from $20 to $45. To purchase tickets, or to see the complete schedule for the Toronto Summer Music Festival, go to www.torontosummermusic.com.

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Harbourfront, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals

213. Island Soul Festival

August 1, 2011

Feel the rhythm and beat of Toronto’s Island Soul Festival at Harbourfront Centre! You’ll enjoy the sounds of calypso, soca, ruma, guaguancó, reggae, rapso and reggae-rap as you celebrate this soulful festival! Check out the international marketplace, open from 12pm to 8pm today, featuring special products from Africa and the West Indies, and discover the tastes of the Island with special dishes at the World Café. Menu items include fried plantain, oxtail dinner, ackee and saltfish, oxtail curry goat, roti, bbq chicken, and much more! Let the flavours, sounds, smells, tastes, and visions of the Island ease your soul into the rest of the summer!

Island Soul

Today is the last day of the Island Soul Festival; to learn more, go to the Harbourfront’s website!

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals, Toronto parade

211. Scotiabank Caribana Festival Parade

July 30, 2011

As North America’s largest Caribbean Parade, it’s no surprise that over one million people check out all the fun of Toronto’s very own Caribana Parade! All the excitement gets started at Exhibition Place as competing Masquerade Bands (or Mas Bands) fill the stadium with the sounds of Soca, Calypso and Steelpan music! Get ready to witness the costumes, dancers, and bright colours that bring it all to life as you celebrate the beginning of the 2011 Caribana Festival!

Caribana Parade

Take in the Parade free of charge by lining up along the Lakeshore Parade route, or purchase a ticket for $20 + tax to catch the Mas Bands battle it out in Exhibition Place. The Parade starts at 1pm and continues until 6pm where the Parade route wraps up at Lakeshore and Parkside Drive. For more information  on the Caribana Parade and Festival, go to www.caribanatoronto.com!

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals

210. Irie Music Festival

July 29, 2011

The 10th annual TD Irie Music Festival gets its start today, and you’re not going to want to miss out on the fun! Featuring reggae, salsa, soul and African music; spoken word/literature; film; food; visual arts exhibition and dance from the African Diaspora, this four day festival is a highlight on the Toronto summer festivals calendar.

Irie Music Festival

Events take place at two main stages at Queen’s Park and Yonge Dundas Square; to check out the schedules for these venues for the Festival, go to http://iriemusicfestival.com.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals, Toronto music

199. Beaches International Jazz Festival

July 18, 2011

Now in Season 23, The Beaches International Jazz Festival is a summer institution in our city – in fact it has been voted Toronto’s #1 Outdoor Summer Music Event! Continuing until July 24th, the Festival features a unique blend of jazz, blues, funk, Caribbean, and other genres of music, ensuring that every festival-goer enjoys the range of sounds that defines this beloved Festival.

Beaches INternational Jazz Festival

Performances take place at several locations, with main stage events at Woodbine Park and Kew Gardens. Admission to the Beaches International Jazz Festival is free! For a full rundown of all the concerts, events and workshops going on throughout the course of the Festival, go to www.beachesjazz.com!

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals

198. Festival of India

July 17, 2011

This year the Toronto Annual Festival of India is celebrating 39 years – join in the celebrations today at Centre Island! Including a sampling of free vegetarian foods, an award-winning arts and culture showcase, a “spiritual yoga festival,” a bustling South Asian Bazaar, traditional face-painting, an area for the kids, and much more!

Festival of India

The annual Festival of India is organized by the Toronto chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For more information on today’s festivities and for directions to Centre Island, go to www.feedyoursoul.to/

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Harbourfront, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals

196. Columbian Colours II Diaspora Festival

July 15, 2011

Starting today and continuing until July 17, the Columbian Colours II Diaspora Festival presents a collection of dancers, musicians, artist and more. Through their art, performers illustrate a world view and the way in which their voices have evolved to influence and fuse with different cultures.

Columbian Colours II Diaspora Festival

Highlights of this weekend’s festival at the Harbourfront Centre include salsa star Alfredo de la Fe, Folklore Urbano, and sensational acapella group NVOZ. For more information on this exciting free event, go to www.harbourfrontcentre.com.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals

176. Franco Fête

June 25, 2011

Francophone or francophile, you’ll love Franco Fête, a three-day celebration of French culture in Ontario and Toronto. Franco Fête presents social and cultural activities for all ages and for all cultures; even if you don’t speak French, this festival will give you the opportunity to discover the culture and artistic expressions of Francophone communities in the GTA.

Franco Fete

For more information, including a full list of events for Franco Fête, go to www.franco-fete.ca.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals, Toronto music

175. TD Toronto Jazz Festival

June 24, 2011

Starting today and continuing until July 3rd, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival is one of North America’s premier jazz festivals. Featuring more than 350 performances by over 1500 musicians performing at about 40 different venues around Toronto, the Festival is attended by more than 500,000 jazz fans each year!

TD Toronto Jazz Festival

You are not going to want to miss tonight’s kick off for this ten-day jazz extravaganza; Aretha Franklin, the undisputed “Queen of Soul” will get the festivities started at the Toronto Star Stage at Metro Square! Admission is free! Doors will open at 7pm, and there will be no tickets or seating, so you’ll have to get there early! If you don’t quite make it in the doors, outdoor video screens in the Square will make the concert enjoyable for everyone. There are more than 25 other performances tonight in venues across Toronto; tickets range in price from free/“no cover”/pay-what-you-can to $75.

For a complete concert calendar, and for information on how you can purchase Movado Three and Five day passes to the Jazz Festival, go to http://torontojazz.com!

 

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169. St. Lawrence Market Strawberry Festival

June 18, 2011

Strawberries are a sure sign of summer, so head on over to the St. Lawrence Market to celebrate with the Market’s annual Strawberry Festival! Today from 10am until 1pm, you’ll have the opportunity to sample chocolate-dipped strawberries, grown by the Market’s farmers (well, the strawberries are grown by the farmers – the chocolate isn’t quite so home grown!) This annual festival is free, so revel in the taste of summer!

St. Lawrence Market Strawberry Festival

For more information go to www.stlawrencemarket.com!