Toronto 
The BIG on Bloor Festival will be taking over the 10-block Bloordale strip on Bloor Street West from Dufferin to Lansdowne on July 18 and 19.
Big on Bloor
The free festival will transform Bloor Street West, from Dufferin to Lansdowne Avenue, into a vibrant hub of artistic expression and community engagement.
This year’s theme, CEREMONY, transforms a side street into an immersive public art space inspired by multicultural wedding traditions. Visitors are invited to move through interactive installations and live performances exploring ritual, connection and celebration, not simply as spectators, but as wedding guests.
Headlining Saturday, July 18, is Cabo Verdean singer Elida Almeida, known for blending batuque, funaná, coladeira and tabanka with contemporary and Latin influences. A winner of the RFI Découvertes Prize, she has performed across Europe, Africa and North America.
PULP: Reclaimed Materials Arts and Design also returns with Card-Yards 2026, featuring free installations, performances and hands-on activities. PULP: Make invites visitors to build large structures using plywood forms and cardboard tubes.
Artist Cassia Leung will lead the Meow & Grow workshop, where participants create cat-shaped seed paper pieces using recycled pulp and vegetable seeds. Riley Drummond’s Zinetopia workshop introduces visitors of all ages to eightfold zine-making, while Izzy Paez will guide participants in creating colourful Alebrije figures inspired by Mexican folk art traditions.
Maggie Keogh returns with a collage workshop, and Marc Nair and William Hunt will write live poems by request. Toronto artists will also paint murals and “portals” along Bloor Street, including multimedia artist Kalmplex at Dufferin.
Terroronto’s pop-up market at Eyesore Cinema runs noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
BIG on Bloor 2026
When: July 18 & 19, 2026
Saturday – Noon to Midnight.
Sunday – Noon to 9 p.m.
Where: Bloor Street West, between Dufferin and Lansdowne.
If you are heading to the festival, remember that Bloor Street West between Dufferin Street and Lansdowne Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic from 8 a.m. on July 18 until 2 a.m. on July 19. So, plan your trip accordingly.
