Toronto 
Events Description
A Christmas theatre classic, free train rides, spectacular fire performances and a 33-foot holiday tree are coming to Toronto’s waterfront as Harbourfront Centre welcomes back HarbourFrost.
The month-long winter festival brings a live entertainment, holiday markets, outdoor skating and family activities across the waterfront campus. Much of the programming is free, offering families an affordable way to celebrate the season in the city.
The festivities begin November 20 with the lighting of the Christmas tree in Community Square, accompanied by holiday characters, fire pits and a performance by InKloosiv Voices Choir. Throughout the festival, visitors can enjoy Illuminair: Frost & Fire, a series of free outdoor fire performances, and encounter roaming circus characters from Hala Circus Arts. The Redpath Express, sponsored by Redpath Sugar LTD., will also offer free festive train rides throughout the celebration.
A major highlight of the season is the Shaw Festival’s A Christmas Carol, making its Toronto debut at Harbourfront Centre’s Fleck Theatre. Running November 12 to December 23, the production brings Charles Dickens’s beloved story to life, adapted for the stage by Tim Carroll, with inventive puppetry and a Toronto themed advent calendar, traditional carols and audience participation.
Live music will also take centre stage, with free performances spanning gospel, soul, jazz, Caribbean rhythms and holiday favourites. Among the highlights are The Caribbean Christmas Mixtape, featuring Joy Lapps and Larnell Lewis on December 12, and Under the Winter Sky, an Indigenous Winter Solstice gathering on December 20. Visitors can also browse local vendors at Frostbite Lane and discover handmade gifts at the HarbourFrost Makers Market.
The holiday celebrations extend to the ice on November 20 (weather permitting) with the return of the Jumpstart Community Rink, offering free outdoor skating along Toronto’s waterfront through March. Made possible through Harbourfront Centre’s partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, the rink welcomes skaters of all ages and abilities. The Waterfront BIA will once again sponsor Free Skate Saturdays, helping make skating more accessible and inviting residents and visitors to enjoy winter on Toronto’s waterfront.
This season, Harbourfront Centre’s School Visits program introduces Make & Skate, a new experience combining creativity, learning and time on the ice. Youth-focused recreation programs, delivered in partnership with community organizations, will provide more opportunities for young people to get active and connect.
Free DJ Skate Nights also return December 19, bringing music and energy to the waterfront throughout the winter.
HOW MUCH
Tickets:
Free Admisssion, select activities ticketed.
How to get tickets?
AT the door
WHEN & WHERE
Date & Time:
November 20 to December 20, 2026
Fridays: 5pm-9pm
Saturdays: 12pm-9pm
Sundays: 12pm-6pm
Tree Lighting: Fri, November 20 | 6:45pm to 9:00pm
Venue:
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W, Toronto
Paid Parking
Public Transit Accessible
More to Do:
Things to Do This Weekend in Toronto
Day Trips & Travel Ideas Toronto
