Toronto 
The Toronto Waterfront Festival will not take place in 2026, with organizers saying a lack of funding has forced the event to pause for one year.
Redpath Waterfront Festival
The festival, presented by Redpath Sugar, had been planned for September 2026. Water’s Edge Festivals & Events said the decision followed a difficult funding year. For the first time in the festival’s 16-year history, it received no government grant funding from any level. Organizers also said corporate sponsorship has become harder to secure as attention and funding shift toward FIFA World Cup 2026.
Mike Riehl, Chair of the Water’s Edge Festivals & Events Board of Directors, said the decision was not made lightly.
“The Toronto Waterfront Festival has been an award-winning event for 16 years. We have welcomed millions of visitors, driven tens of millions of dollars in economic impact, and consistently delivered world-class programming that put Toronto’s waterfront on an international scale,” Riehl said.
He added that, as a free, not-for-profit festival, the organization is “not in a financial position to put on a successful event for 2026.”
The pause is being used to plan a larger return in 2027, including the comeback of the World’s Largest Rubber Duck. Known as Mama Duck, the inflatable attraction first came to Toronto in 2017 for Canada’s 150th anniversary. It returned in 2023.
“A decade later, we felt it was only fitting for her to waddle back for Canada’s 160th in 2027,” said Victoria Mahoney, Co-Producer of the festival.
Mama Duck stands six storeys tall, weighs 16,000 pounds and has drawn more than 1 million people to Toronto’s waterfront over two previous visits, generating more than $9 million in combined economic impact.
