From light festivals illuminating long dark winter nights to theatre festivals, food festivals and parades, here is a list of 2023-24 festivals (December 21, 2023 to March 19, 2024 ) held during the winter season in and around Toronto.
Christmas Light Festivals
From the Lantern Festival at Woodside Square Mall to Burlington’s Spencer Smith Park, there are many Christmas/Winter-Themed Light Festivals in Toronto & GTA. Details
Until January 7, 2024
Various
Free & Ticketed
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Kensington Market Winter Solstice Festival
This event beckons the return to light on the eve of the winter solstice, every December 21st. On this longest night, thousands of decorated revellers take part, with hand-made emblematic lanterns, encountering on the route, tented-theatrical scenarios of shadow play, rooftop masking antics, roving giant puppets and stilted dancers with eclectic musical accompaniment. Details
December 21, 2023, at 6:00 PM-9:30 PM
Kensington Market, Toronto
Free
DesignTO
DesignTO, formerly the Toronto Design Offsite Festival, brings you 10 days filled with immersive installations, fantastic exhibitions, engaging talks, and more design and art than ever before. With this much to do, you’ll want to make sure it all makes it into your calendar. Details
January 19 to 28, 2024
Various Venues, Toronto
Free
Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest
Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest will bring together food lovers and music enthusiasts for a night of culinary delights and live jazz performances. Guests will enjoy a gourmet dinner, prepared by some of Markham’s top chefs, followed by an intimate performance by award-winning Canadian jazz artists. Details
January 23 to March 22, 2024
Various venues, Markham
$35 & up
Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival
Celebrating the best features and shorts of the year, including works from David Cronenberg, Alanis Obomsawin, Clement Virgo, Stéphane Lafleur, Hubert Davis, Anthony Shim, Nisha Pahuja, and more. Details
January 25–28, 2024
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West, Toronto
Varies
New Music Festival
U of T’s New Music Festival shines a spotlight on new creations, featuring great Canadian and international composers, renowned guest artists. Details
January 27 to February 04, 2024
Various Venues – U of T
Free and ticketed
Winterlicious
January 26 to February 8, 2024
Various Venues, Toronto
Varies
The Toronto Tea Festival
World-renowned experts from the world of tea will be there at the festival to tantalize your senses. Tea sommeliers, published authors, cultural fashion specialists, musicians, a tasting competition & exhibitors abound will engage the enquiring, novice & enthusiast in tea legend, tradition & trends. The Toronto Tea Festival presents courtesy tea tastings, raffles, delectable tea-food offerings, tea ceremonies, seminars, & volunteers to assist in your tea journey. Details
January 27 & 28, 2024
Toronto Reference Library
Appel Salon, 2nd floor, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto
$17 & up
Fire & Ice Winter Festival
Rediscover the joys of the winter season and great Canadian outdoors with friends and family at the historic Alton Mill Arts Centre in rural Caledon! Pond hockey, food & drink, ice sculptures, a super snow slide, skating, art workshops … and more fun for the whole family. Details
January 27 & 28, 2024
Alton Mill Arts Centre, Amelia Street, Alton
By Donation
Kuumba
February 1–29, 2024
Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Free & Ticketed
Bloor-Yorkville Icefest
Toronto’s premier cultural district will celebrate this landmark year by transforming into a showcase of incredible ice sculptures and live ice carving demonstrations for the entire family to enjoy. Details
TBA
Bloor-Yorkville, Toronto
Free
Roundhouse Winter Craft Beer Festival
Come enjoy the ultimate outdoor festival for craft beer & food truck lovers. The Roundhouse Winter Craft Beer Festival will showcase only beers from Ontario Craft Brewers, based on their passion to re-kindle and keep alive the spirit of traditional brewing: independent ownership, smaller batches, artisanal styles, quality ingredients, all-natural and undiluted. Details
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Steam Whistle Brewing, 255 Bremner Boulevard, Toronto
$44.95 + taxes & fees.
Toronto Black Film Festival
Cool, international, independent, politically incorrect and eye-opening, the Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) is about discovery. TBFF will showcase the most outstanding and most powerful Black films while creating a space to debate major cultural, social and socio-economic issues. Details
February 14 to 19, 2024
Various venues, Toronto
Varies with events.
RHUBARB FESTIVAL
Canada’s longest-running new works festival. For two weeks, Buddies is transformed into a hotbed of experimentation, with artists exploring new possibilities in theatre, dance, music, and performance art. Rhubarb is the place to see the most adventurous ideas in performance and to catch your favourite artists venture into uncharted territory. Details
February 7 to 18, 2024
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St, Toronto
$10 to $70
Winterfolk
The Annual Winterfolk Blues and Roots Festival. It’s an all-ages, mid-winter, weatherproof event, where you’ll find the best of urban, blues, rock, jazz, country, folk and roots music, emulating a multi-stage rural summer festival. Winterfolk is the ideal event for music-lovers seeking new and exciting things to do in the Toronto. Details
February 16 to 18, 2024
Various Venues, Toronto
Varies
Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival
The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival is Toronto’s comedy festival, highlighting the best live, scripted comedy in North America all in one place. Since 2005 the Festival has brought sketch comedy to wider audiences with ticketed and free performances showcasing hundreds of artists in acts such as Kate McKinnon, Kids in the Hall, Michael Ian Black, Gavin Crawford, Sassy Gay Friend, FrankenMatt, Picnicface, and The Irrelevant Show. Details
March 6 to 17, 2024
Various Venues – Toronto
Festival Pass: $89
Taste of Georgina
You’re invited to experience the Town’s prix fixe food event that will awaken your taste buds and allow you to explore a variety of local cuisines. Details
February 23 to March 7, 2024
Various Restaurants, Georgina
Prix-Fix Menu
Maple Syrup Festivals
Sugar Shack TO, Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival, Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival, Bronte Creek Maple Syrup Festival & more!
Maple Syrup Festivals & March Break Activities
Weekends in March & early April.
Across GTA
Free & ticketed events.
Winter Beer Festival
The annual Burlington Winter Beer Festival is an exciting celebration of beer and beer food pairing in partnership with local restaurants and progressive craft brewers from across the Province. Details
March 8 & 9, 2024
Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre, 3063 South Service Road, Burlington
$20 to $25
Celebrate Toronto
Celebrate Toronto, the festival honouring Toronto’s 189th Anniversary. Details
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St West, Toronto
Free
Puppet Festival Mississauga
Puppet Festival Mississauga is a seven-day puppetry festival filled with exciting shows engaging workshops, and an informative exhibition that discovers the art of puppetry from its origin to its advancement. Details
March 11 to 16, 2024
Multiple Venues, Mississauga
Free & Ticketed Events
Toronto Comicon 2024
Toronto Comicon, a pop culture convention for fans of comics, sci-fi, horror, cosplay, anime and gaming, is returning to take over the city this March Break. The 3-day extravaganza is packed with exciting, family-friendly activities. Details
March 15 to 17, 2024
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St W, Toronto
Varies
The Banff Mountain Festival World Tour
The Banff Mountain Festival World Tour brings Banff to audiences around the globe. Immediately after the Festival ends in November, a selection of the best films go on tour across Canada, the United States, and internationally from Scotland to South Africa to China, Japan, New Zealand, Antarctica, and points in between. Each year, the films travel to 40 countries reaching more than 330,000 people at over 725 screenings. Details
March 8 – 10, 2024
TBA
TBA
St Patrick’s Day Parade
A community celebration of Irish culture history and heritage. The parade has grown to include a number of diverse communities and non-profit groups and is recognized as the largest Irish-themed event held in Toronto. A fun-filled affordable family day. Details
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Bloor St W & St George St to Nathan Phillips Square. Toronto
Free
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Cancelled events:
- Toronto TANGO Marathon
- Solaris Music Festival