TORONTO, May 29, 2025 – Yesterday, Nathan Phillips Square had an electric atmosphere as the City of Toronto hosted its 11th annual Toronto Newcomer Day with celebrations taking place on Nathan Phillips Square and at Toronto City Hall. The annual event welcomes newcomers and celebrates their contributions to the city of Toronto.
Mayor Olivia Chow proclaimed May 28 as Newcomer Day, with Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik (Spadina-Fort York) welcoming attendees on behalf of Toronto City Council.
At Toronto Newcomer Day, visitors enjoyed cultural performances, activities for all ages, a food fair and marketplace and more than 125 information booths to meet representatives from local organizations and the City, to learn about services to support their successful settlement in Toronto.
This year’s cultural performances included Indigenous hoop dancing by Lisa Odjig, African dance by Afronto and a performance by Samba Heat. The Government of Canada welcomed 53 people who took their oath of citizenship as part of a citizenship ceremony in Council Chambers. Councillor Alejandra Bravo (Davenport) presented remarks at this ceremony on behalf of City Council.
Each year, tens of thousands of people from around the world choose Toronto as their new home. Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with approximately 52 per cent of residents born outside of Canada.
Toronto was one of the first municipalities in Canada to create a newcomer day in 2015 and has since welcomed more than 65,000 people to the annual event. From more than 2,000 people at the first celebration in 2015, the number of participants has grown to more than 10,000 people attending annually since 2022.
The City is proud to deliver Toronto Newcomer Day with sponsors President’s Choice, No Frills & Real Canadian Superstore, Rogers Communications, CIBC, Metrolinx, Tim Hortons, IKEA Canada and New Canadians TV. This event was made possible with support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
More information about Newcomer Day is available on the City’s website.
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