Fair warning (not a Van Halen reference): this is not a stay-home-and-relax kind of weekend in TO. The city still has a firm grip on summer even though the daylight is starting to fade earlier. Between food festivals, a street-wide block party, and one neighbourhood shutting down entirely for polka and pierogis, Toronto and its surrounding suburbs have basically declared war on your Saturday plans. Here’s where to be in the GTA this weekend!
1. Roncesvalles Polish Festival
North America’s largest celebration of Polish culture is turning 20 this year, and it’s going big. Roncesvalles Avenue, from Queen Street West to Dundas Street West, goes fully pedestrian for the weekend, with 40 local restaurants and bakeries, 150 small businesses, and 90 vendors slinging pierogi, kielbasa, and everything in between across four stages. Organizers are expecting north of 600,000 people, so get there early if you actually want to eat.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Where: Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto
2. Sound on Geary
This one’s less “festival grounds” and more “an entire street loses its mind for a night.” Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but it goes music-crazy at least. Geary Avenue turns into a 1.2-kilometre, eight-stage music festival stretching from Ossington to Primrose, with every bar, studio, and warehouse along the strip running its own programming — pop, punk, hip-hop, electronic, and a genuinely unhinged 17-hour warehouse rave, if that’s your speed. It’s free, there’s no main stage, and the whole point is wandering.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 6 p.m.–3 a.m. Where: Geary Ave. (Ossington to Primrose), Toronto
3. Toronto Ukrainian Festival
Bloor West Village’s biggest annual celebration is back, filling the strip with Ukrainian food, folk performances, and market stalls for three full days.
When: Friday, Sept. 18 – Sunday, Sept. 20 Where: Bloor West Village, Toronto
4. Danforth East Arts Fair
A local staple for anyone who likes browsing handmade goods without fighting a crowd the size of the Polish Festival’s. Artists, makers, and live entertainment line the Danforth East strip for the weekend.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19 – Sunday, Sept. 20 Where: Danforth Ave. East, Toronto
5. Streetsville Butter Tarts & More Market
If you have a sweet tooth it is most certainly worth the drive (or GO train) to Mississauga this weekend as Streetsville’s Village Square turns into a full-on butter tart pilgrimage site, with more than 60 local bakers, small businesses, and market vendors setting up shop. Bring your appetite and your “raisins or no raisins” opinions. I prefer raisins and pecans!
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Where: Streetsville Civic Centre, 213 Queen St. S, Mississauga
6. Taste of Cooksville
One of Mississauga’s biggest food festivals returns with nearly 100 street vendors along Dundas Street, a car show, live entertainment, and enough global cuisine to make picking just one thing genuinely impossible.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Where: Dundas St. W (Hurontario St. to Camilla Rd.), Mississauga
7. TIFF’s Closing Weekend
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival wraps its run this weekend, so it’s your last shot at catching premieres, red carpet sightings, and whatever’s still playing at Roy Thomson Hall and the Lightbox before the city’s biggest celebrity-spotting season wraps for another year.
When: Through Sunday, Sept. 20 Where: Various venues, downtown Toronto
8. Dino Run at The Bentway
Exactly what it sounds like, and somehow that’s the appeal: a run/walk event under the Gardiner with a prehistoric theme, for anyone who’d rather do their cardio with a bit of chaos involved.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19 Where: The Bentway, Toronto
9. Terry Fox Run
Communities across the GTA are holding their annual Terry Fox Run this weekend too — a low-key, no-registration-fee way to close out the weekend on a good note while supporting cancer research.
When: Sunday, Sept. 20 Where: Multiple locations across the GTA
Whatever you pick, wear comfortable shoes and maybe don’t plan on cooking dinner — there’s a very good chance you’ll already be full.
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