tiff Festival Street 2026

Early hours along King Street West during tiff Festival Street is delightful - fans are starting their long waits at theatres and red carpets, food trucks are starting to open and only a handful of giveaways art taking place. But it is a good time to check out the hot spots, see the art installations and hope you trip over a celebrity.

Tree of Cinema by Alina Tacmelova and Yury Goncharov is an interesting piece that requires closer inspection. The metal tree trunks are slim and curving while the treasure sits at the top. Film strips wind through the branches, each frame contains iconic shots from movie's past.

The eye of Sauron is looking at you babe

From tiff's website, "Festival Street is an open-air celebration where the magic of the Toronto International Film Festival spills straight out of the theatres and onto King Street. For four unforgettable days, Sept. 10–13, King Street West between Peter and University transforms into a buzzing, welcoming, everyone’s-invited Festival playground. It is the public epicentre of TIFF, where audiences celebrate the movies — and we celebrate our audiences.

It looks like a popcorn bowl, but it is full of flowers

Festival Street includes red carpets, art installations, partner activations, an art market, live music stages, fan zones, free outdoor screenings, food market, games, and activities for the whole family. There is no better way to celebrate “the People’s Festival” than with a free and accessible street party dedicated to the Festival-goers in Toronto."

A lions head from Fellini Forever is the world's largest privately held archive dedicated to Federico Fellini.

The Little Free Cinema. Tiny little theatres the size of a birdhouse

Two installations of Disco Speakers are on King Street West

Everyone always says the first week is the best week, so enjoy the sights, concerts and movie screenings.

Toronto International Buskerfest 2026

Street performers from around the world descend on Woodbine Park for the annual Toronto International Buskerfest. Bring your change to the park to give to the amazing entertainment lined up for the September 4-7, 2026 event.

From the Buskerfest's website, "WHERE FEARLESS MEETS FUNNY! It’s spontaneous, it’s outrageous; it’s fun, funny, and fabulous – there is something for everyone at the Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy. Be prepared to witness something spectacular around every corner from circus artistry, to daredevils, feats of the impossible, and so much more at one of North America’s largest gatherings of buskers from around the world!

Adrenaline junkies, music lovers, comedy fans, acrobatic enthusiasts, and foodie fanatics – all are welcome to explore the captivating curiosities that can be found at the Toronto International BuskerFest. Four days of non-stop, action-packed fun for all ages! And it’s all for a great cause."

Dates and times
Friday, September 4 | 4 pm – 11 pm
Saturday, September 5 | Noon – 11 pm
Sunday, September 6 | Noon – 10 pm
Monday, September 7 | Noon – 7 pm

Toronto Air Show CIAS 2026

High flying planes have returned to the skies of Toronto's waterfront, minus the Good Old(?) U.S. Air Force's F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, as part of the CNE's annual entertainment options. The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) runs September 5-7, 2026 from noon till 3:40pm alongside Exhibition Place during the Labour Day holiday weekend.

From the CIAS website, "Celebrate North America's longest running air show. The Canadian International Air Show will hold its 77th edition in 2026." And with the end of the Snowbirds "we prepare for their final performance in Toronto, before the operational pause, we stand in gratitude for more than five decades of excellence and dedication. This is your last opportunity to look up to the sky and honour the extraordinary team that has defined Canadian aviation history with the red and white CT-114 Tutor jets!"

See more photos after the jump.

Yorkville Murals 2026

 

YVM Yorkville Murals returns in 2026 during the August 22-23 weekend. Toronto's glamorous and artsy upscale neighborhood hosts the event on Yorkville Avenue from Hazelton to Bellair, just off Bloor's Mink Mile.

From their website, "Toronto’s most dynamic art and muralism festival returns from August 22–23, 2026 with the third edition of its theme, No Empty Spaces. Yorkville Murals transforms Yorkville Avenue—stretching from Bellair Street to Hazelton Avenue—into a vibrant, interactive cultural playground.

Visitors can expect a weekend packed with creativity and connection: large-scale murals, inflatable art, immersive installations, live painting, thought-provoking art talks, high-energy dance battles, pop-up shops, music, and a lively evening block party. Every moment offers something new, encouraging culture lovers to return again and again throughout the weekend."

Unfortunately this is to be the last run of the festival, so enjoy it while you can.

Dino Run at the Bentway

Jurassic Park has come to life under the deck of the Gardiner Expressway as dinosaurs are preparing for the 2026 Dino Run at the Bentway Park. The fun starts at 10am and goes to noon on Saturday, August 22.

From the park's website, "Step into a prehistoric adventure at the Bentway’s iconic figure-eight skate trail under the Gardiner Expressway! This fun-filled event invites young explorers to learn, move, and play in an outdoor, interactive setting that brings dinosaurs to life.

The morning kicks off with costumed Dino Specialists, who use songs, dance, storytelling, and hands-on games to teach kids fascinating facts about their favorite dinosaurs. From learning how T-Rex roared to discovering how Velociraptors ran, this engaging session sparks curiosity and imagination. Then, it’s time for action! The kids will transform into Dino Explorers, tasked with chasing and recapturing runaway dinosaurs in an exciting, non-competitive run around our 220m figure-eight skate trail. As they dash and track down their dino friends, they’ll stay active, build confidence, and develop a love for movement—all in a fun, supportive environment."

@jmhcet #dinorun at #thebentway in #Toronto. #dinosaurs ♬ Walk Of Life - Remastered 1996 - Dire Straits

Race day at the Honda Indy Markham

Sunday, August 16, 2026 is race day as the headliners from NTT IndyCar ramp it up during their afternoon speedfest through Markham. Around 12:30pm the green flag dropped and great news - there is no rain (stupid forecasts). UPDATE: WINNERS (1, 2 and 3) Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean and Will Power.

Cars on their grid during the pit lane displays

Drivers were introduced to the crowd at 11:30am, then they headed to pit lane to await the instructions to start their engines.

Two cars are a little banged up and out of the race

See more photos after the jump.

Saturday at the Honda Indy Markham

Okay, Friday turned out to be a bit of a bust as the remaining track construction wiped out any chance to see some burning rubber on the first day of the three day event, but it will hopefully be completed by the start of Saturday's revised schedule for the second day of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham. IndyCar driver Will Power, pictured above, scooters around the race site on Friday. Will is a three time winner of the Honda Indy in Toronto (2007, 2010 and 2016) and is racing car #26 as part of the Andretti Global team in this year's race.

Race promoters released a statement on their website at 8pm on August 14 regarding the cancelled track session on Friday;  "We greatly appreciate all the fans who made it out to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham today and chose to spend the day with us. The attendance and support were
overwhelming. Ensuring the safety of the drivers and the completion of the certification process of
competing on a brand-new racetrack delayed all on-track activities today. Today’s sessions have been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, to allow for further track preparations." OntarioIndy's instagram did actually say sorry, "We apologize for today’s on track delay. Thank you for a great turnout for Your Ontario Honda Dealers present Free Fan Friday benefiting @makeawish_canada. We hope to get race cars on track soon when it is appropriate to do so. In the meantime, please keep enjoying the activations and great food and beverage selections on site. We will provide an update when we have more information about the schedule." Online comments indicated displeasure with lack of communication so hopefully that will improve as well.

Gates open at 8:30am and while the Honda Indy's website schedule does not currently show it but there is a NASCAR practice and qualifying session to take place before the gates open - from 8:00 to 8:30am.

8:55 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. USF2000 Championship Practice
9:20 a.m. - 9:40 a.m. USF Pro 2000 Practice
10:05 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1
11:55 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. Radical Cup Canada Practice
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. USF2000 Championship Race 1
1:35 p.m. - 2:05 p.m. USF Pro 2000 Race 1
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2
4:45 p.m. - 6:05 p.m. NASCAR Canada Series Race
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying
After INDYCAR Qualifying The Glorious Sons Live in Concert

Pit lane

So all five race series will be on the track today and the excitement of qualifying will lead into three races; USF2000 at 1:00pm, USF Pro 2000 at 1:35pm and NASCAR Canada at 4:45pm, just before the IndyCar qualifying session. A race by the Radical Cup cars was dropped from the Saturday schedule to accommodate most of Friday's schedule into Saturday's compressed schedule.

Around the hairpin

General admission viewing

American chopper in the pits

IndyCar hitting the track

The cottage in Thunder Alley