Destination:
Toronto

Toronto Pride

Toronto Pride is the third largest gay and lesbian celebration in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors in the last week of June to participate in hundreds of events. The Pride week has a different theme each year which sets the tone for the hundreds of activities and events on the program, culminating in the massive pride parade with its floats and performers, and the 'Dyke March'. The main event of the week is 'Unity', a non-stop all-night dance party featuring spectacular stage shows, billed as one of the best parties in the northern hemisphere.

Canada Dry Festival of Fire

Easily the most spectacular event during the summer in Toronto is the annual fireworks extravaganza that lights up the sky over the city's waterfront, watched by an estimated two million people. The show is set to music and the fireworks are set off from barges in Lake Ontario. For more information phone (416) 314 9900.

Cavalcade of Lights

Toronto's festive season officially kicks off at the end of November each year with the brilliant illumination of Nathan Phillips Square with more than 100,000 lights, spectacular fireworks and a massive Christmas tree, heralding a month of merry-making and fun events in the city center. Events include 'Designs in Ice' exhibition, outdoor concerts, street theater and skating parties. For more information contact Toronto Special Events on (416) 395 0490 or email spevmktg@toronto.ca

Contact

Taking photography far beyond the realms of the snapshot, Contact is the most important annual photographic event in the Americas, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and exhibitors, highlighting the enduring significance of photography in modern life. About 140 different exhibitions make up Contact, sited in various locations throughout the city. The theme for 2009 is Still Revolution.

Toronto Jazz Festival

No self-respecting Canadian city can be without its annual jazz festival, and Toronto offers one of the best in north America. Each year the festival attracts about 2,000 international and local musicians, along with thousands of fans and jazz fundis.

Toronto Taste

Toronto Taste 2008 celebrates its 18th anniversary with savory dishes, fine wines and stunning waterfront scenery. The annual fundraising event brings together 70 top chefs and 30 of Ontario's premium vintners and beverage companies to provide an evening of gourmet food and drink. Toronto Taste is the single largest fundraising event supporting Second Harvest, a registered charity collecting perishable food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributes it to community organizations that feed hungry people in Toronto.

Toronto International Film Festival

Toronto's famous film festival is the largest film festival open to the general public. Unlike Sundance and Cannes which see a number of independent features and world cinema, the Toronto International Film Festival has the glamour of Hollywood coated all over it, and is considered by many filmmakers and studio bosses to be a successful launching platform to begin the crazy award season that eventually climaxes with the Academy Awards in March.

Rock Paper Scissors International World Championships

The World Rock Paper Scissors Society hosts this increasingly popular event to find out who is the champ at the famous game. Rock Paper Scissors is promoted as a game of skill and quick-thinking used to solve disputes and make decisions. Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper. Prize money of C$10, 000 is up for grabs, and visitors from all over the world partake.

Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival

Over 47,000 people were drawn to the 2006 festival as the Toronto's Fringe continues to be one of North America's leading theater experiences. Throughout the city thousands of artists perform to adoring crowds a variety of comedy, cabaret, music, poetry, drama and the classics.

WinterCity Festival

WinterCity festival offers a two-week, city-wide celebration of Toronto's incomparable diversity of spirit, including delicious culinary experiences, live bands, skating parties and activities throughout the city. The festival celebrates Toronto's culture, creativity and cuisine. Outdoor entertainment takes place on the weekends at Nathan Phillips Square featuring performances from celebrated Canadian music talent and world-renowned, international theatrical troupes.

Casa Loma

Canada's own castle, Casa Loma, is today owned by the City of Toronto and draws plenty of interest standing in medieval splendour on its hilltop site. The castle was formerly the home of Canadian financier, Sir Henry Pellatt, who engaged the noted architect E J Lennox to help him realize a life-long dream of building a castle. Construction started in 1911 and it took 300 men nearly three years to complete the impressive Casa Loma. Inside visitors can see the magnificent decorated suites, secret passages, and 800ft (244m) long tunnel, while outside it is possible to stroll through the beautiful five-acre estate gardens. Self-guided audio tours are available and the castle is open every day.

CN Tower

Standing 1,815ft (553m) high, Toronoto's landmark CN Tower is the world's tallest building, a celebrated icon, an important telecommunications hub and the center of tourism in Toronto. About two million people visit the tower each year to take in the panoramic view and enjoy all its attractions. The tower was built in 1976 by the company Canadian National, who undertook the project simply to prove the strength of Canadian industry and solve the city's communication problems. Since then tourist attractions and facilities have been added, and the revitalised tower opened to the public in 1998, proving a hit with locals and visitors alike. The tower has four look out levels. At the first at 1,122ft (342m) is an outdoor observation deck with a spectacular glass floor; somewhat higher at the next level is an indoor observation deck and the Horizon's café, offering light meals high in the sky; at the 1,150ft (351m) level is a revolving restaurant, which rotates once every 72 minutes, allowing a stunning view of the city below while dining on the award-winning fare; finally comes the top level, at a dizzying 1,465ft (447m), known as the Sky Pod. At the top of the CN Tower visitors stand on the world's highest public observation deck. The tower is situated in the heart of Toronto's entertainment district, on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Royal Ontario Museum

Pride of place in this large and varied museum is held by the golden mosaic ceiling inside the main entrance to the building in Queen's Park, Toronto. The ceiling is adorned with patterns and symbols representing cultures from around the world throughout the ages, and is made from cut squares of imported Venetian glass. The museum consists of three buildings housing 200,000 square feet (18,581 sq m) of galleries and exhibitions. The more than 40 galleries showcase art, archeology and science exhibits. Among the most popular are dinosaurs, galleries of Chinese Art, a bat cave, a gem and gold room, exhibits about Ancient Egypt and Nubia, and the Samuel European Galleries.

Toronto Zoo

The Toronto Zoo covers 710 acres (287 hectares) and is divided into 'zoogeographic' regions. It features four major tropical indoor pavilions and several smaller indoor viewing areas, plus numerous outdoor exhibits with more than six miles (ten km) of walking trails. The zoo houses more than 5,000 animals representing more than 450 species; it draws more than 1,2 million visitors each year. It is located north of Highway 401 and is easily accessible by public transport.

Niagara Falls

Straddling the Canadian-United States border and sited between the province of Ontario and the US state of New York, the awesome Niagara Falls attracts about 12 million tourists a year. It makes a spectacular day's outing from Toronto. The Niagara River has been flowing for about 12,000 years but the eroded escarpment over which the falls flow today is much older, having been formed during the ice age. The river plunges over a cliff of dolostone and shale to make it the second largest waterfall on earth, after the Victoria Falls in southern Africa. Apart from appreciating the mighty torrent of the falls itself, perhaps from a spray-filled boat tour, there is plenty more to see and do on the Niagara peninsula, including indulging in some wine-tasting at one of the local wineries; visiting the exotic butterfly conservatory, marvelling at the floral clock in the Niagara Parks Greenhouse; or playing a round of golf on one of the 34 courses that dot the peninsula.

Distillery Historic District

The brick-paved streets of the pedestrianised village have been designated a National Heritage Site, containing the finest collection of Victorian era industrial architecture in North America. The historic Distillery District, spread across 13 acres (5 hectares) in downtown Toronto, is a development dedicated entirely to arts, culture and entertainment with its plethora of art galleries, restaurants, bars and live music venues. Founded in 1832, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery became the largest distillery in the British Empire until it ceased operations in 1990 after 153 years of production, and was opened in 2003 as the pedestrian-only village it is today. It is also a popular film location and its numerous festivals and special events attract thousands of people every month.

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art

Formerly the Art Gallery of North York, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art opened its doors in 1999 keen to display modern Canadian art that addresses current Canadian narratives. Situated in trendy downtown Toronto, Mocca boasts a collection of 400 artworks by 140 different Canadian artists, despite its small size. With most works created since 1985, Mocca offers great insight into contemporary Canadian society. A country once renowned for its loose immigration laws, Canada is home to a mix of cultures, which makes for a stimulating art world. Look out for group exhibitions with international artists and the annual Mocca Award in Contemporary Art.

Toronto Islands

A chain of small Lake Ontario islands just offshore from the city, the Toronto Islands were created from a series of continually moving sandbars connected to the mainland by a frail peninsula, which finally disintegrated after a major storm in 1858. Only a short ferry ride from the mainland, the Toronto Islands provide a peaceful green refuge from the hubbub of the city and afford attractive panoramic views of downtown Toronto. Hire a bike or relax on the beach, take the kids for a day at Centreville Amusement Park or have a languid picnic in one of the many designated leafy areas.

Gardiner Museum of Ceramics

Housed in an attractive building across from the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics is one of the city's finest examples of modernist architecture. Giving visitors a glimpse into a universal art form that has spanned centuries, the Gardiner Museum exhibits over 3,000 historical and contemporary ceramic pieces. With earthenware of all different shapes and sizes from the ancient Americas, China, Japan, the Italian Renaissance and more, a tour through the museum will shape visitors' understanding of the development of the ceramic process. On Friday evenings visitors can try their hand at sculpting and wheel throwing in the open clay studio or attend free films and seminars.

Kensington Market

A National Historic Site, Kensington Market embodies Toronto's multicultural society. Founded in the early twentieth century by eastern European Jewish immigrants and Italians, the area was renowned for its open-air market, evocative of those found in Europe. Home to immigrants from the Caribbean, China, East Africa and Vietnam War veterans, Kensinton Market is an infusion of world cultures, all of whom have left an imprint in the music, shops and restaurants of the area. A hybrid of cheap eclectic clothing retailers, fresh produce stores, cheese merchants, fishmongers, cafés and general bric-a-brac stores, the Kensington Market area offers a rambunctious downtown atmosphere. The most prominent streets are Augusta Avenue and Kensington Avenue.

Harbourfront Centre

With an idyllic setting right beside the lake, the Harbourfront Centre is the spiritual heart of the city where locals gather on weekends for some gallery hopping, shopping, biking and concerts. Used as an industrial docklands for decades the abandoned warehouses and disintegrating factories have been transformed into a treasured recreational and cultural public space. Stroll along the waterside promenade, indulge in theatrical performances and browse craft boutiques or head to Queen's Quay Centre for some superb shopping. Year round events at this urban playground include film, dance, theater, music, children's events and marine events.

Hockey Hall of Fame

Any avid hockey fan must make a turn at Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame, an ode to hockey's greatest players and most prized teams. A shrine to Canada's national sport, visitors can learn about the history of the game through memorabilia from every era, hockey artifacts from around the world, interactive exhibits and images of great moments in hockey history. Marvel at Terry Sawchuck's goalie gear, Newsy Lalonde's skates and the stick used by Max Bentley. The Stanley Cup never fails to delight visitors and most fun is had trying a hand at shooting or goalkeeping in the interactive displays. You won't be disappointed.