It’s finally summertime in the city and there’s no shortage of fun things to do whether you’re young, younger, single or in love. And the best of all, these ideas won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
1. Outdoor yoga
There are a few free outdoor yoga meetups around the city but Flow-active’s Yoga in High Park seems to be getting the most attention. The free classes run every Sunday at 10 a.m. between June 28 and Sept. 6. Routines vary every week and even include some barre work but the event page makes sure to mention that the routines will always accommodate beginners.
2. Free music
There are a few events for classical and jazz enthusiasts.
Summer Music in the Garden
If you’re not up for being active but still want to get a dose of nature, the Toronto Music Garden in Harbourfront on Queens Quay hosts free classical music performances most Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. The concerts can sometimes be so popular that organizers encourage people to bring their own lawn chairs in case benches are full.
Sunday Serenades
There are plenty more concerts in the city this summer though. Mel Lastman Square is hosting a swing, big band, and jazz concert series. Admission is free and the concerts run on Sundays at 7 p.m. from July 5 to Aug. 16.
Beaches International Jazz Festival
There’s even more jazz to be heard. If you live closer to the Beaches you might prefer this annual jazz festival that runs from July 10 to 26. The event is said to be the largest free jazz festival in Canada.
3. Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival
Learn to dance to live music at this midtown festival. The festival starts on Saturday July 4 and transforms the street into a dance party. Admission is free but you might be tempted by the food stands that will also pop-up in the area.
4. BuskerFest
Take in some street performances for a good cause. The festival runs from Aug. 27 to 30 throughout the downtown core between Yonge Street from Queen to College Streets. Admission is a pay-what-you-can donation but the proceeds go to the festival and Epilepsy Toronto. Last year’s performances included a man jumping through a hoop of knives and fire.
5. Free movies
Sail-In Cinema
Watching movies outdoors is a hallmark of summer but Sail-In Cinema has their two-sided screen floating in the water so you can watch from a boat or from land. They also have 80s movies. Admission is free. Screenings at Sugar Beach will be held between Aug. 20 and 22.
TIFF in the Park
Back on dry land, TIFF will be hosting its own free outdoor movie series. Movies include favourites like Annie Hall, The King’s Speech and Pride and Prejudice. Bring your snacks to David Pecaut Square on select Wednesdays between July and September.
6. Cultural markets and festivals
There are so many summer cultural events in and around Toronto that it would be almost impossible to list them all. Night it up! mimics night markets in Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Asian cities. There’s food and trinkets for sale plus live music, movies and games. The market is scheduled to run from July 24 to 26 at Markham Civic Center. If you’re not from the area you can hop on one of the available shuttle buses. Other festivals include the Festival of India taking place at Yonge-Dundas Square and Centre Island or the Matsuri Japanese Summer Festival which is also taking place at Yonge-Dundas Square. There’s also Taste of the Danforth, Toronto Caribbean Carnival plus other neighbourhood festivals that celebrate the heritage of that community.
7. A day at the museum:
Museums can be pretty expensive to access but a few Toronto museums have ‘pay what you can days’. The Textile Museum of Canada runs its pay-what-you-can admission on Wednesdays between 5 and 8 p.m. The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art is free on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Finally the Art Gallery of Ontario is free for high school students on Tuesdays after 3 p.m. and for everyone else on Wednesdays between 6 and 8:30 p.m.
8. Walk around a vintage market
There are plenty of vintage shows in Toronto but many of them have an entrance fee. The Lincoln: Pop-Up Market is a local art, design, fashion and vintage show in Etobicoke. It runs on the fourth Sunday of every month this summer and is free to access.
9. Shakespeare in High Park
Take in some Shakespeare under the trees and stars for pay-what-you-can admission. The High Park Amphitheatre will be putting on Julius Caesar and The Comedy of Errors every other night at 8 p.m. You can even go for a backstage tour before the show on certain Thursdays and Fridays also for free.
10. Toronto Book Swap
While you won’t have to pay admission, this event will cost you some books. Head to The Central on July 11 with your old books and trade them for other used books. You might find some gems and meet some book lovers. (If you don’t bring old books to swap, it’s $2 for every book you want to buy.)
11. Panamania
Panamania is an arts and culture festival that runs alongside the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. While some of the events are ticketed, plenty of them are free. As part of the festival, The Power Plant is hosting a number of free exhibits. There’s also series of concerts that are free and open to the public with performances from Lights, USS, Marianas Trench, A Tribe Called Red and more. Another free event, Watecolour, will have designs curated by the Textile Museum of Canada floating across Sugar Beach to open and close the sailing competitions.
12. Go for a hike:
Despite how congested it can get, there are a lot of great, quiet places to go for a long walk in and around the city. The trail at the Scarborough Bluffs offers a great view of cliff faces and shoreline complete with seagulls. The Don River trail stretches about 13 km and is open to cyclists and pedestrians alike. A few other trails that run around the 10 km range are the Leslie Street Spit Trail, the Rosedale Ravine Trail and the Etobicoke Creek Trail.
