Things to Do Canada Day Weekend in Toronto 2016

By
Lori Bosworth
-
14
Pride Toronto 2015 Pride Parade, photo by NaJin Lim, one of the popular things to do Canada Day weekend in Toronto 2016
Pride Toronto 2015 Pride Parade, photo by NaJin Lim

Canada Day is the day we celebrate the birth of our nation and, as luck would have it, it falls on a Friday in 2016, which results in a July long weekend. If you are not heading to a cottage on the July long weekend, you’ll find there are a number of festivals taking place in Toronto. Here are our recommendations for things to do Canada Day weekend in Toronto 2016.

Pride Toronto 2015 Pride Parade, photo by NaJin Lim, one of the popular things to do Canada Day weekend in Toronto 2016
Pride Toronto 2015 Pride Parade, photo by NaJin Lim

Pride Parade 2016

Witness the first sitting prime minister of Canada to march in the Toronto Pride Parade as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joins the parade on Sunday, July 3, 2016. (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did march in the Pride Parade 2015 as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.) Everyone is welcome to celebrate and dance in the streets! The Pride Parade starts at Church Street and Bloor Street at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Toronto Jazz Festival 2016

The Toronto Jazz Festival, which takes place June 24 to July 3, 2016 at Toronto venues across the city, wraps up on the Canada Day weekend with the following headliner performances:

  • Michael Franti at Nathan Phillips Square Toronto Star Stage on Friday, July 1, 2016 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $55, $50 and $45.
  • Joe Jackson at Nathan Phillips Square Toronto Star Stage on Saturday, July 2, 2016 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $73.50, $68 and $62.50. Call 1-888-655-9090 to purchase.

The Toronto Fringe Festival 2016

The Toronto Fringe Festival has featured many inaugural plays that have gone on to receive accolades on larger stages. In 2016, the festival takes place from June 29 to July 10, 2016 at more than 30 venues in Toronto. The Toronto Fringe Festival is not just about theatre: you’ll also be able to see dance, visual art and busker performances. The maximum ticket price is $12. Passes are on sale May 30, 2016 and single tickets go on sale June 9, 2016. Performances to be announced shortly.

Jose Bautista on September 30, 2015, By Keith Allison on Flickr (Original)Trut-h-urts_man (Crop) - Originally posted to Flickr as "Jose Bautista"Cropped by Trut-h-urts_man, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46170128
Jose Bautista on September 30, 2015, By Keith Allison on Flickr (Original)Trut-h-urts_man (Crop) – Originally posted to Flickr as “Jose Bautista”Cropped by Trut-h-urts_man, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46170128

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians on Canada Day Weekend 2016

The Toronto Blue Jays play the Cleveland Indians at the Rogers Centre on Friday, July 1, 2016, Saturday, July 2, 2016 and Sunday, July 3, 2016. Will star player Jose Bautista flip his bat again? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. All Canada Day weekend games begin at 1:07 p.m. Saturday, July 2, 2016 is Junior Jays Saturday where kids 14 and under get to run the bases post-game. Troy Tulowitzki Bobbleheads will be given away to the first 20,000 fans on entrance on Sunday, July 3, 2016. Tickets are $297, $125, $115, $109, $107, $69, $66, $58, $52, $49.50, $43, $26 and $24. Go Jays Go!

Draken Harald Harfagre Viking Ship at Redpath Waterfront Festival
Draken Harald Harfagre Viking Ship at Redpath Waterfront Festival

Redpath Waterfront Festival 2016

The Redpath Waterfront Festival takes place July 1-3, 2016 with lots of activities. Tour the Tall Ships, that will be docked at HTO Park. Public deck tours are Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ship deck tour tickets are $15 for 10 and over, $10 for ages 6-10 and free for 5 and under. See the Ultimutts Stunt Dog Show at Purina PawsWay, 245 Queens Quay West. Enjoy entertainment at the Simcoe WaveDeck at Queens Quay West and Lower Simcoe Street and at the Rees WaveDeck at Queens Quay West and Rees Street. Shop for handmade goods and crafts from over 50 artisans, chefs and bakers at The Waterfront Artisan Market.

These are just a few suggestions for things to do Canada Day Weekend in Toronto 2016. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a great July long weekend. Happy Canada Day!

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Wow, there are so many things to look forward to. Everyone can surely find something to be happy about. Fans of either Toronto Blue Jays or Cleveland Indians will await the games on those weekends.

  2. I used to follow the Toronto Blue Jays when I lived in NY. I loved the trip to see them and would usually try to grab the Phantom of the Opera also. Always made for such a great get away for us. Canada Day is so fun! Thank you for sharing. I think I will start following them again 🙂

  3. I have never heard of Canada day, but it seems like a fun time and a great day to be on vacation in Canada. I am really interested in the Toronto Jazz and the Waterfront festival. I wonder if you can get package deals to these event?

  4. I love attending festivals of all kinds! They’re usually great family fun, without breaking the bank. The Redpath Waterfront Festival sounds like something we would really enjoy — and of course the baseball game! Summer isn’t complete without one!

  5. I would love to visit Canada again. We went as a family when I was in middle school. It was a very fun family trip. I agree with Kristy – baseball is a must in the summer!!!

  6. These are exciting things baseball fans should look forward to. I don’t know much about baseball and I am not familiar with the teams. I am more interested in the shop for handmade goods and crafts.

  7. Canada Day was one of my favorite holidays growing up! Out whole family would head to the waterfront for the day and get prime seats for the fireworks that went off that night! The Jazz festival has alwasy been on my list, but now that I live in Texas, its going to take a little more planning that just hopping in the car and heading to T.O. for the day!

  8. I used to lived in upstate New York for about 7 years. It was a couple of hours away to Toronto we love spending our holiday weekend there. I remember my first experience going to Toronto Blue Jays game it was fun. Oh my i miss the festival at Toronto Island as well I wish we could go back soon.

  9. I have never been to Canada, but it is definitely a place that I want to visit someday. It looks like Canada Day would be the best time to experience it for the first time. Lots of fun things to do and I just love festivals!

  10. Wow there seems to be so many fun things to do in Toronto! I would love to go to the Jazz festival- that sounds really fun! I have always wanted to visit Toronto- I may need to someday soon!

  11. Toronto is such a great city! When I was younger I used to go up there every other weekend. Now with kids it’s so much busier and I don’t get up there as much as I’d like to!

  12. What a busy weekend, and I imagine these are only a couple of the popular events. How does one choose? 🙂

  13. Thanks for the reminder about the Redpath festival. I’m definitely going to to check that one out this year.

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