If you're looking for a new perspective, you've come to the right place. Toronto's art and culture scene is guaranteed to inspire.
Home to more artists than any other city in Canada and one of North America's leading economies for entertainment and media, Toronto exudes culture and creativity. Discover Toronto's art and culture scene through its destination museums, venues, and countless off-the-radar gems. From block parties infused with tastes and sounds inspired by the world to public art installations that make outdoor spaces come alive, here are ten reasons you’ll feel something new in Toronto.
1. Landmark museums with acclaimed collections and exciting exhibits
Toronto's landmark museums are destinations in and of themselves—whether it's your first visit or your dozenth, there's something new to discover. It's easy to lose yourself among the 13 million pieces of art, ancient artifacts and natural history remnants at the Royal Ontario Museum—the institution is Canada's largest and most comprehensive museum.
While more recent entrants to the museum scene, such as the Aga Khan, showcase more than 1,000 years of artistic accomplishment from Muslim civilizations and spectacular architecture.
2. The vibrant and very walkable Bloor Street Cultural Corridor
Lining a mile-long (1.5 kilometres) stretch of Toronto's downtown, the Bloor Street Cultural Corridor is one of the city's most walkable cultural districts. Bound by Bay and Bathurst Streets, the corridor includes venues to pique any and every interest. From the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of footwear at the Bata Shoe Museum to the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, which aims to celebrate and preserve the rich traditions of Canada's Indigenous Peoples, there's an impressive array of offerings packed into this vibrant, utterly accessible zone (five subway stations serve it).
4. The renowned Broadway and underground theatre
It's one of the worst-kept secrets among theatre buffs: to catch the next biggest Broadway hit, skip the lineup in Times Square and head to Toronto. Tony-award-winning shows, from Come From Away to Hairspray, frequently take the stage in Toronto months ahead of their New York debuts alongside perennial hits (Mirvish Productions is the name to watch for extravaganzas such as Hamilton).
With the return of in-person shows, you can look forward to catching upcoming productions this season, including Mean Girls and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
If your tastes run more indie and experimental, check out the Toronto Fringe every July or immersive only-in-Toronto productions such as those by Outside the March.
5. The outdoor urban art scene in some unexpected places
With 8,000 hectares of green space, you're never far from parkland in Toronto—even in the city core. But in true Toronto style, the great outdoors becomes the great art-doors thanks to initiatives such as the Bentway underneath the Gardiner Expressway, which acts as a public art space, community hub, roller rink in the summer, and skating path in the winter.
6. Because you can travel the globe through your tastebuds
To immerse yourself in the sounds, sights and flavours of the many communities that make up this diverse city, hit up one of Toronto's 140+ neighbourhoods. One of the most diverse cities in the world, with 50 percent of its population born outside of Canada, there's always a cultural celebration that lets you feel just how small the world can be. Consider indulging your senses with a self-guided food crawl inspired by overseas flavours or sample street food from around the world.
7. A chance to peek into the historical architecture and unique spaces
Toronto's exploding skyline is a sight to behold—but it belies the countless unique, historical buildings (and their remarkable contents) tucked all over town. The annual Doors Open weekend is the best opportunity to see hundreds of these great venues—but visitors don't have to wait until next spring to get inside some popular favourites. You can check out some traditional sites without leaving home through Digital Doors Open Toronto.
Through the city's HistoricTO program, you can travel back in time with walking tours spotlighting the Toronto History Museums, 10 museums owned and operated by the City of Toronto. The extensive Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection is also available online.
8. You'll hear the world
Toronto will get your toes tapping to tunes from all over: while the city's huge range of venues means you can catch a show from up-and-coming and well-known musicians any night of the week, there's no better place to expand your aural horizons than the city's international music festivals. From the largest free African music festival in North America to Small World, which celebrates music from across Asia, a visit to Toronto lets you travel the world with your ears.
9. You can celebrate our craftiest
Pair the opportunity to support the city's craftiest residents with some souvenir shopping at events such as the Queen West Art Crawl and the One of a Kind Show, which showcase some of Toronto's most talented makers. From handcrafted clothes to jewellery to other works, you can also find original made-in-Toronto creations at many local boutiques and galleries, such as those in the Kensington Market and Queen West neighbourhoods.
10. The art scene never sleeps
Toronto's creativity never stops—but it stays up extra late every year for the city's annual Nuit Blanche event. For one night every fall, the sunset to sunrise celebration transforms the city into a free all-night art gallery, with dozens of immersive, interactive and often surprising installations encompassing any and every type of medium you can think of.
