What role do visitors play in supporting nightlife during the winter season, and what strategies do you use to attract them?
The City of Toronto has updated its licensing and zoning regulations for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues for 2025. The changes modernize the rules, while supporting the vibrancy of the city and the night economy, including areas outside of the downtown core.
So what exactly is the night economy? It’s any business that operates during the evening—this can be hotels, theatre, sports, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, recreation as well as many of the essential services that help build community in the city.
Given the longer nights of winter, the night economy represents an opportunity to generate excitement with visitors during a key need period.
We talked to five businesses that are a part of the night economy visitor experience to ask: What role do visitors play in supporting nightlife during the winter season, and what strategies do you use to attract them?
"Winter is comedy season. I think the Canadian sense of humour was forged from the cold." — Gary Rideout, Co-Founder, Comedy Bar
Gary Rideout, Co-Founder, Comedy Bar
"Comedy Bar is dedicated to the development of new and established comedic talent, and aims to provide the best Sketch, Improv, Alternative and Stand Up Comedy in Toronto. The stages at two venues host over 150 shows monthly, providing laughs seven nights a week, approximately 363 days a year.
Winter is comedy season. I think the Canadian sense of humour was forged from the cold. Comedy Bar counts on our visitors to come together and collectively laugh. Our comics feed off a full room. In addition to our regular programming we look to bring in touring international comics that excite the public and make for must-see destination viewing in our venues!"
Aileen Heatherington, General Manager, The Drake Hotel
"At The Drake Hotel, our visitors don’t just fill our rooms—they bring energy and vitality to our spaces. Whether they’re dining in the Lounge, sipping cocktails at the Lobby Bar or Sky Yard, or dancing to their favourite artist at The Drake Underground, their presence helps sustain The Drake’s vibrant nightlife and the overall cultural buzz of the West Queen West neighbourhood. Beyond our walls, their support also boosts Toronto’s economy—helping local businesses thrive, supporting artists, and contributing to the city’s reputation as a dynamic, world-class destination.
To attract both travellers and locals during the winter season, we offer seasonal promotions and stay packages that pair premium hotel perks with standout nightlife experiences. Think: live music, DJ nights, comedy shows, curated art installations, and special programming like Dinner with a Side of Sounds—our supper club experience featuring a menu of reimagined classics, crafted cocktails, and live piano performances! By creating these dynamic, can’t-miss moments, The Drake Hotel continues to be a go-to destination for visitors looking to embrace the winter season in style"
Marc Dorfman, Director of Food, Beverage and Sales, CN Tower
"360 Restaurant attracts locals and visitors by serving up a ‘taste of place.’ Guests enjoy authentic Canadian flavours and the freshest of ingredients, sustainably sourced from within 100 km of the Tower itself.
360 took part in the City of Toronto’s Winterlicious festival from January 31 to February 13. Guests enjoyed a 3-course prix fixe lunch ($55 per person) or dinner menu ($75 per person) featuring dishes such as Saskatchewan Yellow Split Pea Soup, Cape d’Or Salmon, Saskatoon Berry and Wild Bergamot Parfait.
Following a meal at 360, guests have the opportunity to visit the Main and Lower Observation Levels where the twinkling lights of the city below complete the sensory experience."
Jonathan Bunce, Artistic / Executive Director, Wavelength Music
"Tonight (Feb. 27) is the opening night of the three-night Wavelength Winter Festival, marking the 25th anniversary of our artist-run, non-profit music series. Wavelength offers visitors the experience of curated discovery, letting them hear cutting-edge and emerging artists before they break out on a larger scale. We use non-traditional venue spaces like St. Anne's Parish Hall, animating this west-end church hall with colourful decor and lights to create a unique and memorable concert environment.
"Toronto is truly one of the world's great music cities, and Wavelength is proud to be able to shout this message out loud even at the coldest time of year." — Jonathan Bunce, Artistic / Executive Director, Wavelength Music
Wavelength has long viewed ourselves as ambassadors for Toronto's local music and arts scenes, and by attending our Winter Festival, visitors will get to experience the city through the lens of our creative community. Unlike bigger, more corporate music festivals, Wavelength offers a welcoming, inclusive, grassroots atmosphere where diverse musicians and show-goers can mix and mingle and visitors from out of town can enjoy some communal indoor warmth and coziness after exploring the wintry city. The benefits for our organization and the nightlife economy are many–not just in terms of our much-needed ticket sales revenue, but also the spillover to local restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, galleries and attractions.
But expanding beyond a local audience also helps build Wavelength's reputation as a destination event, bringing together music fans from different regions. Music tourists may discover local homegrown Canadian talent they wouldn't encounter otherwise, helping grow and expand their fanbase. Out-of-town visitors may share their experiences on social media or through word of mouth, further spreading our reputation for curating one-of-a-kind events. And visiting industry professionals and media can create further opportunities for networking and discovery for homegrown talent.
Toronto is truly one of the world's great music cities, and Wavelength is proud to be able to shout this message out loud even at the coldest time of year."
Nick Kennedy, Co-Founder, Senior Executive Barback, Civil Liberties (Tributary Hospitality)
"Our hospitality group sees our busy season between September and New Years, with the later half of the winter historically slow across the sector. In 2018, we launched a holiday themed pop-up cocktail bar called Miracle. While we have a variety of competitors in the Christmas bar scene now, we were the first to bring the concept to the Canadian Market.
"Winter offers visitors an opportunity to engage more in our city's vibrant food and drink scene as there are less outdoor attractions to engage in comfortably in comparison to other seasons." — Nick Kennedy, Co-Founder, Senior Executive Barback, Civil Liberties (Tributary Hospitality)
We host the pop-up in our event venue Third Place, which is in close proximity to three of our other venues Civil Liberties, Electric Bill and Vit Beo. The overflow from Miracle helps support the sales of the night economy of our entire block. We work with a variety of government and tourism boards as well as corporate partners to promote and execute Miracle. One dollar of every drink is donated to Nellie's Women's Shelter, to date we have raised $230,000.
Through our work with these partners, including Destination Toronto, we are able to help sustain ourselves and our community through the sales challenges of January. This winter season programming has allowed us to expand from 1 location to 5 and provide our staff with a variety of above market benefits.
This year for the first time we offered reservations to our guests at Miracle to ensure guests coming in from out of town can plan their evenings knowing they won't need to plan around long waits. We have seen a wider reaching geographical customer base by engaging in reservations, encouraging visitors to explore beyond the traditional hotspots and promoting lateral tourism. This is a large part of our strategy to continue to grow the economic footprint of our hospitality group.
Winter offers visitors an opportunity to engage more in our city's vibrant food and drink scene as there are less outdoor attractions to engage in comfortably in comparison to other seasons."
