Summer at last! We couldn’t be more excited about the amazing line-up of great theatre, musicals, and concerts. Not to mention the unstoppable combination of food, music, and cultural festivals (many of which are free!).
Take advantage of the beautiful weather; get outside and experience everything Toronto has to offer. To help inspire you, we created this calendar of all the cultural events in Toronto and the GTA this summer.
Be sure to check our online event listings, updated daily, to find out what else is coming up.
Theatre, Musicals, and Dance
There are plenty of stunning and entertaining summer events to delight children interested in dance, music, and theatre.
For all the die-hard theatre fans, Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival have an amazing line-up of performances this season. Their family-friendly shows Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe are sure to impress.
Don’t miss Roald Dahl’s Matilda (the multi-award winning musical) by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Ed Mirvish Theatre. After being a major hit in both London and on Broadway, this amazing show is coming to Toronto.
Performances on this season:
July:
Alice in Wonderland at Shaw Festival
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Stratford Festival
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lower Ossington Theatre
Pirates Don’t Babysit – presented as part of Toronto Fringe Festival
Matilda at Ed Mirvish Theatre
Peter and the Starcatcher at Lower Ossington Theatre
Once Upon a Mattress by Burlington Student Theatre
The Wiz by Burlington Student Theatre
August:
Alice in Wonderland at Shaw Festival
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe at Stratford Festival
Matilda at Ed Mirvish Theatre
Peter and the Starcatcher at Lower Ossington Theatre
Music, Concerts, and Festivals
Music is a great way to experience culture and bond with your kids. And summer is festival season, so there are tons of great outdoor family-friendly activities and events to keep you busy (and lots of delicious new foods to taste!). Our top picks for kids during July and August are:
July:
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
4th Annual Entertainment District Art Crawl – FREE
Taste of Lawrence
Afrofest 2016 – FREE
Brickfete Toronto 2016
Stewart Park Music Festival – FREE
Mount Forest Fireworks Festival
Festival of India – FREE
Festival of South Asia – FREE
Island Soul – FREE
August:
Island Soul – FREE
Taste of the Danforth
Hot and Spicy Food Festival
TAIWANfest: A Cultural Tango with Hong Kong – FREE
4th Annual Entertainment District Art Crawl – FREE
Museums and Exhibits
If you love visiting museums and galleries, but don’t really have the budget for it, the solution is found at the Toronto Public Library. The library has free museum passes on hold that can be borrowed using a library card. Learn more about the Museums + Arts Pass at the Toronto Library’s website.
The Art Gallery of Ontario has great interactive, innovative family activities. Always on at the AGO is the Kids’ Gallery, a special space with exhibitions for little eyes and hands.
A visit to the Royal Ontario Museum to see the dinosaur bones and to brave the Bat Cave is always fun. But the ROM also has hands-on galleries just for kids, and Mom&Me sessions to include little ones, too. During the summer months, you can take bigger kids on one of the free biweekly ROMwalks to learn more about Toronto’s culture, history and architecture.
There’s always something on for kids at the Ontario Science Centre, like IMAX films (Don’t miss A Beautiful Planet), and planetarium shows, but currently you can get the answers to all your crazy questions at The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!®, or learn more about our nearest star for free at their Solar Observing sessions.
READ MORE LIKE THIS:
- Toronto Fun with Kids June 2016
- Where to Celebrate Museum Month in Toronto
- 24 Summer Reads for Kids, Tweens, and Teens
Stay up-to-date on everything that happens in Toronto and find tons of amazing family-friendly events using our Toronto and the GTA Event Listings.
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