Toronto International Buskerfest 2026

Street performers from around the world descend on Woodbine Park for the annual Toronto International Buskerfest. Bring your change to the park to give to the amazing entertainment lined up for the September 4-7, 2026 event.

From the Buskerfest's website, "WHERE FEARLESS MEETS FUNNY! It’s spontaneous, it’s outrageous; it’s fun, funny, and fabulous – there is something for everyone at the Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy. Be prepared to witness something spectacular around every corner from circus artistry, to daredevils, feats of the impossible, and so much more at one of North America’s largest gatherings of buskers from around the world!

Adrenaline junkies, music lovers, comedy fans, acrobatic enthusiasts, and foodie fanatics – all are welcome to explore the captivating curiosities that can be found at the Toronto International BuskerFest. Four days of non-stop, action-packed fun for all ages! And it’s all for a great cause."

Dates and times
Friday, September 4 | 4 pm – 11 pm
Saturday, September 5 | Noon – 11 pm
Sunday, September 6 | Noon – 10 pm
Monday, September 7 | Noon – 7 pm

Toronto Buskerfest 2025

Woodbine Park is chock full of entertainment as the annual Toronto International Buskerfest is back again in support of Epilepsy Toronto. The festival moved from downtown Toronto to the eastern Beaches park in 2016 which certainly provided more room along with less impact to traffic, unfortunately it is a little harder to get to the event.

Buskerfest is billed as one of the biggest street performer festivals in North America and features four days of fun, with 100 performers, seven stages, a beer tent and some sporting events thrown in as a bonus. In addition to the staged shows there are a number of performers that wander the grounds, posing for photos and delighting the crowds.

The festival runs from Friday, August 29 to Monday, September 1, 2025 which makes for a fun Labour Day long weekend. Admission is by donation to Epilepsy Toronto.

Festival Hours

Friday, August 29, 4 pm – 11 pm
Saturday, August 30, Noon – 11pm
Sunday, August 31, Noon – 10 pm
Monday, September 1, Noon – 7 pm

See more photos from the festival after the jump.

Toronto Buskerfest 2024

It's a Buskerfest weekend at Woodbine Beach! "Fearless meets Funny" from August 30 to September 2, 2024. Entrance is free with a voluntary donation to Epilepsy Toronto.

More from the Buskerfest website, "It’s spontaneous, it’s outrageous; it’s fun, funny, and fabulous – there is something for everyone at the Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy. Be prepared to witness something spectacular around every corner from circus artistry, to daredevils, feats of the impossible, and so much more at Ontario’s largest gathering of buskers from around the world."

Toronto Buskerfest 2019

Flames and juggling balls are sure to abound at the street performance festival at Woodbine Park in the Beach from August 30 till September 2. The festival also includes a Little Big Top and a Beer Garden sponsored by Great Lakes Brewery.

"It's spontaneous, it's outrageous; it's fun, funny and fabulous - there is literally something for everyone at the Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy. The festival features spectacular circus artistry, non-verbal shows that can be understood by all, and one-of-a-kind entertainment that will have you questioning your very eyes. Music, magic and mime; feats of the impossible, and the ridiculous performed by comedians, fire jugglers, acrobats, aerial artists, clowns, daredevils, beat boxers and much more. Four days of non-stop, action-packed fun!"

Event hours:
Friday, August 30, Noon – 11pm
Saturday, August 31, 11am – 11pm
Sunday, September 1, 11am – 10pm
Monday, September 2, 11am – 8pm
Family Fun Zone will close at sunset each day

Go early if you can because it becomes crazy with crowds later in the day.

Toronto BuskerFest 2018

Continuing in Woodbine Park from August 30 to September 3, 2018 the busker festival has expanded to fill the large park in the Beach area. Food trucks, a Mac & Cheese Festival, stages and performance areas as well as a midway bring in thousands of people to catch the magic that happens when street performers captivate their audiences. Jenny Jupiter is pictured at top.

Performer Hanger? from Italy

Local buskers mix with buskers from around the world as they join the talent making stops at the large 4-day festival. From the BuskerFest website, "What many spectators don't realize is that this world class festival not only supports a local charitable organization, Epilepsy Toronto, it is actually organized and run by us as our largest fund raiser of the year. "We wanted to create a unique and memorable experience that brought epilepsy out of the shadows and into the public eye; an entertainment extravaganza that supports a greater purpose in aid of people with epilepsy and their families," says Geoff Bobb, Executive Director of Epilepsy Toronto. "One in every 100 Canadians experiences some form of epilepsy and this amazing festival is the single-largest fundraiser for Epilepsy Toronto and the largest epilepsy event in the universe!”

Hala on Stilts

The hours are Friday, August 31, Noon – 11pm; Saturday, September 1, 11am – 11pm; Sunday, September 2 11am – 10pm and Monday, September 3, 11am – 8pm. There is even a licenced adult beverage area.

See more pics after the jump.

Toronto Buskerfest 2017

The 'Beaches' Buskerfest, which moves every couple of years, continues at Woodbine Park with a stream of talented street performers from around the world. Full of vendors, food trucks, a mini ribfest, beer garden, musical guests and a children's fair, the entertainment will keep you tapping to the beat while you enjoy more room than the former locations in the St Lawrence Market Area and downtown Yonge Street site. On from Friday, September 1 to Sunday, September 4 you may want to take public transit to get to the festival because it is hard to find any parking spaces available and surround the stage early or you will find yourself behind a couple rows of people watching the act. NorthFIRE is featured in the photo at top,

"Epilepsy Toronto is proud to announce that the 18th annual Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy will once again take place in Woodbine Park in The Beach, serving up its non-stop, action-packed, fun-filled entertainment over the Labour Day weekend, Friday September 1 through Monday September 4. Since its inception in 2000, the Toronto International BuskerFest has featured hundreds of the best street performers from around the world, hosted millions of amazed spectators and helped raise much-needed funds for Epilepsy Toronto through visitors’ donations at the gate. Now in its 18th year, the event is widely recognized as one of the best and biggest street performer festivals in the universe, and the largest epilepsy awareness event in the world!"

Toronto summer goes out with a bang

The Labour Day long weekend will be full of cosplay at Fan Expo, airplanes at the Canadian International Air Show and street performers at Buskerfest! While hot weather continues (hello global warming), the return to school and the end of the CNE means that emotionally, the too short Canadian summer of 2016 is over! You need to rest up after this weekend so that you are ready for next week's tiff.

Fan Expo starts this Friday, Sept 1, finishes on Sunday and takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The relocated Buskerfest moves from Yonge Street to Woodbine Park in the Beach and goes Friday to Monday, Sept 2-5.

Plane photo by Joe Hamilton

And the birdies take to the sky for the Canadian International Air Show Saturday, Sept 3 to Monday, Sept 5. Hours are Sat-Mon, noon to 3pm and with a practice day on Friday Sept 2nd from 11am to 2pm. See the CIAS press release after the jump.

Looking back at Silver Elvis

Cold, wet weather is delaying the return of the city buskers. Staples like Silver Elvis, Kate Mior and Toronto Batman are probably together in the Batcave, drinking hot toddies and dreaming of tourists making it rain into their donation bins.

Silver Elvis at Buskerfest

The big street performer festival is the Toronto International BuskerFest which is scheduled for August 25-28, 2016. Thankfully it looks like the extremely popular community event will continue, at least for this year, after losing its title sponsor Scotiabank, last year. Here are some more pictures from BuskerFest.

Toronto BuskerFest 2015

One of the World's largest, annual street performance festivals returns once again to Yonge Street outside the Eaton Centre. Toronto International BuskerFest, presented by Scotiabank, located in the Downtown Yonge neighbourhood continues until August 30 with famous local and global artists working hard to make people happy, collect some coin and vie for the best act of the festival.

Amazing Kromatik face painting

Stretching from Queen Street north to College Street, also in the McGill Granby Parkettes and with bleachers and a large stage in Yonge-Dundas Square cannot contain the talent from over 170 performers. The event is staged in support of Epilepsy Toronto and acts appearing at Y-D Square donate all funds to the charity for their benefit performance.

The main stage panorama at Y-D Square

Dream State Circus

Toronto Buskerfest 2015 coming in August

"Where fearless meets funny!" Street performers will hit the pavement on Yonge Street during the annual Toronto International Buskerfest presented by Scotiabank festival from August 27 to 30.

"The last of the major festivals in the Toronto summer entertainment season, the festival is spontaneous, colourful and bursting with the unexpected. There is something for everyone; silent comedy and slapstick, daredevils and magicians, high skill circus acts and a wide variety of music, clowns, contortionists, acrobats, aerialists, puppets, fire and a few things we have no words to describe. Over 170 of the best street performers in more than 70 acts from Canada and around the world – including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Peru, Poland, Thailand, The Netherlands, Slovakia and the U.S. – will excite and amaze Torontonians and tourists alike. And new this year is the Family Fun Zone, with great activities for the kids and performances by some of the festival’s silliest buskers!"

The fun happens downtown Toronto on the following dates.

Thur., August 27th 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Fri., August 28th 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Sat., August 29th 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Sun., August 30th 11:00 am - 8:00 pm