Nuit Blanche Toronto 2025 art coming October 4

Late night art installations will soon be discovered throughout Toronto during the sleepless night on Saturday, October 4, 2025. Nuit Blanche, or White Night, is an all night affair that features contemporary art, often art installations, along with visual and audio components from 7pm on Saturday till 7am on Sunday. This year's theme will be “Translate the city through art” and it will be the 19th edition of the Toronto event. I plan to be there with my lite-bike, travelling around the art sites looking for interesting art amongst the art I can't understand. That is Afaf Naseem, Signals of the City, (Nuit Blanche Toronto, 2025) photo at top.

Nuit Blanche's Artistic Director Laura Nanni "invites audiences to explore the ways art interprets and transforms urban life, bridging language, culture, identity and place." There will be three main areas of art; North York, Etobicoke focused on the Humber Polytechnic campus and also the downtown core of the city. There will be city sponsored exhibitions along with independent projects as well as Nuit Talks, tours and workshops.

There are three city sponsored exhibitions plus over 85 other works and the odds are you won't see them all. The beginning of the night of art is a super busy time, hard even to get close to some installations due to crowds. It starts to get quieter as the night turns into early morning, so plan accordingly.

Smoke-A-Palooza Toronto

Sankofa Square is hosting Smoke-A-Palooza 2025 on Saturday, September 6 from 11am to 11pm. Surprisingly this is not a weed themed event, no it is a french fry type of event, if the fries were coated in gravy and cheese curds. 

From the Square's website "Smoke-A-Palooza is back! Join Smoke’s Poutinerie for 12 hours of non-stop entertainment, featuring FREE fries, curds & gravy, daredevil stunts, activations, prizes, and the legendary World Poutine Eating Championship (WPEC)."

@jmhcet #stiltperformer at #Toronto #smokeapalooza 2025 in #sankofasquare ♬ suara asli - SONG OF THE DAY

Trinbago Toronto Festival 2025

The Caribbean is in Toronto, temporarily, in Mathan Phillips Square during the Trinbago Toronto Festival from September 5-7, 2025.

Cultural music, food and entertainment are to be appreciated as the square at Toronto City Hall  is full of vendors amd their stage is ready to present music, dance and the dress of the islands nation. It's a mini carnival!

Presentations and performances by the National Carnival Commission, Pan Trinbago, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organization, Tobago Beyond and Visit Trinidad will thrill the crowds over the weekend.

Festival dates and times:

Friday, September 5 – 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 6 – 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 7 – 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

#tiff50 2025 back on King St

Fifty years of bringing stars amd their movies to Hollywood North at the Toronto Film Festival. You can catch the festival from September 4 to 14, 2025 with a focus on the King Street entertainment district.

From tiff, "Free movies, activities, and more

Join us on King Street from Peter Street to University Avenue for FREE activities and screenings! While Festival Street activations only last from September 4 to 7, everything else at David Pecaut Square runs through the rest of the Festival."

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy race moves out of Toronto

Wow, that's big news for the Canadian racing scene as the former IndyCar Toronto race in Exhibition Place will be moved to the City of Markham, beginning in 2026 for a period of 5 years. Moving made sense with the planned construction taking place in and around Exhibition Place along with the impact from the 2026 FIFA soccer games that will be held in Toronto and the lack of multi-year contracts with the City of Toronto. If they cancelled one year in Toronto, the event may not recover sponsors, attendance or fan interest, so keep it going somewhere close. So now it is known as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham.

Rumours of moving to Downsview airport were going around along with the problems of moving to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville. But going around the streets of Markam Centre in the city's downtown core near Kennedy and Highway 401 (northeast of Toronto, see draft track at top) was kind of a surprise but at least it is in the GTA. And instead of the usual July race, the 2026 version will be held August 14-16.

"We are excited to welcome the exhilarating experience of INDYCAR SERIES racing hitting our streets in 2026," said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “We are proud to welcome this world-class event to our community. I want to thank Green Savoree Toronto, Penske Entertainment Corp., NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Ontario Honda Dealers Association and the Province of Ontario for their trust in our city. Markham is ready to build on its strong sports legacy and offer a new home where this celebrated summer tradition can thrive. I am extremely proud of our team at the City of Markham for bringing this initiative across the finish line in just a matter of months."

From the race organizer's, "The temporary track will be built in the eastern precinct of Markham’s downtown, between Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, Unionville GO tracks and Highway 407. Renowned track designer Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting has led the design process of the temporary circuit which features a 12-turn, 3.52-kilometre (2.19-mile) layout including a double-sided pit lane, thrilling straightaways and technically challenging sectors. The City of Markham has begun early works on the track and festival site in coordination with Metrolinx and other area partners."

Waterfront Toronto's floating art

Floating in Toronto Harbour appears to be a jumbled set of letters, but no, these letters aren't random, they spell "IT COMES IN WAVES", read from back to front, just like waves rolling into shore. This installation is part of a series of art works commissioned by Waterfront Toronto and it is in the Harbour Square Park Basin, just west of the Toronto Island ferry terminal. It is best read from the east side of the park where you can get some separation between the lines of letters to more easily read the words.

@jmhcet Waterfront #Toronto temporary floating #artinstallation by Ben Johnston called IT COMES IN WAVES. #itcomesinwaves ♬ Gilligan's Island Theme - The Hit Party Band

The work is by by Ben Johnston and features large yellow, drifting letters which will remain until early October. It is number five in Waterfront Toronto's temporary floating art series.

High Park Zoo now with baby Highland cows

Free admission gets you into the High Park Animal Display where the cutest new additions to join the zoo are a couple of West Highland Calves; MacDuff and Molly McMoo. The breed originally came from Scotland and has a double fur coat to help protect them from cold and insects. This is Canada's oldest animal display and one of the smaller ones, it's like a small street long, but it is also near the playground area so you can combine the visits if you have children.

One of the new babies gets some grooming

Toronto's website says, "The animals are out engaging with visitors regardless of the weather. Spring is a particularly exciting time at the animal display as many baby animals are born. Come and see our keepers interact with and feed the babies. Meet the newborns and watch them grow up!"

Free admission Open every day 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Animals: Barbary Sheep, Bison, Capybaras, Emus, Llamas, Mouflon Sheep, Peacocks, Reindeer, West Highlands Cattle and Yaks.

See more of the animals after the jump.

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.

Canadian International Air Show 2025

The 76th annual Toronto Air Show, or Canadian International Air Show (CIAS), is now on for the Labour Day weekend running Aug 30 to Sept 1 and with an initial practice on Friday, August 29. All shows will fall between noon and 3:40pm so keep your eyes on the skies over Toronto and Lake Ontario near Exhibition Place to see the planes take centre stage as an important part of the Canadian National Exhibition.

F-35

Some cool aircraft are participating in 2025 such as the P51 Mustang, the CF-18 and F-35 along with the long range patrol plane the Aurora, of course the Canadian Snowbird air demonstration team will be closing out the show.

Canadian Snowbirds

I find Hanlan's Point Beach near the Island Airport to be one of the best places to watch the aerial show, you can see the CN Tower and the City's skyline while the sun is behind you. It's less busy on the island and you can relax in the water waiting for the show to begin. Keep in mind that the beach is clothing optional so it might not be the place to watch for some.

CF-18

Northern Stars Pitts Team

The Snowbirds with the P-51 Mustang

See more plane pics after the jump.

Toronto Dragon Festival 2025

Flowing, golden dragons are part of the Toronto Dragon Festival happening down at City Hall from Aug 29 to 31. The 6th annual free festival runs from 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sunday in Nathan Phillips Square. Performers will put on lion and dragon dances high overhead while balancing on poles, vendors will be selling Asian street foods and a Luminati Night Light Show will take place after dark. The reflecting pool will be used for the Reflection Water Show and a fashion runway show.

From the festival website, "This year’s Festival promises mythical encounters and futuristic thrills. For the first time ever, beloved figures from Black Myth: Wukong and Chinese mythology’s iconic Nezha will come to life in vibrant performances, turning the square into a live-action fantasy universe. Don’t miss your chance to snap photos and interact with these legendary characters! Adding to the excitement, the festival will feature humanoid robots and robot dogs – dancing, interacting, and showing off their skills along with our dragons and lions, in a one-of-a-kind showcase that merges ancient cultural artistry with tomorrow’s technology."

Mayor Olivia Chow joins the lions

Lions performing on high poles

See more of the dragon festival after the jump.

HMCS Haida National Historic Site

Along Hamilton Harbour's Pier 8 is His Majesties Canadian Ship (HMCS) Haida National Historic Site, floating much like it did in Toronto near Ontario Place before it was spruced up and moved to Hamilton. And Hamilton Harbour itself is also being beautified with great multi-use paths, parks, restaurants, marinas and other attractions.

A memorial for the port crane sits beside the ship

The large warship was made during WWII and later took part in the Korean and Cold Wars, serving Canada from 1943 to 1963 before it was decommissioned and became the ceremonial flagship of the Canadian Navy. The series of destroyers were made for Britain (where they were designed and built), Canada and Australia with 13 sunk during the Second World War.

From the ship's website, "HMCS Haida is Canada’s “most fightingest ship,” the first-ever ceremonial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy, and the last of the twenty-seven tribal class destroyers in the world. Canada’s most famous warship served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1943 to 1963, participating in the Second World War, the Korean Conflict, and the Cold War. HMCS Haida is now a Parks Canada National Historic Site docked in Hamilton, Ontario. As a museum ship, she now serves as a place to remember, explore, and connect. HMCS Haida began service escorting supply convoys to Murmansk, in Russia, above the Arctic Circle. Convoys were run in winter, when there is almost constant darkness, to make it more difficult for the German Lufftwaffe to spot them and direct submarine wolfpacks to attack. HMCS Haida and the ship's men earned their first battle honour, an honourary distinction recognizing active participation in battle for this Arctic service, during which the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was sunk."

After a long period of distinguished service Haida was decommissioned from the Navy in 1963 and a private group turned the vessel into a museum ship beside Ontario Place. The ship was bought by the Ontario Government in 1970 and it was later transferred to Parks Canada in 2002, refurbished and moved to Hamilton. The floating museum opened in 2004 as a Parks Canada National Historic Site and for less than $5 you can visit the ship yourself.

See more of the ship after the jump.