Culture in Toronto facts for kids

The Canadian National Exhibition is Canada's largest yearly fair. It's a big part of Toronto's culture!

Toronto is the biggest city in Canada. It's also one of the most diverse cities in the world. Many people from different countries have moved here. They bring their unique traditions, languages, and music.

Toronto is a busy and welcoming city. It has many museums, theatres, festivals, and sports events. The city is full of lively neighbourhoods. Many of these areas were once old streetcar suburbs. They are still buzzing with energy today. This is partly because many new homes have been built downtown since the mid-2000s.

Toronto is one of the few cities in North America that still uses its historic streetcars. These aren't just for tourists! They are a key part of the city's public transport. The streetcar network covers downtown and some suburban areas. Toronto also has special places like the Distillery District. It has the largest collection of old industrial buildings from the Victorian era in North America. The Toronto Islands are home to North America's largest car-free community. And Kensington Market is the city's bohemian heart.

The city hosts many famous festivals. The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the biggest film events globally. The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America's largest documentary festival. The Scotiabank CONTACT photography festival shows amazing photos from around the world. The Toronto International Festival of Authors brings writers from everywhere. It helps people get excited about reading and writing. Another popular festival is Caribana. This Caribbean culture festival is North America's biggest street party. Toronto also has one of the largest public library systems in the world. Plus, it has unique museums like the Bata Shoe Museum, the Aga Khan Museum, and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Toronto is the third-largest film and TV production hub in North America. It's also the third-largest English theatre district globally. Famous TV shows filmed here include Kim's Convenience, Schitt's Creek, and Degrassi. The city is home to the OVO Sound music company. Many famous music artists come from Toronto or nearby. These include Peaches, Rush, Drake, Shawn Mendes, and The Weeknd.

Some dishes started in Toronto or are special to the city. These include Peameal bacon sandwiches, East Indian rotis, Toronto-style pizza, and sushi pizza. You can also find many unique fusion dishes here.

Film Fun in Toronto

Toronto has many film festivals. The most famous is the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It started in 1976. Today, TIFF is one of the biggest and most important film events worldwide. Variety magazine once said TIFF was second only to Cannes. Time magazine called it the most important film festival overall. This is because TIFF is known for creating "Oscar buzz."

TIFF's People's Choice Award is chosen by the audience. It often predicts which films will win big awards, especially at the Academy Awards. Past winners include Oscar-winning movies like Life Is Beautiful, American Beauty, and Slumdog Millionaire.

The TIFF Bell Lightbox opened in 2010. It's the main home for TIFF. It shows many films, especially Canadian and international ones. It also has restaurants and art spaces.

Toronto also hosts the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. This is the largest documentary festival in North America. Other film festivals include Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival and Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. The city is also home to the National Film Board of Canada.

Art and Cool Exhibits

The Royal Ontario Museum is Canada's largest and most visited museum. It showcases art, world culture, and natural history.

Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum (the "ROM") is very famous. The Art Gallery of Ontario (the "AGO") is one of North America's largest art museums.

The city has many other great museums and galleries. These include the Gardiner Museum, Bata Shoe Museum, and Hockey Hall of Fame. You can also visit Fort York, a historic site. The Ontario Science Centre and the Aga Khan Museum are also popular. Some museums, like the Parliament Interpretive Centre, teach about the War of 1812 and local history.

You can find amazing art at places like the Ontario College of Art and Design University and the University of Toronto Art Centre. The city also runs historic homes like Casa Loma and Spadina House. There's even a place called Graffiti Alley. It's a network of alleyways filled with kilometers of graffiti art.

Toronto and Ontario governments also have important collections. These include archives, old artifacts, and artworks. The City of Toronto Archives and Archives of Ontario keep these items. The Toronto Reference Library also has historic documents and hosts exhibitions. Toronto has the largest public library system in the world.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is a museum dedicated to ice hockey. It's also a special place for famous hockey players.

Many famous artists have lived in Toronto. These include Tom Thomson and members of the Group of Seven.

For modern art, check out the Power Plant and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. Many private galleries are in areas like Yorkville and the Distillery District. Nuit Blanche Toronto is a free art event. It features art, exhibitions, and performances all night long. Luminato is another yearly event in June.

During Doors Open Toronto in May, over 140 important buildings open to the public. Toronto was the first city to create this kind of event. The Toronto International Art Fair shows modern art from around the world. The Queen West Art Crawl is a weekend festival celebrating art on Queen Street West. The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition happens yearly at Nathan Phillips Square. It brings together over 500 artists and craftspeople. You can see art, including Native art and sculptures, inside City Hall. Art is also displayed in the subway system and at Pearson Airport.

Public art and sculptures are everywhere in the city. You can see works by artists like Henry Moore and Douglas Coupland. The Toronto Sculpture Garden has outdoor art shows. The Princess of Wales Theatre has a huge artwork by American painter Frank Stella.

Exhibition Place hosts the Canadian National Exhibition, a big yearly fair. It also hosts the Canadian International Air Show. Nearby, Ontario Place is a fun amusement park on the waterfront.

The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the world's largest film festivals. Its organizers work from the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Toronto has a lively visual arts scene. Many artist-run groups regularly show contemporary art.

ArtsScene helps young business people get involved with the arts. They hold events and connect volunteers with arts groups.

Toronto's fashion scene is mainly in Queen West, King West, and Yorkville. The city has LG Fashion Week. There's also a Fashion Film Festival.

Amazing Performing Arts

Toronto has Canada's most active English theatre scene. One expert said Toronto is the world's third-largest centre for English theatre. Only London and New York are bigger!

Opened in 1907, the Royal Alexandra Theatre is North America's oldest continuously operating theatre. Toronto is a major hub for English-language theatre.

Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company performs classic plays. These include works by Shakespeare. The Canadian Stage Company puts on shows like Shirley Valentine. The Tarragon Theatre helps new playwrights develop their works.

Some Broadway hits started in Toronto. These include the 1993 revival of Show Boat and Ragtime. Theatre venues include the historic Canon Theatre, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, and the Princess of Wales Theatre. The Royal Alexandra Theatre is also a famous spot. The Factory Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille focus on Canadian plays. They have helped local artists like George F. Walker.

Other important venues include St Lawrence Centre for the Performing Arts and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Music venues in Toronto include Roy Thomson Hall, home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). The Canadian Opera Company built Canada's first opera house, the Four Seasons Centre. It opened in 2006. The National Ballet of Canada also moved there. The city is also home to the famous Toronto Children's Chorus.

Toronto is Canada's music recording centre. Many Canadian pop, rock, and hip hop musicians live here. Live music is popular in the Entertainment District. But many venues are in other neighbourhoods too. Famous bands play at places like Lee's Palace and The Opera House. Big concerts are held at Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre.

The Toronto Music Garden hosts free outdoor concerts in the summer. It was designed with help from cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Toronto also hosts the yearly Toronto Student Film Festival. This festival shows short films made by students aged 12–18. It gets films from all over the world.

Cool Books and Stories

The Toronto area is a big centre for English Canadian literature. Many books are set in Toronto. Famous writers like Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, and Robertson Davies have written about the city. Other well-known Toronto writers include Rohinton Mistry and George Elliott Clarke.

Canada's main English-language publishing industry is mostly in Toronto. This includes McClelland and Stewart and smaller companies like House of Anansi Press. Since 1974, the Toronto Book Awards have celebrated books about Toronto. PEN Canada works to protect freedom of expression worldwide. North America's largest book festival, the International Festival of Authors, happens every fall in Toronto.

Canada's main national newspapers, The Globe and Mail and the National Post, are based in Toronto. The city's largest daily newspaper, the Toronto Star, is also here. Many other big magazines are published in Toronto.

Fun Tourism Events

Caribana is a festival celebrating Caribbean culture. Held every summer, it's North America's largest street festival.

Toronto's most famous landmark is the CN Tower.

Toronto hosts many different events all year. In September, Hollywood actors, writers, and directors come for the Toronto International Film Festival. This festival is as important as others like Cannes and Sundance.

Luminato is a 10-day festival in June. It features over a thousand local and international artists. They perform theatre, dance, music, and show visual arts, books, and films. In July, Caribana is held. It's the largest Caribbean festival in North America. Over a million people come for the concerts, food, and the big parade.

The last week of June is Pride Toronto. Here, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people celebrate diversity. The week includes a Pride Parade and other events. It's one of the biggest celebrations of its kind.

Delicious Food Scene

The Taste of the Danforth is a yearly festival in Greektown. Held in August, it celebrates Greek food.

Toronto's diverse culture is clear in its cuisine. Many world cooking styles are found here. The city celebrates its different cultures with many food festivals:

Unique Toronto Dishes

Peameal Bacon Sandwich

Peameal bacon was created by the Toronto-based William Davies Company. Today, the peameal bacon sandwich is a must-try at St. Lawrence Market.

One of Toronto's most famous dishes is the peameal bacon sandwich. It's usually served on a Kaiser bun. Peameal bacon was first made by the William Davies Company at the St. Lawrence Market. You can find great peameal bacon sandwiches at places like Paddington's Pump and Carousel Bakery. They are all at St. Lawrence Market. In Leslieville, Rashers is a bacon sandwich shop. They make a peameal bacon sandwich that people say is "Toronto's iconic sandwich done right."

East Indian Roti

Another special Toronto dish is the "East Indian Roti." This is a twist on the stuffed Roti from the West Indies. Because Toronto has many immigrants from South Asia and the Caribbean, a new dish was created. It uses South Asian bread and curries as filling for the West Indian dish.

Toronto-Style Pizza

This type of pizza is found in some Toronto restaurants. It has a thin crust brushed with garlic oil. Many places have a brush on the counter. This lets customers add garlic oil to their pizza slice themselves. This pizza style was invented by Vietnamese immigrants. They learned how to make pizza from the Italian owners they worked for in Toronto. These immigrants were from Hue, Vietnam, a city known for its great food.

Other Unique Foods

Sushi pizza

• Sushi pizza, a mix of sushi and pizza. It was invented in the early 1990s.

Cool Neighbourhoods

Victorian-era bay-and-gable homes are unique to Toronto. Most houses in older parts of the city were built before World War II.

Toronto calls itself "the city of neighbourhoods." This is because these areas are still strong and lively. The city has over 240 different neighbourhoods. Homes look different from the tall skyscrapers. You can find Victorian and Edwardian-era houses in areas like Rosedale and Cabbagetown.

Kensington Market is a very popular neighbourhood for both tourists and locals. This diverse, bohemian area has many unique shops, cafes, and restaurants. Some shops are even built inside old Victorian homes.

Before 1998, Toronto was a smaller city. It was part of a bigger area called Metropolitan Toronto. When the city joined together that year, Toronto took in other areas. These included York, East York, North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough. Each of these areas still feels different. People still use their old names. The area known as Toronto before 1998 is sometimes called Old Toronto or Downtown.

Old Toronto is the business centre. It's the most crowded part of the city. The "inner ring" suburbs like York and East York are older and diverse. Many homes there are old single-family houses built before the war. They also have a unique Toronto style called "bay-and-gable" houses. These areas were built around streetcar lines. They have busy streets with many different shops and homes. The "outer ring" suburbs like Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York are more spread out. But they are also growing their own city centres.

Green Spaces: Ravines and Parks

Toronto's Ravine System

The Toronto ravine system is a special part of Toronto's landscape. Once seen as barriers, they are now central to the city.

Toronto's ravine system is a special part of its geography. It's a network of deep ravines that form an urban forest. These ravines run through much of the city. Most are protected as parkland and are not developed. Toronto's ravines are seen as key to the city's character. One architect said Toronto is like "San Francisco turned upside down." They appear in books by famous Toronto writers like Margaret Atwood. Journalist Robert Fulford called them "the chief characteristic of the local terrain." He said they are "the shared subconscious of the municipality."

City Parks

The City of Toronto government manages many parks and gardens. These help make the city a great place to live. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) also manages several conservation areas. These include Black Creek Pioneer Village and the Leslie Street Spit.

Besides city parks, Toronto also has provincial and national parks. Trillium Park is a provincial park on the waterfront. Queen's Park is in downtown Toronto. It opened in 1860 and is home to the Ontario Legislative Building. Two parks are run by the Canadian government. Downsview Park was once a military base. It became an urban park in 1998. The eastern part of the city has Rouge National Urban Park. This is a national park managed by Parks Canada.

Nightlife Fun

Toronto's art scene attracts many people. It has top theatre groups, galleries, and other cultural attractions.

A view of the nightlife in the Entertainment District in Downtown Toronto.

The city's bar scene is spread across different areas. Each area has its own vibe. The "Entertainment District" has the most nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. About 90 nightclubs are in this one square kilometer area.

New homes have been built in the Entertainment District. Some residents have complained about noise from nightclubs. They want the clubs to move away from the new homes. But the Entertainment District is still a popular nightlife spot. Many other areas are also becoming lively at night.

Other popular nightlife spots include "The Annex" (for university students). "Little Italy" on College Street and "Yonge and Eglinton" are also busy. "Church and Wellesley" and "Queen West" are popular too. The "St. Lawrence Market" area has many bars and restaurants. Ossington Avenue and Dundas Street West are new, vibrant nightlife areas. They attract a trendy crowd. Parkdale, in the city's west end, is also becoming very popular. It has places like The Drake Hotel.

Toronto's many dance and live music venues host artists from Canada and around the world. Its comedy clubs have helped stars like Jim Carrey and The Kids in the Hall get their start.

Music City Toronto

Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall and home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. It's also a main venue for the Toronto International Film Festival.

Toronto has three professional orchestras. These include the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). Many smaller groups play Baroque, Classical, and World music. The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is a large amateur choir. Its professional core is the Elmer Iseler Singers. The Canadian Opera Company is Canada's largest professional opera company. It performs at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. This was the first real opera house in Toronto and Canada.

The rock band Rush has been active in Toronto since 1968. Band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson grew up here. Their song "YYZ" is named after the Toronto Pearson International Airport's airport code. It's a favorite at their live shows.

Founded in 1886, The Royal Conservatory of Music is a leading organization for music education.

The Canadian Electronic Ensemble started in Toronto in 1971. It's the oldest live-electronic performing group in the world. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Toronto had a huge Drum and Bass music scene. Many abandoned warehouses became places for rave parties. These parties were often secret. The scene grew from illegal warehouse parties to filling clubs. International artists came to play in Toronto. But after some sad events in 1999, the city made strict rules for parties. This made it hard to host raves. The scene moved into clubs, which meant younger people couldn't go. Over time, the scene slowly declined.

Toronto's hip-hop music scene has been active since the 1980s. But Toronto hip-hop artists were mostly "underground." They didn't have much success outside Canada until recently. Artists like Kardinal Offishall and Choclair had some mainstream success. After 2010, the hip-hop scene changed a lot. This was mainly because of Drake's success. Toronto is now a bigger player in hip-hop. Artists like Jazz Cartier and Tory Lanez are finding success. Many new artists from Toronto are signed to Drake's label, OVO Sound.

R&B and soul music have been popular in Toronto since the 1990s. Artists like Deborah Cox, Daniel Caesar, and The Weeknd have become famous outside Canada.

Toronto's goth scene started in the early 1980s. It became a big part of Toronto's nightlife and fashion in the late 1990s. After a sad event in Colorado, the goth scene declined. Today, the goth-industrial scene is mainly in the West Queen West neighbourhood. Some goth and industrial bands are based in Toronto.

Sports City Toronto

Regular sports events bring tourists to Toronto every year. These include home games for the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey), Toronto Blue Jays (baseball), and Toronto Raptors (basketball). The Honda Indy race in July also attracts many fans.

Hockey is very popular in Toronto. Some even call Toronto the "Hockey capital." Basketball is also growing in popularity, especially among young people. Many NBA players now come from the Toronto area. When a major pro sports team wins a championship, the city often celebrates with a parade!

Toronto has sports rivalries with other cities. These include Hamilton and a big historical rivalry with Montreal. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens were two of the Original Six teams that played for the Stanley Cup. There's also a growing rivalry with the Ottawa Senators.

Professional Sports Teams

Semi-Professional Sports Teams

Major Sports Venues

BMO Field is the home stadium for the Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

• Scotiabank Arena – Home of the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA Toronto Raptors, and NLL Toronto Rock.
• Allan Lamport Stadium – A city-owned facility named after former Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport.
• BMO Field – Home of the Toronto FC (MLS) and the Toronto Argonauts (CFL). It's located at Exhibition Place.
• Christie Pits – A city-owned park and home to the semi-pro baseball team, the Toronto Maple Leafs (semi-pro baseball).
• Rexall Centre – Home to the National Tennis Centre (Canada) at York University.
• Ricoh Coliseum – Home of the AHL Marlies.
• Rogers Centre – Owned and used by the MLB Toronto Blue Jays.
• Toronto Track and Field Centre – Located at York University.
• Varsity Arena – Home to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Hockey team.
• Woodbine Race Track – Site of the yearly Breeders Cup for thoroughbred horses.
• Varsity Stadium - Home of the Toronto Rush (disc ultimate).

Images for kids

• Toronto Lynx logo.png

  The Toronto Lynx are a soccer team.