As we reach the last weeks of August, Toronto is full of events to make the most of your end-of-summer memories, including the return of the CNE! This summer staple is accompanied by other exciting events happening around the city, like SankofaFest, the Honey Jam Concert, TRCA Butterfly Festival, Yensa Festival, and more.
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Who’s Gonna Push Your Wheelchair?
Who’s Gonna Push Your Wheelchair? is a hilariously thoughtful and engaging one-woman show by Karin Fekko, a Toronto-based comedian. Centring on her 21-year journey with multiple sclerosis, this show blends dark humour and vulnerability to discuss invisible disabilities and the many years Fekko spent hiding her diagnosis. After appearing on multiple Fringe stages across the country, it finally comes to a close in Fekko’s hometown where she invites you to enjoy, laugh, and ask the vital question: what does freedom look like when you have a disability? More info.
When: August 18, 21, 22
Where: Sweet Action Theatre
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Honey Jam Concert
The much-anticipated Honey Jam Concert is coming to TD Music Hall for an unforgettable celebration of emerging female artists from across Canada. Take in this incredible showcase of the talent nurtured through Honey Jam – an organization dedicated to empowering women artists through mentorship, education, vocal coaching, performance opportunities, and professional networking. Featuring 20 incredible artists, listen to a variety of musical genres like pop, rock, neo-soul, country, folk, dance, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and more. With 100% of ticket sales supporting Honey Jam and its continued work mentoring and developing artists, this concert is all about celebrating and fostering the future of music in Canada. More info.
When: August 20
Where: TD Music Hall
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MADGEN Theatre Festival
MADGEN Theatre Festival is a program that supports and mentors four young emerging theatre producers as they produce underrepresented, socially conscious, and community-engaged theatrical stories. This unique, annual Canadian festival presented by Theatre of the Beat returns with four distinct new Canadian one-act works – I Have a Dream in Chinese by Irene Yi, Problematic History Teacher by MJ Kang, Peaches by Elio Zarrillo, and Uprooted by Kabrena Robinson. These thought-provoking showings all include a post-show talkback and a free BBQ on Saturday. More info.
When: August 20-22
Where: Theatre of the Beat
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YENSA Festival
Born from a vision to hold space for Black women’s artistry, inventiveness, and bold imagination, YENSA Festival celebrates Black women dance artists claiming space on their own terms. Come and enjoy their various events like Black Flames – two nights of performance and pre-show conversations with Black women choreographers, Africa Vibes workshops, ATSIA dance and live drum circle, and the YENKA Social. The YENSA Festival is a beautiful way to support Black leadership, sisterhood, and expanding the definition of contemporary and global dance. More info.
When: August 20-23
Where: Betty Oliphant Theatre
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MIGHTY DANCES IN A small SPACE
After its sold-out run last August, MIGHTY DANCES IN A small SPACE returns with a powerful new double bill from choreographers Peggy Baker and Jera Wolfe: since then and NEW WORK. These intimate performances feature striking duets from some of the most compelling dancers of the current generation. With captivating lighting design and creatively immersive staging for audience members, this double bill allows you to pick up on every detail and feel every moment. More info.
When: August 20-23
Where: VideoCabaret
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SankofaFest
Come and enjoy this 3-day festival in the heart of downtown Toronto dedicated to community, culture, and fun. Day 1 gives you the opportunity to shop from curated vendors, try delicious food, and take in fashion experiences like immersive runway shows with African Fashion Week Toronto. Day 2 is SankofaFest’s Block Party! Enjoy energetic DJ sets and musical showcases highlighting Afrobeats, Dancehall, and global Afrodiasporic culture. And to close it off, Day 3 is Community Day, an uplifting day of unity and connection through outdoor film screenings, vibrant community art activations, and powerful storytelling. More info.
When: August 21-23
Where: Sankofa Square
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Catherine O’Hara: Queen of Comedy
This TIFF Cinematheque retrospective program celebrates the iconic, career-long work of Canadian comedic legend Catherine O’Hara. Through a career built on the balance of eccentricity and emotional truth, O’Hara carved out a comedic style all her own – wild, precise, and deeply human. This TIFF spotlight series traces O’Hara’s evolution from SCTV to Schitt’s Creek, highlighting her unique ability to blend eccentric character work with emotional truth. Enjoy classics like Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and After Hours at the TIFF Lightbox theatre and watch Catherine O’Hara’s five decades of comedic greatness. More info.
When: August 21-26
Where: TIFF Lightbox
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Canadian National Exhibition
Let’s go to the Ex! The Canadian National Exhibition, Canada’s largest annual fair and community event, returns for its 18-day summer tradition with another year of exciting performances, markets, carnival rides & games and much more. Their extensive programming will have your day jam-packed with amusing attractions and activities. New features this year include the CNE’s partnership with the NXNE Festival – a multi-day music discovery festival platforming emerging musicians, The CNE Space EXperience – an immersive program highlighting modern space tech and science, and upgraded programming like the Gaming Garage, Kids’ World, and so much more. More info.
When: August 21-September 7
Where: Exhibition Place
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TRCA Butterfly Festival
This free, family-friendly public event at Tommy Thompson Park celebrates the remarkable 4,000km migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico. Enjoy expert-led butterfly walks to spot monarchs and over 50 species of other butterflies and moths recorded in the park. TRCA also offers educational booths providing information on how to protect and build backyard pollinator habitats and kid-friendly games and hands-on nature crafts. More info.
When: August 22
Where: Tommy Thompson Park
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Yorkville Murals
This annual public art and culture festival returns to transform Yorkville Avenue into an open-air creative playground for all ages, featuring large-scale murals, inflatable art, live painting, immersive installations, pop-up retail shops, live music, panel talks, and more. This year’s theme, No Empty Spaces, lives up to its name as the street becomes a living, breathing, art space. Come and celebrate this city’s contemporary muralism and public art, honouring the neighbourhood’s historical legacy as an early 20th-century arts hub in Toronto. More info.
When: August 22-23
Where: Yorkville Avenue
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Afro-Carib Fest
Get ready for an unforgettable weekend celebrating the vibrant cultures of Africa and the Caribbean at the 15th annual Afro-Carib Fest. Experience live music, cultural performances, arts, delicious food, local vendors, family-friendly activities and so much more. In addition, Afro-Carib Fest is introducing its first-ever Taste of Afro-Carib Fest Food Competition! Sample incredible multicultural dishes and have the opportunity to vote for your favourite. More info.
When: August 22-23
Where: Thomson Memorial Park
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Where Walls Meet Sky
Following the devastating 2024 fire that left all but its exterior walls, St. Anne’s Church is marked by loss, yet filled with possibility. Where Walls Meet Sky is the first public art exhibition to reopen the church, inviting visitors into a space of renewal, reflection, and reconnection. Observe how the 12 featured artists explore renewal, resilience, memory, and transformation through sculpture, installation, photography, and multidisciplinary works. Visit St. Anne’s Church and reflect on how places can carry memory, how communities endure, and how hope can emerge from loss. More info.
When: August 22-September 13
Where: St. Anne’s Anglican Church
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