The Best Fall Festivals Happening in Toronto This Year

September 22nd, 2022

Image: Toronto International Festival of Authors

It’s officially fall! The leaves are changing, the air is getting cooler and with that a new season emerges with a different vibe. It’s time to put on our cozy sweaters, jackets and gloves and head out and do what Torontonians do best – have some fun! This autumn, Toronto has some pretty fantastic festivals and events lined up. From comedy shows to film festivals, music and art events to Halloween fun, there’s something for everyone.

Image: Trevor Noah

Just for Laughs Toronto – Multiple Venues (September 22-30)

Get ready to laugh until you cry, as the much-loved Just for Laughs Comedy Festival is back in Toronto. This hilarious festival is world-renowned and originated in Montreal, Quebec. As the largest international comedy festival in the world, it attracts visitors from abroad and the world’s funniest comedians. Headliners this year include Trevor Noah, John Mulaney, Amy Schumer, Trixie & Katya, and Issa Rae.

Toronto International Festival of Authors – Harbourfront Centre (September 22-October 2)

Attention, book lovers! The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) is on now at Harbourfront Centre and other venues. As Canada’s largest literary festival, this special event provides engaging opportunities to meet, hear and learn from the world’s best authors and to celebrate the power of stories.

Queen West Art Crawl – Online &Trinity Bellwoods (September 19-25)

The Queen West Art Crawl (QWAC) is a festival that takes place in one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the city. A charitable organization that seeks to raise funds for artists, this multicultural and inclusive festival was designed to promote the culture, art and diversity of the city through art installations, live performances and tasty food. The highlight of the QWAC is an outdoor art exhibition that takes place in Trinity Bellwoods, featuring art, live music and a free kids’ zone.

The Queen West Art Crawl is an inclusive event and features a 2SLGBT+ friendly kids’ zone and a main stage with music where 50% or more of the performers are BIPOC. To ensure that underserved populations are strongly represented, the QWAC partners with groups like Workman Arts and the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.

Image: Canada’s Wonderland

Halloween Haunt – Canada’s Wonderland (September 30-October 31)

Are you looking for something to do or a place to scream? Canada’s largest Halloween Haunt returns to Canada’s Wonderland with a sinister transformation, turning the amusement park into a park filled with Halloween attractions, unforgettable thrills and unspeakable horror.

Immerse yourself in the nightmare of Halloween Haunt, where the streets are filled with terror, including hundreds of monsters, horrifying scare zones and mazes, macabre street performers, live music, night rides, and electrifying live shows.

Image: Michael Mavian

Nuit Blanche – Multiple Venues (Sunset October 1st-Sunrise October 2nd)

Grab a coffee or hot chocolate, and roam the city all night long with other Torontonians! Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all-night celebration of contemporary art, returns from sunset on October 1 to sunrise on October 2 for its biggest event ever. This year, the citywide festival is expanding to include art exhibitions in Etobicoke and North York, in addition to downtown and Scarborough, and the anticipated event features more than 150 artworks by local, national and international artists.

Led by inaugural Artistic Director Dr. Julie Nagam, Nuit Blanche’s curatorial theme this year is The Space Between Us, which invites artists to transform the city in creative ways by sharing stories about their connection to place, while bridging cultures and connecting to communities and the environment.

Image: imagineNative

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival 2022 – Multiple Venues (October 18-23)

Come celebrate Indigenous art and cinema at the 23rd annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. This truly special festival celebrates Indigenous storytelling in film and video, audio, and digital and interactive art through screenings, exhibitions, special events, and more. This year the festival will feature over 100 short films curated into 13 programs, plus 17 feature films by Indigenous creators from around the world.

imagineNATIVE is also pleased to announce the return of TD Free Friday at the 2022 Festival. Thanks to TD Bank’s generous contribution, tickets to all screenings on Friday, October 21, 2022, will be free to provide a greater opportunity for a larger number of individuals to experience imagineNATIVE’s programming.

Image: Toronto After  Dark

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2022 – Scotiabank Theatre (Oct. 19-23)

Prepared to be scared, thrilled or fascinated at this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival. This festival is one of the world’s leading showcases of new horror, sci-fi and action movies, enjoyed by over 10,000 attendees each year, including fans, filmmakers, press and industry. Returning to live and in-person screenings at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre, this spooky film festival is the perfect prequel for Halloween!

Image: Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair – Exhibition Place (November 4-13)

If you’re looking for something a little more wholesome with fun for the whole family, head out to the largest indoor agricultural and equestrian event in the city! The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair takes place every November in the City of Toronto. Featuring cute farm animals, the best in agriculture, fresh local food and equestrian competitions from across the country, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is jam-packed with homegrown fun.

Which fall festival are you most looking forward to? Connect with BAZIS on social media (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) and let us know!

BAZIS is a Toronto Real Estate Development Company  specialized in new construction condos for sale and pre-construction condos in Downtown Toronto. We are committed to excellence in every facet of the commercial and residential real estate development process. Combining visionary architecture, design, marketing and construction with the epitome of corporate integrity and environmental responsibility, BAZIS has become a major force in articulating Toronto’s ever-evolving skyline.