14 Exciting Ways To Enjoy Christmas in Toronto (2024)

To truly experience this gorgeous city I call home you have to experience a Toronto Christmas. Despite the incredible cold, and believe me it is very cold, the city comes alive with markets, colours and decorations. There’s plenty to see and do across the entire city (and outside of it!) and celebrations start as early as November. To make it a little bit easier I’ve put together this guide on how best to celebrate Christmas in Toronto with details on all the individual events going on around the city. I’ve grouped them into markets, light events, food and drink events and then other events so you can easier find what you’re interested in looking for.

While this post specifically focuses on Christmas in Toronto, you can always enjoy other things to do in Toronto in the winter or take a day trip to one of the many Ontario Christmas markets the province has to offer!

Markets

SWEA Swedish Christmas Market

2024 Event Details: Saturday November 23, 2024 between 11 am and 5 pm and Sunday November 24, 2024 between 11 am and 4 pm. Both days take place at the George Brown Waterfront Campus located at 51 Dockside Drive.

The SWEA Swedish Christmas Market is run by the Swedish Women’s Educational Association. In the past it’s been at the Harbourfront Centre but for 2024 they’re changing up the location. It’s been running since 1982 so it’s been on for a long time. Given my upbringing in Sweden, I have a fondness for this particular Christmas Market and try to visit every year.

The big sell of the market is the large amount of Swedish food and goods they bring it. They now allow you to pre-order the items and then pick them up on the day of the market. Details on that here. There is also a Swedish food cafe during the market, performances from Swedish Folk Dancers and Choir as well as a Lucia procession. The procession is a traditional Swedish holiday typically celebrated on December 13th where children dress up as various Christmas characters (including Lucia) and sing traditional Swedish Christmas carols.

Riverside Holiday Market

2024 Event Details: November 24, 2024 between 10 am and 4 pm at Riverside Common Park

The event has a number of local vendors selling goods. There is free hot chocolate as well as free holiday cupcake decorating and crafts for kids. There will also be a DJ playing music as well as a dance performance from Danforth Dance Arts (specifically from 12pm-2:20pm).

This is a free event but looks like they want you to RSVP if attending.

We Love Willowdale Christmas Market

2024 Event Details: November 30, 2024 between 2 and 8 pm at Mel Lastman Square

This is the 4th annual We Love Willowdale Event. The event consists of 50+ vendors and small businesses selling their goods. There are also food trucks present (including a Beaver Tails one!), live entertainment, a photobooth and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The Mel Lastman Square Christmas Tree gets turned on during this event and it’ll happen around 6:30 pm.

While the event is free to attend, there is a recommended donation of $5 or a non-perishable food item which will go towards NeighbourLink’s local food bank.

One Of A Kind Show

2024 Event Details: November 21-December 1, 2024 at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place

The One Of A Kind Show has been operating since 1975 and they run two editions every year, one is in the spring and one is in the winter. Their main purpose is to highlight crafts and those making them. It is a ticketed event but if you purchase a ticket it allows you to re-enter for the entire duration of the event which gives you plenty of opportunity to enjoy all aspects of the market like the shopping, the main stage programming, a lounge and so much more.

Light Events

Bloor-Yorkville Holiday Magic

2024 Event Details: Lights will be turned on on November 23, 2024 and stay on until December 31, 2024

Every Christmas Bloor-Yorkville lights up many of their trees and installs other light decorations throughout their neighborhood and this year is no exception. They’ll also be lighting up 60 benches to look like campfires. They can be found along Bloor Street West between Church Street and Avenue Road.

Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square

2024 Event Details: Opening night is on November 30, 2024 between 5 and 10 pm. The tree lighting ceremony will be at 6:40 pm. The whole event runs between November 30, 2024 and January 7, 2025.

The City of Toronto kicks off the holiday season annually with a huge show that normally takes place on the last weekend in November. There’s lots going on during the opening night including live music performances, a party on the skating rink, fireworks and the lighting of the giant Christmas tree (which is obviously the highlight). You can check out the schedule of events on the official website over here. The Christmas tree is absolutely giant and in the past has been decorated with over 525,000 lights and 700 ornaments. There are other light installations in the square so even if you can’t make it for opening night it’s worth stopping by to check it out regardless!

Lights at Sankofa Square

While the 2024 event hasn’t been announced yet, you can typically expect some kind of Christmas Tree and some light decorates at Sankofa Square. In the past it’s gone by Winter Glow and Illuminate so stay tuned for what it’ll be called this year!

Food & Drink Events

Christmas Afternoon Teas

Toronto’s got a great selection of high teas and I will one day get around to posting a round up on some of my favorite ones but that’s not the main point here. A few of the high tea places will do a specific Christmas one and there’s nothing like a cup of hot tea to get you into the holiday spirit. Below are some of the options for Christmas afternoon teas in Toronto but it’s most definitely not an exhaustive list.

The Old Mill has a Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea that runs from November 21, 2024 to January 5, 2025 at 3 and 3:15 pm. The cost is $70 + HST per adult and $30 + HST per child. The menu can be found here and further details on the event here.

The Fairmont Royal York has a holiday tea served in their CLOCKWORK Lounge that runs between November 16 and December 29, 2024. It runs on Saturdays and Sundays with three seatings at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. Menu can be viewed here and it does appear that the different seatings have slightly different menus so do look into it before booking. The 11 am prelude is the cheapest of the 3 and it’s $95 + HST per person.

The Windsor Arms has a holiday afternoon tea running between December 1 and 31, 2024. The cost is $95 + HST per person. You can review the menu and details here.

EPOCH Bar & Kitchen in the Ritz-Carlton has a holiday afternoon tea. I can’t see any details on when it ends but it is running right now and costs $80 per person + HST. They do require a reservation. You can review details and menu here.

The King Edward Omni Hotel offers a Nutcracker afternoon tea. It runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between November 29, 2024 and January 12, 2025. The cost is $79 + HST per person. The menu can be viewed here.

The Shangri-La Hotel also offers a Nutcracker afternoon tea that runs between November 14, 2024 and December 29, 2024. It runs between Thursdays and Sundays and costs $108 + HST per person. The menu can be found here.

Christmas Buffets

Let’s be honest, cooking a Christmas lunch or dinner is a lot of work so if there’s an option to have somebody else do it for you and you can afford to pay for it, why not?

The Old Mill runs both a brunch buffet and a dinner buffet. The festive buffet runs from November 23, 2024 to January 5, 2025 but on select dates and a Christmas specific buffet runs on December 24, 25 and 26, 2024. It appears to cost $60 + HST for adults for either option but take a look at their event page for specific date information and menus.

Christmas Bars

Toronto has a fabulous bar scene and it should come as no surprise that there are Christmas pop-up ones as well. The below is definitely not an exhaustive list but a great place to start if you want to celebrate Christmas in Toronto with a great drink.

One of the most known ones is definitely Miracle. It opened for the season on November 15, 2024 and is open Monday-Friday between 5 pm and 2 am and Saturday and Sunday between 2 pm and 2 am. The bar is located at 875 Bloor Street West. They highly recommend reservations as they are quite busy but if you try for a weekday you may have better luck.

Other Events

The Santa Claus Parade 

2024 Event Details: Sunday November 24th at 12:30PM. Starts at Christie Pits and ends at St. Lawrence Market.

One of the easiest ways to tell that Christmas is starting to hit Toronto is when the annual Santa Claus Parade comes around. It’s been running for over 100 years since its start in 1905. It usually takes place in mid-November. It’s an epic parade that takes about 2.5 hours in total to go past you if you’re standing in the same spot. It starts at Christie Pits and ends at St. Lawrence Market. It covers large portions of Toronto’s downtown core so there are plenty of places to catch the parade at. Do keep in mind that the streets fill up really fast so you should reserve your spot early (which you can really only do by standing there).

Dress up warmly because it does get chilly! There will be some street vendors around selling cotton candy and popcorn for the kids. I recommend grabbing some coffee, tea or hot chocolate before claiming your spot! If you’re really eager you can park yourself down bright and early with some beach chairs (which a surprising number of people do). If all else fails you can of course just watch it online. It’ll be live streamed on Youtube. To check out the map and route of the parade click here.

Catch a glimpse of the CPKC Holiday Train

2024 Event Details: November 29, 2024 between 8:30 and 9 pm at 750 Runnymede Road

The Canadian Pacific Holiday travels across Canada and the US in November and October of every year to raise money, food and awareness for local food banks and there’s many stops for people to check out and enjoy the train. You have the option to see it drive by if you can’t make it to any individual stops but at the stops there will usually be some live performances. The route changes every year to accommodate as many stops as they can but you can check out the 2024 schedule here.

Black Creek Pioneer Village

2024 Event Details: Events start from November 24, 2024 and run until December 23, 2024

Black Creek Pioneer Village in the west end of Toronto is a great way to spend a full day exploring what Christmas was like in the past. The site has tons of buildings staged and set in the 1800s. Their events run from mid-November all the way up until right before Christmas. The traditional events include everything from roasting chestnuts to trimming trees to Christmas carols. There’s also special story times with Santa and opportunities for kids to make their own crafts. There’s also a great evening event called Christmas by Lamplight that involves dressing up and experiencing a fancier side of Christmas! If you’re more of an eater you can also check out their Festive Dinners which look absolutely tasty. To get more information check out their official site here.

Queen East Winter Windows Exhibition

2024 Event Details: Begins on November 23, 2024 during the Riverside Holiday Market and runs until December 31, 2024

The Queen East Winter Windows Exhibition officially begins during the Riverside Holiday Market. 45+ businesses are participating along Queen Street East so make sure to stop by and check some of them out. An online map of the store fronts will launch on November 23, 2024 and once you’ve visited you can vote for your favorite window. The contest closes on December 13, 2024 and winners are announced on December 14, 2024 but the windows will stay up until December 31, 2024 for you to enjoy.

Gardiner Museum 12 Trees Exhibit

2024 Event Details: Runs from November 12 to December 14, 2024 and this year’s theme is Toronto Neighborhoods.

The 12 Trees of Christmas Exhibit is put on by the Gardiner Museum every year. The exhibit runs from mid-November to the first week of January and features the work of Canadian artists and designers. They don’t appear to have an event page up for this year’s event yet but you can check out information on their hours and admissions here.

Watch the Nutcracker

2024 Event Details: Runs December 6-31, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts

The Nutcracker is considered a Christmas classic and the National Ballet of Canada has been performing it for many years. They sometimes give local celebrities’ like Margaret Atwood and Rick Mercer walk-on roles. The show runs for 2 hours with one intermission. More details on the show times and booking tickets can be found here.

Shop at the Flatiron’s Christmas Market Store

The Flatiron’s Christmas Market is technically open year round but is there really a better time than Christmas to visit and pick up some decor? The shop is located at 35 Jarvis Street, close to St. Lawrence Market. I find the hours have varied a little over the years but right now it appears to be that they’re open Monday-Wednesday between 11:00 am and 4:30 pm, Thursday and Friday between 11 am and 6 pm, Saturdays between 10:30 am and 6 pm and Sundays between 12 and 4 pm. They’ve been open since 1986 so it’s a great shop to support local with!

Take in the Window Displays of Hudson Bay and Saks by the Eaton Centre

Hudson Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue at the Eaton Centre are putting on a show with their holiday window displays. The displays will be on showcase all season long. They’re usually fun for all ages so it’s something great to take the entire family to and a quick and easy stop if you’re already exploring in the area.

======================================

Enjoy the tallest Christmas Tree in Canada at the Toronto Eaton Centre 

The Toronto Eaton Centre is also getting in on the fun and will be hosting Canada’s largest Christmas tree again. It’s over 100 feet tall and is as high as the third story of the mall. You’ll be able to see the lights all across the mall, that’s how gigantic this thing is. My tip is to go right after the mall has closed and the crowds have died down. So much easier to get nice pictures! The mall also has some other giant decorations which are definitely worth a look or two (or a hundred).

Casa Loma Winter Wonderland

Casa Loma turns into a magical winter wonderland just in time for Christmas. There are both nighttime and daytime events depending on your schedule and preference. The castle is putting on a fantastic light show in the gardens, performances, Santa himself and some food options as well. Plus if you’ve never been you get to explore Toronto’s only castle! The daytime events kick off on December 1st while the evening events start on December 18th. You can find more scheduling details and ticket costs here.

Visit the Toronto Distillery Christmas Market

The Distillery District Christmas Market is pretty much the go to Christmas event in Toronto. It’s a really popular event and is pretty much how you picture all those European Christmas Markets. There’s tons of shopping options, incredible amounts of food and drink and of course tons of gorgeous decorations! There’s even a couple of roller coasters. New to this year is also a light tunnel where you can also have fondue! It’s obviously a must do event. The information for the 2018 even is as follows:

Dates: November 15, 2018 to December 23, 2018 (closed on Mondays)
Hours: Tuesdays-Thursdays between 12 pm and 9 pm
Fridays between 12 pm and 10 pm
Saturdays between 10 am and 10 pm
Sundays between 10 am 9 pm
Location: Distillery District, Toronto
Admission: Free on weekdays until 5 pm. $6 on weekends and Friday evenings.

Holiday Fair in the Square

This market in Nathan Phillips Square is a perfect way to tie in a bunch of the activities on the list. There’s lots of vendors and food in the square plus you’ll get to see the giant Christmas Tree from the Cavalcade of the Lights and you’re walking distance from the Toronto Eaton Centre and Yonge and Dundas Square! And once you’re tired of looking at all the decorations and eating all the food (is that even possible?) you can enjoy some free skating!

And there you have it! Tons and tons of ways to celebrate Christmas in Toronto (and around it). Would you come to Toronto for any one of the events? Have you celebrated Christmas in Toronto ever? Let me know in the comments and pin the image to plan this Christmas!