Must-see entertainment in Toronto

  • Horseshoe Tavern

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    Well past its 70th birthday, the legendary Horseshoe still plays a crucial role in the development of local indie rock. This place oozes a history of good…

  • Reservoir Lounge

    Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District

    Swing dancers, jazz singers and blues crooners call this cool, candlelit basement lounge home, and it's hosted its fair share of musical greats over the…

  • Rex

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    The Rex has risen from its pugilistic, blue-collar past to become an outstanding jazz and blues venue. Over a dozen Dixieland, experimental and other…

  • Toronto Maple Leafs

    Toronto

    The 13-time Stanley Cup–winning Maple Leafs slap the puck around Scotiabank Arena. Every game sells out with fiery fans – hockey is intrinsic to the…

  • Second City Toronto

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    Running for decades, Second City has nightly improv and sketch-comedy shows that'll have you laughing all night long. Big-name comedians such as Catherine…

  • TIFF Bell Lightbox

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    Headquarters of the Toronto International Film Festival, this resplendent cinema complex is the hub of all the action when the festival's in town…

  • Dakota Tavern

    Toronto

    This basement tavern rocks, with wooden-barrel stools and a small stage where you can catch some twang. You'll hear mostly country and blues, plus a bit…

  • Adelaide Hall

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    One of the best small venues in town – its acoustics are tops – Adelaide Hall attracts both big-name and up-and-coming acts. On other nights, DJs and…

  • Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

    Toronto

    This art deco theater with a two-tiered balcony screens a wonderfully varied schedule of new releases, art-house flicks, shorts, documentaries and vintage…

  • Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team playing at Air Canada Centre.

    Scotiabank Arena

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    The Scotiabank Arena is home to the 13-time Stanley Cup–winning Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, the only Canadian team in the NBA. It also…

  • Toronto Blue Jays

    Toronto

    Toronto's Major League Baseball team (a Toronto icon and a source of pride) plays at the Rogers Centre – it's the only MLB franchise based outside the USA…

  • Royal Alexandra Theatre

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    The 'Royal Alex,' as she is sometimes affectionately known, is one of the more impressive theaters in the city and home to splashy Broadway musicals…

  • Toronto Argonauts

    Toronto

    The Toronto Argonauts crack their Canadian Football League (CFL) helmets at BMO Field at Exhibition Place, off Lake Shore Blvd W. Founded in 1873, the …

  • Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

    Toronto

    Founded in 1979, Buddies is the world's oldest queer theater company. Its mission: to develop and produce queer voices and stories on stage. Check the…

  • Toronto Raptors

    Toronto

    The 'Raps,' the NBA’s only Canadian team, have made the playoffs 11 times since they joined the league in 1995, but they never reached the finals…until…

  • CanStage

    Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District

    Contemporary CanStage produces top-rated Canadian and international plays by the likes of David Mamet and Tony Kushner from its own Berkeley Street…

  • Ed Mirvish Theatre

    Toronto

    Formerly the Canon, the Ed Mirvish Theatre was renamed in 2011 in honor of the late Ed Mirvish, a well-loved Toronto businessman, philanthropist and…

  • Shakespeare in High Park

    Toronto

    Shakespeare in High Park is one of Canada's longest-running outdoor theater events, having started in 1982. Guests sit on grassy levels by the…

  • Canadian Opera Company

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    Canada's national opera company has been warbling its phenomenal pipes for over 50 years. Tickets sell out fast, though standing-room tickets are…

  • Soulpepper

    Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District

    This theater company has a repertoire ranging from new works to classics, most focused on the diversity of Canada's voices and identities. Youth-outreach…

  • Factory Theatre

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    This innovative theater company – 'Home of the Canadian Playwright' – has been busy since 1970 producing exclusively Canadian plays. Stay for the talk…

  • Toronto Centre for the Arts

    Toronto

    Way north on Yonge St, the TCA is home to four stages, including the 1036-seat George Weston Recital Hall, where the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs…

  • National Ballet of Canada

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    The National Ballet of Canada is known for its full-length classical works and sumptuous sets, made more beautiful by the theater itself. Come early for…

  • Lee's Palace

    Toronto

    Legendary Lee's Palace has set the stage over the years for Dinosaur Jr, the Smashing Pumpkins and Queens of the Stone Age. Kurt Cobain started an…

  • Opera House

    East Toronto & Rosedale

    The old Opera House is an early-1900s vaudeville hall. Over the years, rockers like the Black Crowes, Rage Against the Machine, Eminem, Nirvana and Beck…

  • Toronto Symphony Orchestra

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    A range of classics, Cole Porter–era pops and new music from around the world is presented by the TSO at Jello-mold-like Roy Thomson Hall (sometimes also…

  • Theatre Passe Muraille

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    Since the 1960s the Theatre Passe Muraille, in the old Nasmith’s Bakery & Stables, has focused on radical new plays with contemporary Canadian themes…

  • Young People's Theatre

    Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District

    Catch a show at this innovative theater that has delivered enlightening children's plays and drama camps for over 50 years. Despite the common…

  • Young Centre for the Performing Arts

    Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District

    The $14-million Young Centre houses four performance spaces, used by theatrical tenants including Soulpepper and George Brown Theatre Co (www.georgebrown…

  • Rivoli

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    Songbird Feist got her start here. Nightly live music (rock, indie and solo singer-songwriters), weekly stand-up comedy and monthly hip-hop nights are all…

  • Fleck Dance Theatre

    Toronto

    Part of the Harbourfront Centre complex, this small theater presents contemporary dance performances that often challenge and move viewers. Check the…

  • Toronto Rock

    Toronto

    Toronto's professional lacrosse team is red hot, having won the league championship six times. Games are held at Scotiabank Arena; get tickets through…

  • Cameron House

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    Singer-songwriters, soul, jazz and country performers grace this boho stage; artists, musos, dreamers and slackers crowd both front and back rooms. Look…

  • Theatre Centre

    Toronto

    Housed in a magnificent landmark building, the Theatre Centre produces and supports experimental works of performance and visual art. Come here to push…

  • Princess of Wales Theatre

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    The POW is a 2000-seat playhouse showing big-ticket productions such as The Phantom of the Opera and The Book of Mormon.

  • Clinton's

    Toronto

    Weekly themed DJ nights, live music and comedy are all part of the lineup at iconic Clinton's, which attracts a fun, arty crowd. There's a pub at the…

  • Mod Club

    Toronto

    This excellent Little Italy venue showcases alt-rock acts like The Killers and Muse. If you want to flaunt your hip-hop rhymes, look out for 'trap karaoke…

  • Cineplex Yonge-Dundas

    Toronto

    At the heart of Yonge & Dundas Sq, this enormous cinema complex has 23 huge screens with fabulous stadium seating, IMAX, VIP screens with reserved seating…

  • Mirvish TicketKing

    Toronto

    Mirvish TicketKing sells tickets for shows at the Royal Alexandra, Princess of Wales, Ed Mirvish, CAA, and Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres.

  • Glenn Gould Studio

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    Glenn Gould Studio's acoustics do the namesake famous pianist honor. Purchase advance tickets for evening concerts of classical and contemporary music by…

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