Grace Homes & Lifestyle

Grace Homes Toronto Lifestyle Magazine

Toronto Attractions: Beyond the Tourist Traps

Art & Culture, Lifestyle / by

Visiting Toronto this summer – or enjoying a summer stay-cay – and looking for something a little different than the usual overpriced tourist spots? The city is full of local street festivals, neighbourhood landmarks and places to cool off and enjoy a fine day (or evening) – many of which won’t cost you a thing, unless you choose to do some shopping or have a nosh while you’re there. 

Mark your calendar for any of the following:

1) Stackt Market

  • 28 Bathurst St (Corner of Bathurst and Front St.)
  • Open year-round, Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-11pm
  • StacktMarket.com

Stackt Market is a perfect example of making lemonade from lemons – or in this case, an abandoned industrial site right next to the railroad tracks at the corner of Front and Bathurst Streets. Stackt is a year-round market featuring shops, restos, art studios, and even a microbrewery, housed entirely within shipping containers – along with Astroturf lawn spaces, a basketball court and skate park, and a viewing platform where you can watch the trains rumble along the tracks nearby (strangely fascinating for all ages!). There’s something unique happening every day, with tons of family-friendly events, food, music, and an ever-changing parade of permanent and pop-up vendors. 

2) Do West Fest

  • Dundas St. W., from Shaw to Landsdowne
  • June 7-9, 2024
  • DoWestFest.com

Set in the heart of Little Portugal, the formerly named Dundas West Festival has been called “Toronto’s official start to summer,” and is one of the city’s biggest and best-loved street parties. Enjoy free music, art installations, booths from local businesses, and vendors of all kinds large and small. The festival changed its name and expanded last year to a full 16 blocks – extending west of Ossington all the way to Landsdowne. This year, Do West will include four performance stages, 10 performance “areas,” a kids’ play zone, 40 licensed patios, 45 street vendors and 12 art installations.

3) Kensington Market Pedestrian Sundays

  • Between College and Dundas Streets, west of Spadina
  • Last Sunday of each month from May-October, 12-7pm
  • KensingtonMarket.to

All summer and into the fall, the vibrant midtown neighbourhood of Kensington banishes car traffic on the last Sunday of each month and transforms itself into one big, happy street festival. Enjoy artists, live music of all kinds (and we mean ALL kinds!), street performers, local vendors, and some of the best street food in the city – all from a locale that some people feel rivals St. Lawrence Market for the quality of its food markets. There’s no shortage of things to do, all imbued with the unique flavour of Kensington. Bring your appetite and plan to arrive early – on a sunny afternoon it can get crowded!

4) TD Salsa On St. Clair

Over the last 20 years, Salsa on St. Clair has grown from a small, infectiously fun neighbourhood street fest to a huge two-day dance party that attracts Latinos and Latinas (literal and honourary alike) to this stretch of midtown-west Toronto. Stars from Latin America and Toronto’s Latin community perform, along with giant group salsa lessons, authentic cuisine, local vendors of all kinds, and a general atmosphere of fiesta! It’s another event that can get pretty crowded, so make your plans to get there early to stake out the best dancing spots.

5) Toronto Outdoor Picture Show

On clear and warm summer weekends from June through to the end of August, nothing quite compares to taking a blanket and some popcorn and heading to the neighbourhood park for a free film screening. The Toronto Outdoor Picture Show’s summer film series, held in five downtown parks across the city, follows a theme (in 2023, it was “Another World”), and offers a different double bill each night, pairing a beloved classic like ET with a lesser-known short film. Film fare can range from family favourites like the Wizard of Oz to more adult-oriented films; go to the show’s website at topictureshow.com and see what’s on before you go. Screenings are free, but a tax-deductible donation is appreciated.

6) Sugar Beach

A reclamation project that turned a forgotten corner of the city into a charming destination, Sugar Beach is a two-acre manmade “beach” carved out of an industrial area just east of the former Redpath Sugar factory. You can’t miss it: just look for the bright pink umbrellas, white Muskoka chairs, red-and-white-striped rocks, and imported beach sand. The park is divided into three sections: a plaza space for events, a treelined promenade, and of course, the beach itself and adjacent wading pool crowned with a giant granite maple leaf. During the summer, there’s a constantly shifting roster of performances and other local events in the park; check out waterfrontoronto.ca to find out what’s on.

7) Love Park

Another small park on the waterfront that arose from an unlovely bit of former infrastructure, Love Park was opened in 2021 on the former site of the Gardiner Expressway’s York-Bay-Yonge off-ramp. This charming little jewel of a park features walking paths lined with mature shade trees, bronze animal sculptures, rolling landscapes, and as a centrepiece, a heart-shaped pond. (The pond’s whimsical silhouette is best appreciated by the denizens of the nearby office towers, giving them a momentary visual respite from the daily grind). It’s a great place to sit and eat a sandwich, people-watch or just enjoy the shade on a warm summer’s day. But there’s usually something going on, and space along the paths for pop-up food vendors and events—waterfrontoronto.ca lists upcoming events here as well.

8) Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

  • Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall 
  • July 12-14, 2024
  • TOAF.ca

Canada’s leading contemporary outdoor (and now online) art fair is the best place in town to discover the next rising star, or to find wonderful artwork for your house at often quite reasonable prices. TOAF brings together dozens of established and new artists from Canada and internationally and is known for having launched the careers of many now-famous artists, including Ken Danby, David Blackwood, and others. While you’re browsing the iconic white tents that house the artists’ work, enjoy food from Mado Turkish resto, Tropic Love smoothies, and five other unique food vendors. And as the sun goes down, relax at the pop-up beer garden on Friday and Saturday night.