56 Best Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario

This jewel in the crown of the Toronto arts scene consists of two former vaudeville halls, built in 1913, one on top of the other. It's the last operating double-decker theater complex in the world (the Elgin is downstairs and the Winter Garden upstairs) and a Canadian National Historic Site. Until 1928, the theaters hosted silent-film and vaudeville legends like George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy. Today's performances are still surrounded by magnificent settings: Elgin's dramatic gold-leaf-and-cherub-adorned interior and the Winter Garden's A Midsummer Night's Dream--inspired decor, complete with tree branches overhead. These stages host Broadway-caliber musicals, comedians, jazz concerts, operas, and Toronto International Film Festival screenings. Guided tours are offered for C$12.

This handsome 1,135-seat concert hall pleases performers and audiences with rich acoustics and undulating wood "strings" floating overhead. Acts have included such greats as Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Ravi Shankar, Midori, Taj Mahal, and Savion Glover. It's part of the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning.

This historical and internationally renowned concert venue is known for near-perfect acoustics and for hosting acclaimed artists since 1894—from Dizzy Gillespie to Justin Bieber, as well as comedians, indie bands, dance performances, and theater plays. After a three-year closure, Massey Hall reopened in 2021 revealing a beautifully repaired facade; detailed hand restoration of its signature ceiling arches; and the construction of the Allied Music Centre, a seven-story glass tower, which provides additional space for events.

Toronto's premier concert hall, home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, also hosts visiting orchestras, popular entertainers, and Toronto International Film Festival red-carpet screenings. The 2,630-seat auditorium opened in 1982 and is named after Roy Thomson, who was born in Toronto and founded the publishing empire Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters).

Established in 1998 by some of Canada's leading theater artists, Soulpepper is Toronto's largest not-for-profit theater company. It produces classic and newly commissioned plays, musicals, and concerts year-round.

Toronto's go-to spot for experimental music, the self-titled "center for creative music" presents an eclectic selection of avant-garde and experimental music from world and classical to jazz and avant-pop in a relaxed environment.

The oldest contemporary dance company in the city, TDT has created more than 100 original works since its beginnings in the 1960s, often using original scores by Canadian composers. Two or three pieces are performed each year in its home theater in Cabbagetown.

Perhaps the most important film festival in the world after Cannes and Sundance, TIFF is open to the public and even the star-studded galas are accessible to the average Joe. More than 300 works by both acclaimed and lesser-known directors from around the world are shown. Movies that premiere at TIFF have won Academy Awards and launched the careers of emerging actors and directors—TIFF audiences have been among the first in the world to see movies like La La Land, Slumdog Millionaire, and Juno. The red carpet is rolled out for star-studded premieres, and actors and directors may be on hand afterward for Q&As. Along with the serious documentaries, foreign films, and Oscar contenders, TIFF has fun with its Midnight Madness program, screening campy horror films, comedies, and action movies.

Since 1922 this orchestra has achieved world acclaim with music directors such as Sir Ernest MacMillan, Seiji Ozawa, and Sir Andrew Davis. Canadian-born Peter Oundjian reinvigorated the ensemble and significantly strengthened its presence in the world when he was musical director from 2004 until 2018. Guest performers have included pianist Lang Lang, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. Each season the orchestra screens a classic film, such as Star Wars or Singin' in the Rain, and plays the score as it runs. The TSO also presents about three concerts weekly at Roy Thomson Hall from October through June.

Canada's largest queer theater company presents edgy plays and festivals, as well as specialty events like parties, burlesque, and stand-up. 

When summer comes, this outdoor amphitheater at the waterfront becomes one of the most sought-after concert venues in town. With a capacity of 16,000, it's a spot for big touring acts of all genres, from classic rock like Santana to hip-hop artists like Kendrick Lamar. It's also a common venue for hometown hero Drake's headline-grabbing OVO Fest and an annual warm-weather blowout for local folk-rockers Blue Rodeo. It's a seated venue, partially covered, though open-air tickets on a back lawn are also available. Nearby venue Echo Beach also offers slightly smaller shows on sand.

Founded in 1950, the COC has grown into the largest producer of opera in Canada, and has proven innovative and often daring with presentations that range from popular operas to more modern or rarely performed works. The COC maintains its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative leadership by presenting new productions from a diverse repertoire, collaborating with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracting the world's foremost Canadian and international artists. It often hosts world-renowned performers, and it pioneered the use of scrolling SURTITLES, which allow the audience to follow the libretto in English in a capsulized translation that appears above the stage. Tickets sell out quickly. Tours (C$20 for adults; C$15 for seniors/students) of the COC's opera house, the magnificent Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, are given when the performance schedule allows (usually on Sundays); check the website for times and dates.

Canadian Stage is the country’s leading contemporary performing arts organization, focusing on cross-disciplinary works that integrate theater, dance, film, visual arts, and more to reflect the complexity and cultural richness of Canada. It stages productions at the Bluma Appel Theatre ( 27 Front St. E), which seats 867, and the more intimate Berkeley Street Theatre ( 26 Berkeley St.), which has a capacity of 244 seats.

This 1920 vaudeville theater has had numerous names over the years, including the Pantages, the Imperial, and the Canon. Now named in honor of local businessman and theater impresario Ed Mirvish, it's one of the most architecturally and acoustically exciting live theaters in Toronto. The theater itself is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and was refurbished in 1989. Designed by world-renowned theater architect Thomas Lamb, it has a grand staircase, gold-leaf detailing, and crystal chandeliers.

This historic music venue is famous for legendary '70s concerts by the Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello, but after local celebrity investor Michael Wekerle bought it and gave it an expensive renovation, it's active again in the 2020s. Still an intimate space with two different stages, the Elmo (as it's affectionately known) is now a very shiny, neon-lit tribute to classic rock with some of the crispest sound and lighting in town. Tickets can be costly.

This is the country's largest producer of exclusively Canadian plays. Many of the company's shows are world premieres that have gone on to tour Canada and win prestigious awards.

Free Concert Series. The Canadian Opera Company's Free Concert Series takes place September through June with music and dance performances most Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon in the Four Seasons Centre's Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Check the calendar on the COC website to see what's on. 145 Queen St. W., Queen West, Toronto, ON, M5H 4G1. 416/363–8231. www.coc.ca. Osgoode Station.

This venue has two theaters for dance and two renowned dance series: Next Steps which runs from September through the spring, and World Stage which also includes theatre and begins in January. The Fleck Dance Theatre was built specifically for modern dance in 1983. The proscenium stage hosts some of the best local and Canadian modern and contemporary companies, in addition to some international acts. The Enwave Theatre welcomes these same types of dance performances as well as plays and concerts. It has excellent acoustics. Both theaters are small (446 and 422 seats, respectively) so you're never far from the stage.

In July and August, free movies are screened outdoors as part of the Free Flicks program. Documentaries, frequently accompanying summer festivals, cultural events, and retrospectives, are presented ad hoc throughout the year.

The main theater space of the University of Toronto since 1919, Hart House mounts emerging-artist and student productions from September to March, with musicals, Shakespeare, contemporary plays, and classics all represented.

Created in concert with homegrown megastar Drake, this spacious 2,553-seat venue is a bona fide performing arts destination in the otherwise sleepy Beach, drawing boldface names across a variety of genres—Stereolab, the Psychedelic Furs, Lil Nas X, Muse, and Demi Lovato, to name just a few.

North America's largest documentary film festival. April--May.

If you like your films factual, informative, and inspiring, then the Hot Docs Cinema is for you. The permanent home of the Hot Docs festival each spring, this century-old cinema also has an ongoing calendar of documentaries—on everything from art to politics—and crowd-pleasing classics.

This major event features films made by and about people in the LGBTQ+ community. May--June.

Luminato. Every June, Luminato packs in 100 or more events spanning the arts from plays to tango lessons, from puppetry to poetry, and from art installations to funk bands. The festival attracts some big names such as Joni Mitchell, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and Marina Abramović. Toronto, ON. 416/368–3100. www.luminato.com.

Performances by students and faculty at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, ranging from symphony to jazz to full-scale operas, take place September through June at the 815-seat MacMillan Theatre. Smaller-scale performances fill the 490-seat Walter Hall. As a bonus, many performances are free to attend. During the summer, you may be able to catch a performance by a visiting musician.

Formerly the Sony Centre, this iconic 3,172-seat hall was deemed a heritage building by the City of Toronto in 2008 and boasts an international program of diverse yet mostly mainstream artists. Paul Simon, the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and RuPaul's Drag Race Werq the World Tour are among those who have graced the hall’s stage.

North by Northeast. Each June, Toronto hosts North by Northeast, an annual festival that brings more than 1,000 musicians to the indoor and outdoor venues around the city. Affiliated with the similar South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, NXNE also presents film, comedy, art, and a digital interactive media conference as part of the week-long event. Massive free outdoor concerts anchor NXNE downtown, but the heart of the festival is the lineup at more than 50 club venues across the city. Tickets and passes are available on the website and go on sale as early as mid-January. (Significant early-bird discounts apply.) Front-of-the-line access is given to those with a Priority Pass (C$200)–others may have to line up for highly anticipated bands, sometimes hours in advance. Toronto, ON. 416/863–6963. www.nxne.com.

Since its opening in 1985, Opera Atelier has been dedicated to staging 17th- and 18th-century baroque operas, with extravagant sets and costumes and original instruments. The two annual productions are stage at the Elgin Theatre each fall and spring.

This art deco--era cinema located a few minutes west of the Annex underwent a splashy restoration in 2019. Classic and second-run movies are screened here, but the theater also plays host to live music—from touring acts to cover bands and string quartets—and stand-up comics. Wine, cocktails, and Italian food are served next door at Osteria Rialto.