Toronto's Top 100 Events 2018 - Festivals & Parades

1. Pride Toronto

#1 Festival & Parade
The month-long celebration—culminating in the 38th Pride Parade—expanded southward to Dundas Street this year and included a Wellness Zone with vendors and exhibits. LiveNation sponsored the new Pride Toronto app, TD returned as a sponsor, and Lyft debuted as a sponsor. Next: June 2019

Photo: Courtesy of Pride Toronto

2. Toronto Caribbean Carnival

#2 Festival & Parade
More than one million partiers—including a growing number in the under-35 demographic, plus plenty of Americans—are expected to take in the Carnival and the Grand Parade this summer. E-commerce app Peeks returns as the presenting sponsor and Caribbean Airlines is a new sponsor. Next: July 7-August 12, 2018

Photo: Courtesy of Toronto Caribbean Carnival

3. Salsa in Toronto

#3 Festival & Parade
TD Bank returned as the title sponsor of the celebration of Latino culture for the third consecutive year. The family-friendly Salsa on St. Clair weekend featured more than 230 performers along with free dance lessons, international cuisine, and tons of great music. Next: July 2-28, 2019

Photo: Courtesy of Salsa in Toronto

4. Toronto International BuskerFest

#4 Festival & Parade
The Labor Day weekend festival returns to the Beaches for the third year, expecting about 150,000 people to enjoy the performances and support the charitable cause, Epilepsy Toronto, at Woodbine Park. Sponsors include the Province of Ontario and the Toronto Education Workers. Next: August 31-September 3, 2018

Photo: Courtesy of Buskerfest

5. Santa Claus Parade

#5 Festival & Parade
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and Canadian Tire return as sponsors of the world’s longest-running parade: six kilometers of spectacular floats, marching bands, and upside-down clowns. About 850,000 eager kids and their parents watched in person in 2017, with others tuning in to CTV for live coverage. Next: November 18, 2018

Photo: Courtesy of Santa Claus Parade

6. Waterfront Festival Toronto

#6 Festival & Parade (new to the list)
Following the success of last year’s gigantic rubber duck, this year the festival featured a new art installation of a huge beach-ball-pendulum, sponsored by builder Menekes, as well as a water-theme circus show, an artisan market, and a wine-and-spirit festival. Redpath returned as the title sponsor. Next: June 2019

Photo: James Orgill