1. Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto
Recognized as the world’s largest public film festival, this annual event, which celebrates international and Canadian cinema over the course of 10 days, generates more than $200 million in economic activity for Toronto and the province of Ontario. In September 2020, the 45th edition of the fest featured a hybrid format with physical screenings and drive-ins, digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks. This year, the festival once again presented a mix of virtual and IRL programming, but with more in-person offerings than the previous year, including glitzy premieres at venues such as Princess of Wales Theatre, TIFF Bell Lightbox and Roy Thomson Hall. Next: Sept. 8-17, 2022
Recognized as the world’s largest public film festival, this annual event, which celebrates international and Canadian cinema over the course of 10 days, generates more than $200 million in economic activity for Toronto and the province of Ontario. In September 2020, the 45th edition of the fest featured a hybrid format with physical screenings and drive-ins, digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks. This year, the festival once again presented a mix of virtual and IRL programming, but with more in-person offerings than the previous year, including glitzy premieres at venues such as Princess of Wales Theatre, TIFF Bell Lightbox and Roy Thomson Hall. Next: Sept. 8-17, 2022
Photo: Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival
2. Sundance Film Festival
Park City, Utah
America’s premiere film festival attracts both Hollywood veterans and newcomers, along with fans of independent films, to Park City, Utah, for 10 days of screenings, panel discussions, music events, product demos, dealmaking and, of course, parties. The 2020 festival was no different, with the honor of being one of the last activation-heavy multiday events to take place before the world shut down due to COVID-19. In lieu of the usual in-person event, in 2021 organizers hosted an almost totally virtual version via a custom-designed online platform, along with IRL screenings at 20-plus local venues across the U.S. Next year’s festival will follow a similar hybrid format with physical screenings in Salt Lake City and seven other indie art house cinemas around the country. Next: Jan. 20-30, 2022
See more: How the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Experimented With Multiple Event Formats
America’s premiere film festival attracts both Hollywood veterans and newcomers, along with fans of independent films, to Park City, Utah, for 10 days of screenings, panel discussions, music events, product demos, dealmaking and, of course, parties. The 2020 festival was no different, with the honor of being one of the last activation-heavy multiday events to take place before the world shut down due to COVID-19. In lieu of the usual in-person event, in 2021 organizers hosted an almost totally virtual version via a custom-designed online platform, along with IRL screenings at 20-plus local venues across the U.S. Next year’s festival will follow a similar hybrid format with physical screenings in Salt Lake City and seven other indie art house cinemas around the country. Next: Jan. 20-30, 2022
See more: How the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Experimented With Multiple Event Formats
Photo: Courtesy of Active Theory
3. Comic-Con International
San Diego
Considered the country's most prolific comic book convention, it typically draws more than 135,000 comic, video game and pop culture fans to San Diego each July, who attend in hopes of getting the inside scoop on the newest comics and action movies. In 2020, the event was forced to transform into a virtual offering. Comic-Con@Home featured more than 350 panels, along with trailer reveals. It was the first time in the event’s 50-year history that the convention was canceled. In 2021, organizers opted for an online format for the second year in a row, but they will attempt to hold an in-person event in November of this year, called Comic-Con Special Edition, which will be a scaled-back sister convention. Next: July 2022
Considered the country's most prolific comic book convention, it typically draws more than 135,000 comic, video game and pop culture fans to San Diego each July, who attend in hopes of getting the inside scoop on the newest comics and action movies. In 2020, the event was forced to transform into a virtual offering. Comic-Con@Home featured more than 350 panels, along with trailer reveals. It was the first time in the event’s 50-year history that the convention was canceled. In 2021, organizers opted for an online format for the second year in a row, but they will attempt to hold an in-person event in November of this year, called Comic-Con Special Edition, which will be a scaled-back sister convention. Next: July 2022
Screenshot: Courtesy of Comic-Con International
4. Just For Laughs
Montreal
Run by a consortium led by ICM Partners and Canadian comedian Howie Mandel, this annual comedy festival was delayed in 2020 from its originally scheduled late-July dates to October and went completely virtual due to the pandemic. This past summer, the 39th edition boasted a hybrid format with prerecorded shows and smaller in-person stand-up shows in Montreal. For the first time, organizers also hosted shows in Los Angeles and New York City to accommodate travel restrictions, including the closure of the Canada-U.S. border. Next: July 13-31, 2022
Run by a consortium led by ICM Partners and Canadian comedian Howie Mandel, this annual comedy festival was delayed in 2020 from its originally scheduled late-July dates to October and went completely virtual due to the pandemic. This past summer, the 39th edition boasted a hybrid format with prerecorded shows and smaller in-person stand-up shows in Montreal. For the first time, organizers also hosted shows in Los Angeles and New York City to accommodate travel restrictions, including the closure of the Canada-U.S. border. Next: July 13-31, 2022
Photo: Courtesy of Just For Laughs
5. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Toronto
In 2020, North America’s largest documentary film festival, conference and market pivoted to online only with a virtual version called Hot Docs at Home. The 2021 event featured hybrid programming, including streaming 222 films from 66 countries and presenting 129 filmmaker Q&As. Festival organizers also produced the "Curious Minds" speaker series, as well as 11 live events, ranging from a discussion with Deepak Chopra to a reunion concert by the first major female rock group, Fanny. Next: April 28-May 8, 2022
In 2020, North America’s largest documentary film festival, conference and market pivoted to online only with a virtual version called Hot Docs at Home. The 2021 event featured hybrid programming, including streaming 222 films from 66 countries and presenting 129 filmmaker Q&As. Festival organizers also produced the "Curious Minds" speaker series, as well as 11 live events, ranging from a discussion with Deepak Chopra to a reunion concert by the first major female rock group, Fanny. Next: April 28-May 8, 2022
Screenshot: Courtesy of HotDocsFest
6. Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver
In September 2019, the 38th edition featured an in-person 16-day program showcasing the top international, Canadian and British Columbian films and plays to industry professionals from around the globe. In 2020, an online version of the 14-day festival streamed into more than 10,250 households across British Columbia, with 102 feature films, 98 short films and 19 talks and events via the new VIFF Connect streaming platform. This year, in October, the fest celebrated its 40th edition with an 11-day hybrid event that included 283 screenings of 192 films, 105 conversations with filmmakers and 27 talks and events, viewed by more than 36,000 virtual and in-person attendees. Next: October 2022
In September 2019, the 38th edition featured an in-person 16-day program showcasing the top international, Canadian and British Columbian films and plays to industry professionals from around the globe. In 2020, an online version of the 14-day festival streamed into more than 10,250 households across British Columbia, with 102 feature films, 98 short films and 19 talks and events via the new VIFF Connect streaming platform. This year, in October, the fest celebrated its 40th edition with an 11-day hybrid event that included 283 screenings of 192 films, 105 conversations with filmmakers and 27 talks and events, viewed by more than 36,000 virtual and in-person attendees. Next: October 2022
Photo: Courtesy of Vancouver International Film Festival
7. Kennedy Center Honors
Washington, D.C.
After being forced to reschedule the 43rd annual event, which was slated to take place December 2020, the Kennedy Center reinvented its annual celebration and largest fundraiser in June 2021, designing a part-live, part-recorded show celebrating the lifetime achievements of singer Joan Baez, country musician Garth Brooks, dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen, violinist Midori and actor Dick Van Dyke. Parts of the annual honors were filmed in May across multiple Kennedy Center spaces, including its stages, its roof and the Reach, an expansion that opened in 2019. Later this year, organizers will play catch up and produce the 44th annual celebration, honoring Motown founder Berry Gordy, opera star Justino DĂaz, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entertainer Bette Midler and television impresario Lorne Michaels. Next: Dec. 22, 2022
After being forced to reschedule the 43rd annual event, which was slated to take place December 2020, the Kennedy Center reinvented its annual celebration and largest fundraiser in June 2021, designing a part-live, part-recorded show celebrating the lifetime achievements of singer Joan Baez, country musician Garth Brooks, dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen, violinist Midori and actor Dick Van Dyke. Parts of the annual honors were filmed in May across multiple Kennedy Center spaces, including its stages, its roof and the Reach, an expansion that opened in 2019. Later this year, organizers will play catch up and produce the 44th annual celebration, honoring Motown founder Berry Gordy, opera star Justino DĂaz, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entertainer Bette Midler and television impresario Lorne Michaels. Next: Dec. 22, 2022
Photo: Courtesy of CBS
8. CinemaCon
Las Vegas
Each year, the National Association of Theater Owners hosts the largest gathering in the motion picture theater industry at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Due to the pandemic, organizers were forced to cancel the mid-March 2020 event. At this year’s convention, held in August, attendees gathered in the face of theater closures and the ongoing threat of streaming services. As expected, studio bigwig and celebrity turnout was lower than usual. Early on, Disney announced that it would not be sending executives or stars to the event because of the Delta variant outbreaks that were on rise at the time. Next: April 25-28, 2022
Each year, the National Association of Theater Owners hosts the largest gathering in the motion picture theater industry at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Due to the pandemic, organizers were forced to cancel the mid-March 2020 event. At this year’s convention, held in August, attendees gathered in the face of theater closures and the ongoing threat of streaming services. As expected, studio bigwig and celebrity turnout was lower than usual. Early on, Disney announced that it would not be sending executives or stars to the event because of the Delta variant outbreaks that were on rise at the time. Next: April 25-28, 2022
Photo: Courtesy of CinemaCon
9. Tribeca Film Festival
New York
Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, this New York film festival was initially created to spur economic and cultural revitalization in lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. It has now evolved into an annual tentpole event, sponsored by AT&T, that celebrates storytelling in all forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music and online. For the 2020 festival, which was set to take place in April, organizers quickly shifted by offering select programming online. Tribeca Immersive’s audience-facing Cinema360 also debuted, in partnership with Oculus. In June 2021, the festival returned with in-person events, reinventing itself as a 12-day multiscreen outdoor festival that spanned boroughs. The expanded footprint included screenings at venues such as Brookfield Place New York, Pier 57 Rooftop, The Battery and The MetroTech Commons. Next: June 8-19, 2022
Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, this New York film festival was initially created to spur economic and cultural revitalization in lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. It has now evolved into an annual tentpole event, sponsored by AT&T, that celebrates storytelling in all forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music and online. For the 2020 festival, which was set to take place in April, organizers quickly shifted by offering select programming online. Tribeca Immersive’s audience-facing Cinema360 also debuted, in partnership with Oculus. In June 2021, the festival returned with in-person events, reinventing itself as a 12-day multiscreen outdoor festival that spanned boroughs. The expanded footprint included screenings at venues such as Brookfield Place New York, Pier 57 Rooftop, The Battery and The MetroTech Commons. Next: June 8-19, 2022
Photo: Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival
