7 New Ideas for Entertaining in Toronto

Inside a 2,500-square-foot former art gallery on Sterling Road, the Fitzroy Boutique delivers designer dress rentals across Canada. Dresses are organized by event type—black tie, gala, destination wedding, Gatsby party, etc.—and include plus sizes. The average cost is about $100 for a four-day rental or $130 for an eight-day rental. Two-way shipping and in-store pick-up are available. Fitzroy even takes care of the dry cleaning.

Her Majesty’s Pleasure on King Street West combines beauty and imbibing by offering salon services such as manicures, blowouts, and more, while bartenders serve bespoke cocktails, champagne, and treats. A new location is set to open in Yorkville, and a U.S. expansion is in the works for 2019. Plus, the space can be booked for private events.

Late last summer, Toronto’s CN Tower introduced its CN Tower Viewfinder app, which was designed and developed by Fuzz Productions in Brooklyn, New York. It’s the first and only attraction in Canada to offer a virtual-reality observation experience. From the tower’s observation level, visitors can take in 360-degree panoramic images, scan the city’s skyline, and identify over 90 landmarks and points of interest using an iPhone or Android mobile device. CN Tower plans to add additional features such as detailed descriptors for each landmark and the ability to share to social media.

Voted best patisserie in the city, Nadège infuses traditional French confections with a modern twist. A fourth-generation pastry chef, Nadège Nourian opened the first of four pastry shops in 2009, transforming Toronto’s pastry scene. Now, fans of Nadège’s macarons can learn how to make them at home from the chef herself. The intimate, hands-on master classes, with fewer than 10 participants each, fill up quickly. Plus, Catering by Nadège offers an à la carte collection of sweet and savory delicacies.

New items from Luxe Modern Rentals include a range of gilded bars, chargers, and dining tables such as its modular Avenue bar that’s available in a rainbow of colors, the Wiltshire with a brushed gold finish that can double as a food station, and the Criterion with a mirrored surface. Coordinated shelving units complete the collection.

Live painting isn’t new, but finding the right artist who can bring the most to an event is a challenge. Enter Peter Farmer, one of the Idea Hunter’s exclusive artists. His street-art style portraiture that captures human interactions and emotions on canvas has earned him commissions for Veuve Clicquot and the Ritz-Carlton and for events such as the Montreal Grande Prix and the Toronto International Film Festival.

At the Grand Bizarre Supper Club, visitors can trade poker chips for hors d’oeuvres made by world-class chefs, as trapeze artists, dancers, and DJs perform in the heritage building at the Exhibition Place. This supper club concept with bottle service and “Bizarre” chips that are used as food currency happens every Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.