Find it fast
Little Tweets
Little City
The Monkey Bunch kicks off the 2nd Annual Family Series at the Drake this Sunday. Skip the Superbowl and shake it with your kids instead!
In the Park
4-5 June
Korean Dano Spring Festival
Christie Pits Park
750 Bloor St W
Sat: 11am-11pm, Sun: 11am-9pm; An annual event featuring live music, korean culture shows, Taekwondo, Korean instruments, dances and great food.5 June
5 June
The Great Big Enormous Afternoon of Storytelling
Riverdale Farm
201 Winchester St
Info: 416-699-2608
www.storytellersforchildren.ca
1-3pm; PWYC/Donations
An afternoon of stories and songs on the hillside inside The Farm presented by the Canadian Association of Storytellers for Children. Bring a blanket, sunscreen and your friends and family.
Paint the Street!
Michael Power Park
SE Corner Dundas St W at Michael Power Place
416-767-7985
12-5pm; Village of Islington-Village of Murals holds its annual Paint the Street festival with Art in the Park, fabulous Music, self-guided mural walks and food. There will also be special children’s activities, face-painters, a bouncy castle and Circus Jonathan.
5, 6 June
Riverdale Art Walk
Jimmie Simpson Park
Queen St E btwn Carol St and Jones
11am-6pm
Emerging and established artists showcase original works in drawing, photography, print, new media, painting, sculpture, and mixed media. There are also Children’s activities
ACAPO Festival
Trinity Bellwoods Park
155 Crawford St
Sat: 2-11pm, Sun: 3-10pm; Trinity Bellwoods Park is transformed into a portugeuse street festival. Festivities begin with a traditional parade on Dundas from Dufferin on Saturday, performances on upper/lower stages and a fairground set-up in the park.
6 June
Richmond Hill Mill Pond Splash
Mill Pond Park
Off Mill St at Trench St, Richmond Hill
416-661-6600x5280
12-4:30pm; Free
Visit Richmond Hill and help celebrate the headwaters of the Don River! This family-focused eco-festival is held annually at the Mill Pond Park. Activities include environmental exhibits, native wildlife shows, tree and shrub planting, nature scavenger hunts, bird-box building, eco-friendly gardening, a runner duck race, an organic food market & live music.
Toronto Tree Tours: Danforth East
Meet at the South-West corner of Gerrard St E and Main St
416-413-9244
1-3pm; $5/suggested donation
Space limited, RSVP on website.
Join LEAF and the Danforth East Community Association to explore the interaction of trees and urban dwellers in the lovely Danforth East community. Learn how to identify neighbourhood trees, get the low down on how they work, and how anyone can take action to protect and care for them.
11-20 June
Luminato: Ship “O Fools
Trinity Bellwoods Park
1053 Dundas St W
Free; Luminato has commissioned artist-duo, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller for an installation in the Park near Queen St West. It’s called, Ship ‘O Fools - a salvaged 30’ Chinese junk boat!
12 June
Strawberries and Asparagus Festival
Cedarvale Park
11am-5pm; Free, Donations welcome
Free food, music, solar cooking, green gardening, children’s activities, a Yoga and Zen Zone, and the Inorganic Market, which collects e-waste and teaches about e-waste diversion.
Trinity Bellwoods Annual Giant Yard Sale
Trinity Bellwoods Park
155 Crawford St
10am-2pm; This popular and huge yard sale takes place annually in the Park - Rain or Shine. Hosted by the Trinity Bellwoods Recreation Centre, it attracts folks from across the City looking for great deals on everything and the kitchen sink!
Toronto Island Tour of Trees
Meet at the South-West corner of Gerrard St E and Main St
416-413-9244
10am; Free admission (Ferry fees apply)
Space limited, RSVP on website Join LEAF and Parks Forestry and Recreation staff for the annual Toronto Island Tour of Trees (cycle or walk the route); This tour is part of the Toronto Islands Tree Festival, which will also feature tree planting, children’s performances and activities, educational displays, interactive industry demos, and eco art galore!
12, 13 June
Beaches Arts and Craft Show
Kew Gardens Park
Lee Ave & Queen St E
www.beachesartsandcraftsshow.com
10am-6pm; 150 vendors come together in Kew Gardens to offer a huge selection of handcrafted wares, including pottery, glass, leather, wood, jewelry, clothing and more.
13 June
Harbord Village Tree Tour
Location: TBA
1-3pm; Space limited, RSVP on website LEAF co-leads this tour with University of Toronto Faculty of Forestry professor Andy Kenney, in partnership with Harbord Village Residents’ Association. The tour sheds light on the Neighbour Woods program, a community-based program that surveys city trees.
13, 27 June
High Park Walking Tours
Meet at benches across from Grenadier Cafe
416-392-7485
10:30am-12pm; Free/Donations welcome
Moderately paced, naturalist led walking tours held on every second and fourth Sunday morning throughout the year. Each tour lasts 1.5 hours and may go on wooded trails, so please remember to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. 13 Jun: Spring Babies at the High Park Zoo, 27 Jun: June Wildflowers
15 June
The Teddy Bear Bear Picnic in Amos Wright Park
The Heritage Centre-Amos Wright Park
19 Church St N Richmond Hill
905-780-3802
11:30am-1pm $5/2-6yrs w/caregiver
Teddy bears and children will be entertained with songs, crafts and games. Treats served.
19 June
IDRF 5th Annual BBQ & Walkathon
High Park Area1
416-392-1748
Reg: 10-11am, Walkathon: 11am, Lunch: 12-2:30pm; Walkathon: $30 (incl lunch), BBQ Only: $10/adults, $5/5-12yrs, Free/5yrs-, Registration Deadline: 11 June
Walk to provide education to internally displaced children in Somalia. Enjoy great food and games with your family and friends.
20 June
Day of Delight
Dufferin Grove Park
875 Dufferin St
416-537-9105
2-5pm; pwyc/$10 suggested
Clay & Paper Theatre presents some of Toronto’s most amorous artists in this 8th annual celebration of love, courtship and desire. Music, theatre, dance, whirling dervishes, a community chorus for love, and so much more!
22 June
Party in the Park
John English Middle School Yard
5:30-8:30pm Great fun for the whole family promoting community strength and spirit. Rain or Shine.
23-27 June
Cooking Fire Theatre Festival
Dufferin Grove Park
875 Dufferin St
www.dufferinpark.ca; www.cookingfire.ca
Dinner: 6-7pm, Performances start 7pm & 8pm; PWYC ($10/suggested), Dinner extra: $6/main, soup, salad desert extra
A week-long performance extravaganza celebrating theatre, food and public space in Dufferin Grove Park. Each evening, hosts Spee Society, lead the audience from site to site to see performances ranging from the story of an eccentric farmer named Millicent, and a giant, over-grown carrot to absurd theatre based on the tales of the Brothers Grimm. Delicious organic meals will be served to the audience over cooking fires.
25 June-5 September
Dream in High Park: Romeo and Juliet
High Park Amphitheatre
High Park (near Grenadier Café)
416-367-8243x280
Tue-Sun: 8pm; gate opens 6pm; PWYC $20 suggested minimum donation, under 14 free
William Shakespeare’s timeless tale of star-crossed lovers and feuding families directed by Dora Award-winner Vikki Anderson.
26 June
Na-Me-Res Annual Pow Wow
Wells Hill Park
Bathurst & St Clair
12-6pm; Free
Traditional dancing, drumming, native craft vendors, children’s play area (courtesy of Red Pepper Spectacle Arts), native foods, raffles, and a free dinner feast and giveaways.
27 June
Human Summit Meditation and Concert
Woodbine Park
Coxwell Ave and Lake Shore Blvd E
416 -778 -5433
11am-2pm; Join a mass meditation to reclaim the value of Human Existence held during the Toronto G20 Economic Summit.
Totstock
Sorauren Park, Wabash & Sorauren
2-5pm; Free. Once again, the folks at Little City team up with local musicians, performers, volunteers and writers to bring it’s unique brand of urban family culture to the park. Totsock is a vibrant, noisy, whimsical celebration of community. Come out and join us for an afternoon of live music, children’s games and activities, story-telling & puppet shows, great food & a rollicking good time all in support of the Wabash Building Society in particular & the common good in general.
28 June-26 August
Summer-in-the-Park (0-5yrs w/caregiver)
June Rowlands Park
Mt Pleasant & Davisville
Central Eglinton Community Centre
416-392-0511
28 Jun-22 Jul, 3-26 Aug; $75/family/mth (famlies choose 2 days per week, Mon-Thu)
Call CECC to register
Crafts, stories, games, a music circle, snacks and free play in a well-shaded environment. The June Rowlands Park playground area encourages gross motor skills, while the supervised wading pool keeps the children and adults cool in the warm weather.
29 June
Connecting with Families at Baird Park
Baird Park
1 blk S of Annette on the E side of Keele St
1:30-3:30pm; Spend an afternoon celebrating summer with the Parkdale/High Park Ontario Early Year’s Centre. They are bringing their Connecting with Families program into the great outdoors for the day.
Fridays
Friday Night Suppers
Dufferin Grove Park
875 Dufferin St
416-392-0913
6-7:30pm; $6/main, $2/soup or salad, $2-$3/dessert; Drop-in, weather permitting Enjoy a scrumptious supper while contributing to park programming, all surplus funds go right back into the park. There is always a vegetarian or meat main dish made from produce fresh from the Thursday farmers’ market.
Starts 4 Jul
Junior Sprouts Garden Adventure Drop-in
Franklin Children’s Garden
Centre Island
416-338-0338
www.toronto.ca/parks/franklin.htm
Daily: 1-4pm; Free, drop-in
Flowers, fascination, fun and stories for young children. Discover how plants grow as you dig in the dirt, sow seeds, weed or water.
Sundays: 6, 13, 20, 27 June
Music in the Orchard
Spadina Museum
285 Spadina Rd
416-392-6910
1:30-2:30pm; Free admission to the grounds
Spadina’s popular outdoor performances return with different musical guests each Sunday afternoon. Bring the family. Bring a blanket. Bring a picnic. Enjoy the music!
Thursdays until 17 June
Any Time is Storytime (0-3yrs)
Colborne Lodge
Colborne Lodge Dr in High Park
416-392-6916
10-10:45am; $12.50/workshop, registration required. Learn rhymes, stories and songs from the past and present with your young children. Classes are led by Harriet Xanthakos, professional storyteller with the Parent-Child Mother Goose program and educator at Colborne Lodge. These interactive workshops promote adult-child bonding and literacy through the use of touch, music and language
Tuesdays, Sundays
Make Your Own Pizza
Dufferin Grove Park
875 Dufferin St
416-392-0913
Tue: 12-2pm, Sun: 1-3pm; $2.50/pizza
Drop-in Make your own pizza in the wood fired bread ovens. If you plan to bring a big group (more than 9 people) call ahead to warn the staff.
Tuesdays: 1, 8, 15, 22 June
Scottish Country Dancing in the Park
Toronto Botanical Garden
Lawrence/Leslie Ave
416-285-0367
7pm-dusk
Scottish country dancing to live music on the greens at Edwards Gardens. Everyone is welcome to come and join in the fun or be a spectator (bring a chair).