Things to do During Winter in Toronto
The winter season in Toronto brings with it lots of beautiful decorations and winter activities. If you don’t fully embrace winter here, the only other option is hibernation. Luckily, there are lots of things do during winter in Toronto if you are willing to venture out of the warm cocoon of your home or hotel room. If you are visiting Toronto in December, there are plenty of Christmas activities to keep you busy and help put you into the holiday spirit.
In this guide to Toronto by a local, you’ll find the best Christmas and things to do in Toronto in winter. There are plenty of holiday lights on display throughout the city as well as indoor activities to get out of the cold weather.
If it’s your first time visiting Toronto, be prepared for cold weather and weather that can range from freezing rain to big fluffy snow. If you’re visiting in December, we don’t always have snow but there are always lots of Christmas decorations just in case it isn’t a white Christmas.
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Map for Winter and Christmas Activities in Toronto
Most of these winter activities you will be able to reach using public transit. Outside of the downtown core, transit is possible but may take a long time to reach. The map can help you plan out which activities can match up. Make sure you check the dates as some of these events are limited time only.
If you’re looking for hotels in Toronto this winter, check out deals on Booking.com.
Winter Activities in Downtown Toronto
Eaton Centre Christmas Tree and Reindeer
Cost: Free
Location: Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge St, Toronto
Every year the Eaton Centre is decorated with massive reindeer and the tallest Christmas tree in Canada at 108 feet. There are weekly tree relighting ceremonies with a live DJ.
Skating at Nathan Phillips Square
Cost: 10 $ for adult skate rental or free if you bring your own
Location: 100 Queen St West, Toronto
Skating at Nathan Phillips Square outside of City Hall is one of the most iconic winter activities in Toronto. You can skate on this rink any day, including on Christmas and Christmas Eve. Try to visit mid-day during the week as weekends and weekday evenings can get quite busy. If you aren’t a skater, it’s still worth the visit to see the Toronto sign and see the decorations around the rink including a large Christmas tree.
Bentway Skate Trail
Cost: Free, or skate rental
Location: 250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto
It might sound unusual to want to hang out under the Gardiner Expressway but this previously unused space makes for a very popular skating area. This skating trail is 220m long and shaped in a figure 8. It’s skate trail is very popular on weekends but weekdays it is much less crowded. You can rent skates here and there are warm drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic to purchase here. If you get too cold, there are also warming stations. On December 29th, they are hosting a Polar Bear Skate where participants are invited to skate in their bathing suits.
Christmas Lights in the Financial District
Cost: Free
Location: Multiple locations around Bay and King
Toronto’s Financial District gets surprisingly festive every year. Wander around the area and almost every building has a massive Christmas tree in its lobby and gorgeous lights outside. I’m starting to wonder if perhaps there’s a bit of a friendly competition between the businesses to see who can out decorate the other. One of my favourites is the giant moose and baby moose made up of lights and the giant stars above them at Bay and King. Venturing north, on Adelaide between Bay and Yonge there is a nice display of Christmas trees in a little outdoor plaza.
During the day, you can go inside the lobby of these buildings as many of them provide access to the PATH system. The Path is basically a massive underground mall with multiple food courts that connects many of the main buildings in downtown Toronto. It’s easy to get lost down there but a great place to find food. If you’ve ever wondered where everyone that works in those massive office buildings downtowns eats lunch, it’s the PATH.
Aurora Winter Festival
Cost: $17.99+
Location: Ontario Place, West Island
Aurora Winter Festival takes place on the Ontario Place grounds. The whole West Island is turned into a magical landscape with tons of lights to explore including giant polar bears and moose. There are some rides set up including a tube slide, carousel, and ferris wheel. A huge skating rink that circles around a Christmas tree and large narwhal is located at the heart of the festival. There’s plenty of food and shopping available too with everything from Beaver Tails to Roti and Burgers.
Winter Light Exhibition
Cost: Free
Location: Ontario Place, West Island
After the Aurora Winter Festival ends, Ontario Place’s West Island gets set up for the Winter Light Exhibition. This is probably my favourite winter event in the city. Each year has a different theme with different artists featured. It feels pretty magical to walk around in the snow and take in the different light exhibitions by local artists.
Toronto Light Festival
Cost: Free
Location: Distillery District
Another great light festival after all the Christmas lights are down is the Toronto Light Festival in the Distillery District. Local and international artists put on a display of lights that takes over the Distillery District. Some of the light displays are interactive and all of them are fun. It’s another of my favourite winter activities in Toronto.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Royal Ontario Museum
Cost: 23$ + Special exhibitions, Free the 3rd Tuesday of the Month from 5:30-8:30 pm
Location: 100 Queens Park, Toronto
Every winter the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) hosts the Wildlife Photographer of the year as a special exhibit. The ROM is a great thing to do in winter because you can get out of the cold. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit is a fantastic one though as there are stunning photos of wildlife taken by photographers of all ages. The photos they exhibit can be seriously profound, especially the ones that show the impact humans are having on wildlife. You can find more information and purchase tickets to the ROM here.
Holiday Dive Shows at Ripley’s Aquarium
Cost: 33$ Adults, 23 $ Youths, 10 $ Child
Location: 288 Bremner Blvd, Toronto
For the holidays, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is putting on special dive shows of Santa and his elves at Ray Bay and Rainbow Reef. The aquarium is a great place to get out of the cold and you can get combo tickets with both the aquarium and CN Tower. In addition to the Santa dive shows, there is also going to be Symphony of the Sea put on for one night only, included with admission. Find tickets and more information here.
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Cost: Free
Location: 19 Horticultural Ave, Toronto
This botanical garden is the perfect place to visit to get out of the cold. Made up of 6 greenhouses, each season Allan Gardens puts on a different themed flower show. It’s open every day of the year, including Christmas. These historical greenhouses are great to visit in any season. If you’re looking for Toronto book inspo, Allan Gardens is featured in the novel Station Eleven (which is fantastic). Find extended holiday hours for Allan Gardens here.
Winter Food and Drink in Toronto
Toronto has plenty of delicious cafes, bakeries, and restaurants to take a break from the cold weather. There are a few that only happen for a limited time during the winter. If you’re looking for Toronto dessert places, check out my article on the top desserts in downtown.
Have a Drink at Toronto’s Christmas themed Tiki Bar
Location: 1369 Dundas St W, Toronto
Sippin Santa is a Christmas themed pop-up bar with a Polynesian twist. There are plenty of tropical-themed drinks on menu and lots of tiki-Christmas decorations.
Miracle Pop Up Bar
Location: 146 Ossington Ave, Toronto
If you’re more of a traditionalist, Miracle Pop Up Bar has plenty of kitsch. Tons of Christmas decorations and Christmas themed cocktails. Miracle is the perfect place to display your new ugly Christmas sweater.
Winterlicious
Toronto’s Winterlicious is a food festival that takes place across multiple restaurants in Toronto each winter. Participating restaurants create special set menus. Almost 200 restaurants participate creating 3-course menus to try. If you want to attend Winterlicious, try to book your reservations in advance as popular restaurants get booked up fast. You can find participating restaurants and menus here.
Christmas Markets in Toronto
Toronto Christmas Market
Cost: Free during week, $8+ on weekends; buy in advance to save, on-site payment by card only
Location: Distillery District
Toronto’s Christmas Market is massively popular. Like, avoid at all costs on the weekends popular. If you visit try to go during the weekdays. Nights will be busier but seeing the lights is one of the highlights.
There is plenty of caroling and singers performing, Santa’s house, and more to explore. You can find plenty of traditional Canadian food to indulge in like Tourtieres, poutine, and butter tarts. There are also vendors selling traditional Christmas gifts. There can be long line ups for both food and drinks and expect to pay a minimum $10 for hot wine or cider. The highlight of the market is the massive real Christmas Tree that is decorated with plenty of ornaments and lights. You can purchase your tickets for the Toronto Christmas Market here.
Stackt Holiday Hills
Cost: Free
Location: 28 Bathurst St., Toronto
Toronto’s shipping container shopping centre is hosting a Christmas Market this year. As part of the festival there is a wine bar set up in a yurt, which I think is a first for Toronto. There’s also something called Crokicurl set up which is a cross between curling and crokinole. Live music, lots of shopping, food, and a Christmas tree popup to buy a cut or potted tree help round out this new Christmas Market.
Evergreen’s Winter Village
Cost: Free
Location: 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto
Evergreen Brick Works has a holiday village for the Christmas season with vendors selling locally crafted sustainable products. There’s a little bit of everything from here though the artists do rotate so make sure to check their schedule if there is something specific you are looking for. There’s also a skating rink and lots of food trucks and stalls to choose from.
Christmas Shows and Musicals
The Nutcracker by The National Ballet of Canada
Cost: 45$ +
Location: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W, Toronto
A holiday classic, every year The National Ballet of Canada puts on the Nutcracker. This is the perfect ballet to go to to get into the holiday spirit and has some of the best holiday songs.
Mirvish Shows
Location: Multiple theatres in downtown Toronto
The Mirvish theatres put on some of the best shows in Toronto. There’s often shows visiting just pre or post broadway. For winter 2019-2020, there’s everything from Anastasia, to Cats, to Hamilton. There really is something for all age groups here. Some shows do sell out so try to buy as far in advance as possible. You can find the current Mirvish lineup and tickets here.
A Christmas Carol by Soulpepper
Cost: 38$ +
Location: Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Ln., Toronto
The Soulpepper theatre group puts on shows in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District. For the Christmas season, they are putting on a production of the Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol. Starting in 2020 they are going to be having a free under 25 program so it’s worth checking out the rest of their winter programming. If you are there an hour before a performance, you can try to get rush tickets which are only 30$. You can check out Soulpeppers lineup and purchase tickets here.
Winter Activities Outside of Downtown Toronto
Casa Loma: A Nutcracker Christmas at the Castle
Cost: 32.49 for adults, 22.15 for children, included with general entry
Location: 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto
Toronto’s very own castle puts on winter events each year. For 2019, the theme is a Nutcracker Christmas. With skating and illusionist shows, this event is included in your general admission to Casa Loma. Wandering the grounds will be mascots, with Paw Patrol visiting on the castle on the weekends. The castle is decorated for the holidays including a 40-foot tree in the Great Hall and eight other trees on the grounds. If you visit at night, you can see all of the lights on display as well as fire dancers and orchestras. You can find tickets and more information about Casa Loma here.
Canada’s Wonderland WinterFest
Cost: $21.99+
Location: Canada’s Wonderland, Vaughn
Wonderland is putting on a WinterFest. With elves roaming the park, concerts, and lots of Christmas lights. The waterfall is lit up with strings of lights and you can skate below it on Snow Flake Lake. The themed areas like Elf Village and Charlie Brown’s Christmas Town make it a great place to take kids to experience some Christmas magic. A few rides are operation still, mostly children’s rides. If you visit try to arrive as soon as it opens to avoid some of the crowds as lineups can be quite long.
Be prepared to pay for all the extra activities like skating and cookie decorating which aren’t included in the price of admission. You can find more information on Wonderland’s WinterFest and purchase tickets here.
Toronto Zoo’s Terra Lumina: Enchanted Night Walk
Cost: Adults -29.00, Children 24.99, plus parking $8
Location: 2000 Meadowvale Rd, Scarborough
The Toronto Zoo’s new light show isn’t Christmas themed but rather a light show that is intended to be on for the entire winter. This massive light show is going to be 1.5 km long and take an hour to explore completely. Even though it is at the zoo, animals are not part of this experience and are not on display. You can find out more about the Toronto Zoo’s Terra Lumina here.
Christmas Glow
Cost: Adults-19.99, Seniors + Children- 14.99
Location: Toronto Congress Centre, 1020 Martin Grove Rd, Etobicoke
Christmas Glow is a new event to Toronto that started in Vancouver. This light show has one huge benefit for those adverse to the cold weather- it’s indoors. There’s a huge indoor light garden, Santa, and live entertainment. For kids, there are even bouncy reindeer, a train, and LED swings and hopscotch. For adults, there are plenty of photo ops including hanging picture frames. You can find out more about Christmas Glow here.
Winter Day Trips from Toronto
Niagara Falls
Distance/Time: 128 km, 1 hr 20 min- 1 hr 50min by car
Niagara Falls makes a fantastic day trip from Toronto during any season. In the winter, Niagara Falls hosts a Winter Festival of Lights that lights up 8km with tons of Christmas Lights. In addition, there is always a free New Year’s Eve concert that is usually broadcast on CBC (Canadas’ National Broadcaster). The Falls themselves are really amazing to see and worth it for any visitor to Toronto to make the day trip. Find out more information on winter events in Niagara here.
Arrowhead Provincial Park
Distance/Time: 238 km, 2 hr 20min- 3 hours by car
Arrowhead Provincial Park in Ontario’s Muskoka region is the perfect destination to try out some winter activities. It recently has become locally famous for its ice skating trail that goes through the forest. On some evenings, it is lit up by tiki-torches that line the trail. Arrowhead Provincial Park has skate, snowshoe, and cross-country ski rentals so it’s perfect for those that don’t own winter equipment. You can check out my full blog post on Arrowhead skating here.
Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
Distance/Time: 145 km, 1 hr 40min-2 hr 10 min by car
Wasaga Beach is famous for having the longest freshwater coast in the World (14 km!), but also has winter activities. During winter, you can snowshoe or cross-country ski over 30 km of groomed trails. There are trails for both experts and beginners, with the Blueberry Trail being a great beginner ski trail. Both ski and snowshoe rentals are available at Wasaga. You can check trail conditions here.
Should You Visit Toronto During Winter?
Hopefully from this list you can see that Toronto has a lot to offer visitors (or residents!) during winter. Although you do have to deal with colder weather, the city takes on a magical feel with all the areas that have light displays. It’s also the perfect time of year to visit the theatre or cozy up in a cafe.
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I would love to visit…just thinking about how cold it could get!
It does get pretty cold but if you bundle up with a warm coat, mittens, and boots it’s not too bad!
Cold but very festive! Great aeticle!
Have to make the best of the cold weather 🙂
I have always wanted to visit Toronto but had never thought about in winter. After reading this, I would love to go and see all the Christmas activities and markets as it’s such a fun way to get into the holiday spirit! ?
If you love the holidays and Christmas then it’s a pretty good place to visit during the winter. Toronto has a great food and cafe scene so it’s the perfect season for that as well 😀
Wow! This looks so festive! Sounds like it would be a fun city to explore during the holidays.
Toronto definitely get’s into the Christmas spirit. It is fun to explore during the winter.
We lived in Toronto for 10 years before moving to Beautiful British Columbia! loved that there was always much to do in winter! our fav. was St. Laurence Market.
The St.Lawrence Market is great. All the winter activities and events here make the long winter go by just a bit faster 🙂
Toronto looks so magical in the winter time! I’ve only been to Banff (which was gorgeous), but would love to go to Toronto to see Niagara Falls!
I’m not sure that Toronto can compete with Banff because it’s gorgeous but it’s a good Canadian destination. Niagara Falls is pretty special to visit though.
Wow, there is so much to do in Toronto! I like the light show display. We just went to the one in Niagara Falls and this one looks even bigger! I will have to check that one out too.
I was thinking of visiting the one in Niagara Falls to check it out, it looks like fun. I’ve seen the falls at night and loved it but not the Christmas display. I like that there are light show displays in Toronto after Christmas because it’s such a busy season that it’s difficult to get to all the events before Christmas!
Looks so pretty this time of year!!
The Christmas lights definitely make Toronto feel a bit more festive 🙂