Welcome to yoyomama’s weekend guide! Your go-to list of family friendly fun things to do with kids in Toronto and the GTA.
With Labour Day right around the corner, it’s time to squeeze the last bit of summer fun out of the city. From orangutan’s, to thousands of beautiful butterflies, indoor play fun, storytelling, science and mystery, and busker entertainment, it’s a good weekend to live, and play, in Toronto!
Scotiabank Buskerfest, St. Lawrence Market
Thursday, August 25th – Sunday, August 28th, St. Lawrence Neighbourhood, Front Street between Jarvis & Scott Street, Toronto
Now in its 12th year, Buskerfest has evolved into the largest of its kind in North America, and a showcase for the most spectacular street performers. There is something for everyone; silent comedy and slapstick, daredevils and magicians, high skill circus acts and a wide variety of music, clowns, contortionists, acrobats, aerialists, puppets, and fire: www.torontobuskerfest.com
TELUS TAIWANfest: Taiwan Rising, Harbourfront Centre
Friday, August 26th – Sunday, August 28th, 3 pm – 5 pm, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay West, Toronto (Co-produced by ACSEA)
This festival celebrates the cultural treasures of Taiwan with performances by artists from the island of Taiwan and from around Canada. It’s time to see Taiwan as a hot spot of connectivity and the foundation of new expressions in the arts; Enjoy the performances, savour the food, and experience Taiwan Rising: www.harbourfrontcentre.com
CSI Effect: Fact Or Fiction? Ontario Science Centre
Friday, August 26th, 1 pm, Ontario Science Centre, Proctor & Gamble Great Hall, Level 2, 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto
Bring the curious kiddos for a day in the life of a forensic pathologist with Dr. Toby Rose, Office of the Chief Coroner, Government of Ontario: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
Orangutan Awareness Weekend, Toronto Zoo
Friday, August 26th- Sunday, August 28th, 11 am – 4 pm (Special Orangutan Keeper Talk at 1 pm), Indo-Malaya Pavilion, Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Avenue, Toronto
Orangutan means ‘person of the forest’, and what better way to celebrate 2011′s International Year of the Forest than with Orangutan Awareness Weekend. Check out an orangutan enrichment interpretive station, artifacts, and artwork painted by one of the Zoo’s talented orangutans. Take part in the sealed-bid auction for your chance to win a number of prizes, including a one-year Membership to the Toronto Zoo, orangutan art, and more: www.torontozoo.com
Tommy Thompson Park Butterfly Festival
Saturday, August 27th, 10 am – 3 pm, Tommy Thompson Park, Leslie Street Spit, Toronto
Located on the Toronto Waterfront, Tommy Thompson Park is Toronto’s largest green space providing critical habitat for butterflies. Over 55 species have been recorded to date at the park! Come enjoy the Butterfly Festival to learn about the amazing phenomenon of monarch migration and the importance of butterfly conservation. There will be fun activities for all ages: www.butterflyfest.ca
A Celebration Of Water
Saturday, August 27th, Noon – 4 pm, June Rowlands Park, Mount Pleasant Road & Davisville Avenue, Toronto
Come celebrate all things H2O at this family-friendly event, with games, stories, art activities, a blazing good BBQ, and fun in the splash pad! All proceeds go to Free the Children’s Adopt-A-Village Program to provide a Kenyan village with a clean water source. Entrance is pay-what-you-can: lesliend.ca
NBA Jam Session Is Back! Yonge-Dundas Square
Saturday, August 27th- Sunday, August 28th, 8 am – 5 pm, Yonge-Dundas Square, South East corner of Yonge & Dundas Streets, Toronto
At this free, interactive basketball festival, participants of all ages will get the chance to meet the shortest player to ever play in the NBA, NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues, see a performance by Buckets Blakes of the Harlem Globetrotters, test their basketball skills in the Right Guard Go Pro challenge, and create their own NBA avatar through HP technology: www.nbajamsessioncanada.com
Kidnetix Play Centre – Grand Opening!
Sunday, August 28th, 10 am – 2 pm, Shall We Dance, 511 McNicoll Avenue, Unit# 205, Second floor, Toronto
Join in for a day of fun with the family! The kids will love the playgrounds filled with interactive climbers, riding toys, LEGO walls, slides, rock climbing, ball pits, video arcade games, and more. Kidnetix! is an indoor play centre, offering a safe, interactive, educational and creative environment for children and their families: www.kidnetix.ca
Suitcase Theatre’s Fall Storytelling Series
Sunday, August 28th, 10 am – 11 am, High Parks Family Fun Place, 2968 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Join professional storyteller Sally Jaeger for a not-to-be-missed storytelling event of “The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon” at High Park Family Fun Place. Suitcase Theatre is a professional touring theatre company that connects with children at daycares, schools, hospitals, community centres, festivals and special events across Ontario. Ideal for kids aged preschool – 6 years: www.suitcasetheatre.com
Farther Afield:
Winona Peach Festival
Friday, August 26th – Sunday, August 28th, 9 am – 11 pm, Winona Park, Winona
A great weekend with fantastic entertainment! There will be a kid’s fun area, entertainment, arts and crafts, vendors, and taste testing (yum, peaches!) Families can also partake in a pageant and a Grand Peach Ball: www.winonapeach.com
Carnival For Care, Trillium Health Centre
Friday, August 26th (Noon – 11 pm), Saturday, August 27th (11 am – 11 pm), Sunday, August 28th (11 am – 10 pm), Trillium Health Centre, 100 Queensway West, Southeast Parking Lot, Mississauga
A weekend of carnival fun for the whole family featuring a 1940′s Merry-Go-Round, games, rides, and so much more! Proceeds will benefit Trillium Health Centre’s seniors programs. Volunteers of Trillium Health Centre, Trillium Health Centre Foundation, and GTA Midways sponsor this event: www.trilliumhealthcentre.org
MegaFun 4 Kids Free Event!
Saturday, August 27th, 11 am – 3 pm, Downey’s Farm, 13682 Heart Lake Road Brampton
It’s Customer’s Day, so come and join in the fun! This family friendly indoor playground is a fun, safe and clean environment, designed for infants and children up to age 7. Must bring socks to enter. Enjoy free pizza from Noon-1pm, and great door prizes: www.megafun4kids.com
Ongoing Fun:
Don’t forget there’s plenty on the go throughout the summer in T.O. Here’s a reminder of other events and activities you can take in this weekend if you need to fill some time:
Do you have an event you would like to see in our weekend guide? Then send us your details and we’ll help you get the word out. Looking for a feature listing? Contact Erin, our Director of Sales and Marketing, for more information.
And we wanted to remind you to always call or visit the website for event info before you head out just in case any changes have been made since we posted it. And of course, have fun!