Welcome to yoyomama’s weekend guide! Your go-to list of family friendly fun things to do with kids in Toronto and the GTA.
“Let’s go to the EX, oh baby, let’s go to the EX…” A sure sign summer is coming to a close is the start of the Canadian National Exhibition, a must-do event for many families. It starts this weekend and run through to September 5th, so there’s plenty of time to catch the fun, games, midway rides, and of course, unique food offerings like deep fried PB & J on a stick! If you’d rather avoid the crazy crowds at the CNE, Evergreen Brick Works is holding their Wild Blueberry Festival, with hands-on workshops, taste testing, and a pie bake-off. There’s also cultural and neighbourhood festivals to partake in, plus a Children’s Festival on the beach a little farther afield, which will keep kids and grownups alike busy and entertained.
The EX, Canadian National Exhibition
Friday, August 19th – Monday, September 5th, 10 am – 10 pm, Exhibition Place, 200 Princes’ Boulevard, Toronto
Since opening day in 1879, the Canadian National Exhibition has been the place for families looking for great entertainment, education and a whole bunch of fun, with games, midways, food, events, and much more. A nostalgic event for many Torontonians, the EX is the perfect place to create lasting memories as a family: www.theex.com
Kids’ Dance Programs Open House, Shall We Dance Studio
Saturday, August 20th, 10 am – 11 am, Shall We Dance, 511 McNicoll Ave. Unit# 205, Second floor, Toronto
Parents and children (ages 2.5-6) are invited to this Summer Open House for Kid’s Dance Programs! For more information, please come to the open house or call 416.502.2333: www.shallwedance.ca
Wild Blueberry Festival, Evergreen Brick Works
Friday, August 20th, 8 am – 4 pm, Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
A full day of free family activities, including live music, blueberry tasting, face-painting, tie-dyeing, hands-on baking workshops, and tips on making blueberry jam and chutney. Come celebrate the best of the wild blueberry season! Meet growers and local chefs making delicious savory and sweet dishes, enjoy live music and story telling, and take your chance in the Blueberry Pie Bake-Off event! A fun and tasty way to spend a day: ebw.evergreen.ca
Origami Workshop For Kids
Friday, August 20th, 2 pm – 4 pm, New Acropolis, 2498 Yonge Street, Suite 319, Toronto
Making the spirit of paper come to life! Creating Lotuses and Elephants Made of two words (“ori”=to fold and “Kami”=paper or spirit), Origami is the Japanese art of capturing the essence of something beautiful and symbolic through paper sculptures. Create the same piece countless times, and learn something new with each fold. Ages 10+: toronto.newacropolis.ca/events/origami
Masala! Mehndi! Masti!, Harbourfront Centre
Friday, August 19th – Sunday, August 21st, all day event, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay West, Toronto
A celebration of diverse South Asian and South Asia-inspired culture! This favourite South Asian festival returns to Harbourfront Centre to celebrate the rich, dynamic and diverse cultures from all regions of this global hot spot: www.harbourfrontcentre.com
Tour The Crime Scene, Ontario Science Centre
Friday, August 19th, 1 pm & 3 pm, Ontario Science Centre, Proctor & Gamble Great Hall, Level 2, 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto
Investigators Wade Knaap and Bradley Donais from the Toronto Forensic Identification Service will demonstrate how science and technology are used to collect evidence at a crime scene: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
Fairbank Village BIA Summer Fest 2011
Saturday, August 20th, Noon – 11 pm & Sunday, August 21st, Noon – 9 pm, Fairbank Village BIA, 1877 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
The Festival will showcase artists such as Dr. Draw, Low Level Flight (Ryan Malcolm, Winner of Canadian Idol), Sambacanna, and many more. There will also be Midway rides and games for the kids. Come out for a weekend of fun and games, and get a little back to school shopping done at the shops, which will host a Back To School Extravaganza. Admission is free: www.fairbankvillagebia.ca
Power Kids / Project: Object, Power Plant
Sunday, August 21st, 3 pm – 5 pm, Power Plant, 231 Queen’s Quay West, Toronto
Inspired by artist Anna Kołodziejska’s post-conceptual sculpture practice, this workshop will teach kids to play with shape, space and scale, and how to create everyday objects using various common artistic and domestic materials. Participants will partner up to explore how their new creations can be transformed — altering the objects’ meaning and context — to make new, imaginative and surprising compositions. Finally, through photography, kids will have the chance to create narratives with their arrangements. Parents are expected to join their children in all activities. Led by artist-educator and Animateur at The Power Plant, Anna Bouzina. For ages 8-12: www.thepowerplant.org
Farther Afield:
Children’s Festival, Beachway Park
Friday, August 20th – Saturday, August 21st, 10 am – 4 pm, Beachway Park & Spencer Smith Park, Burlington
A weekend of beach and pirate fun! Kids can discover sandcastles, play on the beach, and enjoy a sand sculpting demonstration, plus enjoy great music and fun. This festival is also all about kids having fun – pirate style! Bouncers, face painting, and activities galore…come as a pirate or princess and join the parade: cms.burlington.ca
Free Family Fun Day At The Races
Sunday, August 21st, 10:30 am – 4 pm, Downey’s Farm, 13682 Heart Lake Road Brampton
Pick up a Race Day Passport at the registration booth to participate in many free activities, like the Petting Zoo, face painting, Try the Track Run (11 am – Noon), autographs with Wendel Clark, Wii Horse Racing, and food and refreshments (for nominal fee). Donations will go to the Image is Everything campaign. For information, visit www.rougeMRI.ca: www.ajaxdowns.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!
Thank you so much for this! I was ready to spend hours searching for some current children-friendly eventsbut now it seems I don’t really have to. Just another suggestion – I think the kids might like the Butterfly Festival as well.