15 free things to do in Toronto this weekend
Dive into Ravine Day adventures and discover a bevy of activities at Evergreen Brick Works.
This weekend, explore a variety of events marking Ravine Day, engage in seasonal festivities at Brick Works, and reflect on Truth and Reconciliation Day through meaningful community gatherings.
Our curated list from the City of Toronto Festivals & Events calendar is here to entice a weekend of discovery and connection for all.
Weekend Nature Play
Location: Evergreen Brick Works, Centre for Green Cities
Date(s): Saturday, September 30 - Monday, October 9
Organizer description: “The Weekend Nature Play program is a free community program that takes place in the Children's Garden giving children, families and caregivers alike the chance to engage in active, inclusive and seasonal activities while cultivating a lifelong stewardship ethic with the nature around us!”
Click here for more info.
Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market
Location: Evergreen Brick Works, Centre for Green Cities
Date(s): Saturday, September 30 - Saturday, October 7
Organizer description: “Evergreen's Saturday Farmers Market is open year-round, connecting people in Toronto to local Ontario farmers and producers. Join our market as we support over 70 local farmers, producers, entrepreneurs and chefs! Find the Saturday Farmers Market outdoors from May to October, and indoors from November to April.”
Click here for more info.
Pumpkin Patch & Hay Bale Maze
Location: Evergreen Garden Market, Centre for Green Cities
Date(s): Sunday, October 1 - Tuesday, October 31
Organizer description: “Fall Fair comes to the city! Visit the Evergreen Garden Market and make your way through a festive Hay Bale Maze. Once you finish the maze, you'll find yourself at a pumpkin patch! We will have specialty pumpkins, gourds, and carving pumpkins for sale.”
Click here for more info.
Archiving Black Futures - Little Jamaica: Launch Event
Location: Studio M, 1672 Eglinton Ave W
Date(s): Wednesday, September 30
Organizer description: “Archiving Black Futures - Little Jamaica is a pilot oral and visual archival history project brought to the Little Jamaica community during the Summer 2023. This Cultural Hotspot Signature Project captured stories from community leaders in Little Jamaica with a podcast series produced by local youth. We invite you to see the creative outputs of the project, and celebrate the youth who helped put it together. Join us to celebrate the launch of this pilot project! There will be food and a chance to listen the podcast and interact with the artwork.”
Click here for more info.
Tom Riley Park Ravine Walk
Location: Tom Riley Park - Park entrance on Bloor St W near community garden, 3216 Bloor St W
Date(s): Wednesday, September 30
Organizer description: “We invite you to join us to celebrate and enjoy our local ravine as part of Toronto's Ravine Days! Learn about the unique history and diverse plants and animals in your ravine and park.”
Click here for more info.
The Ridge Trail Stewardship
Location: The Ridge Trail
Date(s): Wednesday, September 30
Organizer description: “Let's kick off Ravine Days on The Ridge Trail with a morning of trail stewardship to help maintain and restore natural surface trails. Tools will be provided, and no expertise is necessary. This event is part of Ravine Days. Ravine Days is an annual city-wide celebration from September 30 to October 9 of Toronto's ravine system. Activities about and throughout the ravines - from talks and tours, to markets and creative workshops - are held in collaboration with community partners. Event site conditions vary. Contact us for more information and to request accessibility support.”
Click here for more info.
Ravine Walk – delving into the past and connecting with the land
Location: North West Entrance to the East Don River, Leslie St at Marowyne Dr
Date(s): Saturday, September 30
Organizer description: “Coinciding with the National Truth and Reconciliation day, join us for a walk for an experiential journey connecting the present and the past, the land and its history and its many interconnections with the present. The walk will be led by Carolynne Crawley and organised by Friends of Dallington Park. The walk will be interspersed by a talk on the significance of the day, as well as the significance of the ravines and our connection to the land. It will be a short, easy walk.”
Click here for more info.
Ravine Ride
Location: Ride starts on the corner of Shuter and Sumach, Regent Park
Date(s): Saturday, September 30
Organizer description: “Join us to celebrate safe cycling in the city with a family-friendly ride that connects Regent Park to Evergreen Brick Works. The ride begins at Regent Park, at the corner of Shuter and Sumach Streets. We will enjoy a slow roll on River Street to the Bayview Multi-Use Trail, and ride together to Evergreen Brick Works. All ages and abilities are welcome; no one will be left behind! Bikes are recommended for all participants; there are BikeShare stations at the start and the end of the ride. Basic bike assistance and first aid will be available. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.”
Click here for more info.
Family Ravine Walk
Location: Curran Hall Community Centre, 277 Orton Park Rd
Date(s): Saturday, September 30
Organizer description: “A fun and interactive walk for youth and their parents/caregivers to learn about what’s growing in their local ravine and park. Participants will learn and look for plants and objects found in nature using an “explorer” kit along with a “passport” to check off items that they find throughout several learning stations of the walk.”
Click here for more info.
Gaffney Park Tree Planting
Location: Gaffney Park
Date(s): Sunday, October 1
Organizer description: “Plant native trees and shrubs along this newly updated linear park. This event is part of Ravine Days. Ravine Days is an annual city-wide celebration from September 30 to October 9 of Toronto’s ravine system. Activities about and throughout the ravines – from talks and tours, to markets and creative workshops – are held in collaboration with community partners. Event site conditions vary. Contact us for more information and to request accessibility support.”
Click here for more info.
Community Stewardship
Location: Downsview Park (behind the building next to the greenhouse), 70 Canuck Ave
Date(s): Sunday, October 1
Organizer description: “Help support Downsview Park's Urban Forest by participating in our community stewardship event! Join us as we get our hands dirty removing invasive species and planting in the Park. This event is a part of the Urban Forest Resilience Project, and no experience is needed. All equipment will be provided.”
Click here for more info.
The Honourable Harvest ~ Truth and Reconciliation at Scarborough Museum
Location: Scarborough Museum, 1007 Brimley Rd
Date(s): Saturday, September 30
Organizer description: “Join Elder Catherine Tammaro; Wyandot MultiMedia Artist and seated FaithKeeper for the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation (one of the four nations of the Wendat Confederacy) and others in honouring the Autumnal Solstice and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Celebrate the progression of cycles of the Natural World through the sharing of food, songs and teachings centred on holding right relations with the Earth, waters and celestial spaces - and with each other. Guests will be invited to reflect on what they intend to harvest this year and how the energies of these gifts from the earth and the Ancestors of this land, may assist them as they move through the colder months, until the light is sparked and renewed at Winter Solstice.”
Click here for more info.
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto 26th Annual Community Pow Wow
Location: Dufferin Grove Park, 875 Dufferin St
Date(s): Saturday, September 30
Organizer description: “We invite you to join us for our 26th Annual Community Pow Wow! We are excited for another year, with traditional drumming, singing, and dancing. We will also have a vendors market, and children activities set up for everyone to enjoy.”
Click here for more info.
Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure
Location: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St W
Date(s): Sunday, October 1
Organizer description: “Join us for the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure. The event is an annual 5k or 1k walk or run that raises funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. It is the largest single-day, volunteer-led event in Canada in support of the breast cancer cause. This event unites an incredible collective of Canadians who are a force-for-life in the face of breast cancer and want to show their support. It is an inspirational day that raises important funds for Canadian Cancer Society, the largest charitable funder of breast cancer research in Canada. Register and donate at CIBCRunfortheCure.ca. Together we can change the future of breast cancer.”
Click here for more info.
Spadina Fall Festival
Location: Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd
Date(s): Sunday, October 1
Organizer description: “Enjoy the historic apple orchard of Spadina Museum and celebrate the autumn season. Sample apple cider, enjoy the community arts fair and learn about our local bees with PollinateTO”
Click here for more info.
Code and markup by Umbreen Tapal. ©Torontoverse, 2023