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Happy New Year, Toronto!
Get to know your beautiful city a little better in 2017. Each month, we feature events and festivals for you to check out.
And kick it all off with these January events!
Toronto Polar Bear Dip
The annual Toronto Polar Bear Dip tradition returns in support of Habitat for Humanity. Since 2005, the Toronto Polar Bear Club has raised almost $370,000 – funds that have gone directly to build projects in the Greater Toronto Area. Get ready to try this rare hangover cure.
Where: Sunnyside Beach
When: January 1 at noon
New Year’s Day Celebration and Free Yoga
What a perfect way to start off the New Year of 2017 & set a clear intention for your self-care. This is also an opportunity for Leslieville Yoga to thank students for their loyalty and support and invite new students to the studio and their amazing yoga community.
Where: Leslieville Yoga, 241 Leslie Street
When: January 1 at 2 pm
Salute to Vienna New Year’s concert
Celebrate the ageless beauty of Viennese music with Toronto’s 22nd annual New Year’s Concert. Strauss waltzes and sweeping melodies from operettas are performed by hand-picked European singers and full orchestra. Beautifully costumed dancers present romantic vignettes.
Where: Roy Thompson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street
When: January 1 at 2:30 pm
Centennial Classic: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings
Mark the start of the year with the outdoor NHL game featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Detroit Red Wings! The game is a celebration of the centennial season of the Maple Leafs and the beginning of the NHL’s centennial year.
Where: Exhibition Stadium, 170 Princes’ Blvd
When: January 1 at 3 pm
2017 Next Stage Theatre Festival
The Next Stage Theatre Festival (NSTF) is the premiere winter theatre event in the city. Produced by the Toronto Fringe, NSTF is a platform for past Fringe artists to take groundbreaking work to the next level – and a gathering place for discerning culture lovers in the city.
Where: Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street
When: January 4 to 15
Best of 2016 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Best of 2016 highlights the best, brightest and most astonishing documentaries of 2016 on display with this special series.
Where: 506 Bloor Street West
When: January 6 to 11
DJ Skate Nights
Harbourfront Centre’s DJ Skate Nights continue this year, and they’re sure to heat up your Saturday nights until February 18. Each Saturday will feature DJs and hit tracks to keep you moving on ice.
Where: Harbourfront Centre’s Natrel Rink, 235 Queens Quay West
When: January 7, 14, 21, and 28
No Pants Subway Ride
It’s almost time for the annual No Pants Subway Ride! Breaking free from the leg jail, the No Pants Ride tradition returns this month. The event, happening all over the world, is “a celebration of silliness to bring a smile to commuter’s faces.”
Where: TTC – further details will be on the event page.
When: January 8 at 3 pm
Bowie’s Birthday
It’s been one entire year since Major Tom drifted into space forever. David Bowie stage-managed his fascinating life to the very end, leaving with his parting gift of the momentous and haunting Blackstar album on January 8 last year, his 69th birthday. To that end, The Royal is celebrating Bowie’s 70th birthday in style, with a screening of the legend’s first “death” – David Bowie’s final electrifying performance as Ziggy Stardust in 1973 at London’s Hammersmith Odeon Theater.
Where: The Royal Cinema, 608 College Street
When: January 8 at 7 pm
Batsheva Dance Company: Decadance 2017
Helmed by the dynamic and talented choreographer, Ohad Naharin, Batsheva Dance Company has been critically acclaimed and popularly embraced as one of the foremost contemporary dance companies in the world. The company returns to Toronto for a second time in five years.
Where: The Sony Centre for Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East
When: January 14 at 8 pm
See also
- 51 winter events to check out in Toronto
- The best new brunch in Toronto 2016
- 10 most anticipated Toronto restaurant openings for 2017
- 11 concerts in Toronto to check out in January
Trinity Bellwoods Flea- Winter Edition
It’s a new year new things are happening at Trinity Bellwoods Flea. New vendors, new locally crafted goods, new handcrafted cocktails and a new home! There is also a brand new vintage only section.
Where: The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West
When: January 15 at 10 am
National Geographic Live
National Geographic Live presents Kenny Broad in The Risky Science of Exploration. National Geographic’s 2011 Explorer of the Year, Broad finds a surprising amount to laugh about as he shares stories of his triumphs, tragedies, and just plain weird experiences while watching science evolve to further our knowledge of the world.
Where: Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street
When: January 15 at 2 pm, January 16 and 17 at 8 pm
Kings of Leon
Nashville’s Kings of Leon are back. The boys, who have four Grammy Awards to their name, released their latest record WALLS in October 2016. They return to Toronto for a show at the ACC.
Where: Air Canada Centre, 50 Bay Street
When: January 16 at 7:30 pm
San Junipero Queer Dance Party
San Junipero is a party town and this party won’t end at midnight. If you’re still dehydrated from crying through the end of Black Mirror’s San Junipero episode, then head to the Gladstone and have some drinks, dance your cares away and realize that heaven is a place on earth!
Where: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West
When: January 20 at 10 pm
The 59th Annual Toronto International Boat Show
North America’s largest indoor boat show is the best place to see boats and the best place to buy them!
Where: Enercare Centre, 100 Princes’ Blvd
When: January 20 to 29
Ice Breakers 2017
Three-dimensional, faceted hands standing three metres high; glowing, modular boxes from Denmark; and oversized, camouflaged massing models will each mark Toronto’s Waterfront this month as part of a brand new public art exhibition entitled Ice Breakers.
Where: Five installations on Queens Quay from Yonge Street to Bathurst Street
When: January 21 to February 26
Wild Winter Wonderland
Winter fun at the Brick Works! This event includes workshops, storytelling, skating, and cooking! Fun for the whole family.
Where: Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue
When: January 21 and 22
Isaiah Rashad
Tennessee hip-hop producer and recording artist brings his sound to Toronto this month. Rashad released his debut studio album, The Sun’s Tirade, last fall and record peaked a number 17 on the Billboard 200.
Where: The Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne Street
When: January 26 at 8 pm
Chinese New Year Gala
CNTV Chinese New Year Gala 2017 is the largest and the costliest extravaganza for the Chinese Community. Over eight hundred of elite artists from Mainland China and Canada perform in this most preeminent social networking event of the Chinese community in the year.
Where: The Sony Centre for Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East
When: January 27 at 8 pm
Toronto Light Fest
The Toronto Light Festival is a brand-new event which will transform the Distillery District into a huge open-air gallery, lighting up the long Winter nights with works from Canadian and International light artists.
Where: The Distillery District
When: January 27 to March 3
Winterlicious Culinary Event Series
The annual city-wide prix fixe promotion returns January 27 to February 9, 2017 and while multi-course menus are the main event, a line-up of food-focused events are also among the highlights. Don’t miss it!
Where: Various locations
When: January 27 to February 9
Monster Jam
Monster Jam brings high-octane entertainment to fans around the country. These action-packed live events showcase some of the most recognizable Monster Jam trucks, including Grave Digger, Max-D and many more, performing jaw-dropping displays of gravity-defying feats.
Where: Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way
When: January 28 and 29
Yoga Untapped
Yoga Untapped returns to Steam Whistle. Bring your mat, and join a morning yoga session at the brewery! Namaste.
Where: 255 Bremner Blvd
When: January 29 at 10 am