Toronto's annual Holiday Fair in the Square launches local virtual marketplace

Toronto’s annual Holiday Fair in the Square will be looking a little different this year.

Instead of supporting local businesses at its usual location in Nathan Phillips Square, Epilepsy Toronto is hosting the holiday tradition online to allow for safe shopping this season.

Launching on December 1, the Holiday Fair in the Square Virtual Marketplace will be an online, multi-vendor, one-stop-shop for all of your holiday shopping needs.

According to organizers, shoppers can browse through a wide selection of vendors who each host their own individual business pages to find a huge variety of unique holiday gifts and products this season.

“Small businesses have been left out in the cold this holiday season during what is typically the busiest time of year for them,” reads a release by the Fair. “Holiday Fair in the Square Virtual Marketplace is hoping to help relieve the devastating impact made by the pandemic by providing a simple platform that allows visitors to shop for their special gifts just like they would have if they were in Nathan Phillip’s Square.”

While some of the Fair’s festive feels and in-person events will be missed, the Fair wanted to continue to support the community.

“2020 has been a challenging time for small businesses, and as a non-profit, we could certainly relate to that struggle,” said Geoff Bobb, Epilepsy Toronto’s Executive Director.

“Most of our major fundraising events have been cancelled in the wake of COVID-19. With that in mind, we were inspired to find a way to adapt our Holiday Fair in the Square event into an online format to help support our community during this difficult time.”

A small portion of the proceeds from Holiday Fair in the Square Virtual Marketplace will go towards Epilepsy Toronto, who has been hosting Holiday Fair in Nathan Phillip’s Square since 2016.

Epilepsy Toronto is a local service agency dedicated to the promotion of independence and optimal quality of life for all people with epilepsy.

“So, not only will shoppers be supporting small businesses in their what may be their greatest time of need, their purchase will also be helping people and their families who are living with epilepsy receive free counselling and support services,” states the release.

“Now that’s holiday shopping you can feel good about.”

Holiday Fair in the Square is now live online.