This festival has ended. Looking for something happening now?
Upcoming festivals in GTA →BIG on Bloor 2026: 20 Years of Car-Free Bloordale
A free weekend-long arts and culture takeover of Bloor Street West
Dates
Jul 18–19
Cost
Free
Where
Bloordale, Toronto
Family
Kid-friendly
Ten blocks of Bloor Street West go car-free for BIG on Bloor’s 20th year, with the debut of CEREMONY, live street murals, and a youth-run marketplace — all free, all weekend, rain or shine.
👰 CEREMONY debut
🎨 Live street murals
🧒 Youth Market
🎶 Main Stage
💡 The festival footprint spans the full ten blocks between Dufferin and Lansdowne — pick a subway station near where you want to start (Dufferin or Lansdowne, both on Line 2) rather than trying to drive in.
✨ Why This One’s Worth Blocking Off Your Calendar
BIG on Bloor has been shutting down Bloor Street West for car-free celebrations since 2007, and 2026 marks its 20th year. Run by BIG (Bloor Improvement Group) with the Bloordale BIA, it’s grown from a neighbourhood block party into one of Toronto’s larger community-driven arts festivals, drawing well over 100,000 people across the weekend without ever charging admission.
This year the festival is leaning further into arts and culture and pulling back on the vendor-market side of things — fewer outside vendors, more room to breathe, and a deliberate focus on local artists, local businesses, and calmer public space. It’s a shift from the packed-market feel of past years toward something a little more curated.
The headline addition for the 20th anniversary is CEREMONY, a new public art feature that turns a Bloordale side street into an immersive space inspired by multicultural wedding traditions — think Henna tattoos, Lion Dragon performances, Hora dances, Celtic hand-fastening, and Chinese tea ceremonies, all staged as if you’ve wandered into someone else’s wedding. Combine that with live-painted murals, a youth-run marketplace, and a full Main Stage, and it’s a packed ten blocks.
🗓️ Weekend at a Glance
BIG on Bloor runs two full days on the street, with slightly different hours each day. Detailed set times for the Main Stage and CEREMONY performances hadn’t been posted at the time of writing — check the festival’s site closer to the date for a minute-by-minute lineup.
Saturday, July 18 · Noon–Midnight
Full street closure opens at noon · Main Stage, Card-Yard, i-Sites, and Youth Market run all afternoon · CEREMONY installations and performances throughout the day · Evening programming continues after dark until midnight
Sunday, July 19 · Noon–9 PM
Shorter day — everything wraps by 9 PM · Same zones and activities as Saturday · Generally the quieter of the two days, good for families wanting more elbow room
🎪 What to See Along the Strip
The festival is organized into a handful of themed zones spread along the ten-block closure. Here’s what’s confirmed for 2026.
👰 CEREMONY (New for 20 Years)
A neighbourhood side street reimagined as a wedding venue, with rotating cultural traditions — Henna tattoos, Lion Dragon performances, Hora dances, Celtic hand-fastening, Sari-dressing workshops, Chinese tea ceremonies, and a flower crown booth. Want to be publicly “married” as part of the installation? Sign-up slots are open via the festival’s form, with a deadline of July 11.
🎶 Main Stage
Music programming is curated by Uma Nota Culture, a Toronto not-for-profit focused on diverse music and art. The 2026 lineup hadn’t been announced at the time of writing — check the festival’s Main Stage page for artist names as they’re confirmed.
🎨 i-Sites: Collage, Poetry & Portals
Free collage-making booths, live pay-what-you-can poetry from Marc Nair and William Hunt, and Toronto artists live-painting mural “portals” on doors and storefronts along Bloor Street throughout the weekend.
🧒 Card-Yard
Presented by PULP: Reclaimed Materials Arts and Design, this free installation lets visitors build with a larger-than-life kit of plywood pieces and cardboard tubes — genuinely fun for kids and adults alike.
🛍 Youth Market
A kids-only marketplace just south of Pauline Avenue, where children set up their own tables to sell, trade, or barter anything they can dream up. No registration needed, first-come first-placed, open 11 AM to 9 PM both days.
🧠 Bloordale Quiz Show
Shari Kassman’s Big Bloordale Quiz returns as a low-key, community trivia activation somewhere along the strip — good for a laugh between the bigger installations.
📋 Essentials
Tickets
None needed. Free general admission, walk in anywhere along the closure.
Accessibility
The closure is flat pavement with no gates, but sidewalks and road can get crowded — arriving earlier in the day is easier for mobility devices.
Parking
No parking on the closed street. Use nearby Green P lots or the Dufferin Mall lot and walk in.
Best For
Families · art lovers · anyone who likes wandering a street festival without a strict schedule
🚇 Getting There & Parking
Bloor Street West is fully closed to vehicles between Dufferin Street and Lansdowne Avenue for the entire festival footprint, so driving in isn’t really an option.
Subway: Dufferin and Lansdowne stations on Line 2 (Bloor–Danforth) both sit right at the edges of the closure — easiest way in or out.
Parking: There’s no parking inside the festival footprint. Green P lots and the Dufferin Mall parking lot are the closest options — plan to walk in from there.
📍 Get Directions to the Dufferin End
💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
🚶 It’s ten blocks long. Pick an end near a subway station and work your way down rather than trying to see everything — the closure runs the full stretch from Dufferin to Lansdowne.
☀️ Bring sun protection. It’s an open street with limited shade in most stretches, and you’ll likely be out for hours.
💍 Sign up early for CEREMONY. Slots to be featured in the installation are limited and the sign-up form closes July 11 — don’t wait until festival weekend.
🧒 Let the kids run their own booth. The Youth Market needs no registration — if your kid wants to set up a lemonade stand or sell crafts, they can just show up.
❓ Common Questions
Details may change — always confirm on the official BIG on Bloor Festival website before heading out.
