With the Labour Day weekend marking the official end of summer and back-to-school countrywide, here in Toronto it marks the beginning of Toronto’s most glamorous ritual. Red carpets, after-parties, and cinematic spotlights flood the city for the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). If you’re new to Toronto, or new to what this city has to offer consider this your ultimate guide to all this festival has in store.
Where the parties are
TIFF is about the films, but it’s also about the glamour that swirls around them. If you’re channeling your inner Carrie Bradshaw, half the fun is knowing where the real action happens once the credits roll. These are the spaces where you just might find yourself brushing shoulders with the stars.
Deadline Portrait Studio at Bisha Hotel
80 Blue Jays Way
Every year, the Bisha Hotel transforms into one of TIFF’s most exclusive celebrity hubs. The Deadline Portrait Studio hosts a steady stream of Hollywood’s biggest names for private shoots in the luxe Bisha Suite, designed by Lenny Kravitz. Past years have welcomed Angelina Jolie, J.Lo, and Selena Gomez; this year, expect stars like Sydney Sweeney, Ralph Fiennes and Scarlett Johansson. Even if you’re not on the guest list, the lobby and surrounding area are hotspots for star-spotting, with the hotel doubling as a media hub filled with cinematic glamour.
Campari Cinema Center
455 King St. W.
Back for TIFF’s 50th, the Campari Cinema Center is the festival’s ultimate hospitality hub. By day, it’s home to the Collider Media Studio, where directors and A-listers stop by for interviews (expect Riz Ahmed, Kirsten Dunst, Channing Tatum, Ethan Hawke, Scarlett Johansson, and more). By night, it transforms into a velvet-rope after-party destination, complete with Campari’s signature red-carpet cocktails.
TIFF After Dark at The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St. W.
The Drake has long been TIFF’s unofficial after-hours lounge, and this year it goes all in with TIFF After Dark. Expect a 4 a.m. last call, a film-inspired cocktail menu (don’t miss The Gold Digger, crafted with Hennessy VS and flecked with gold dust), and late-night bites until 2 a.m. Think punny, shareable plates like Lord of the Wings, Jurassic Pork, and The Devil Wears Prawns. With live DJs, a packed lounge, and plenty of post-premiere mingling, it’s where the festival crowd goes to keep the night alive.
Criterion Closet Pop-Up
Sept. 4–7 | Across from TIFF Lightbox, 350 King St. W.
For cinephiles, this is pure heaven. The legendary Criterion Closet — usually reserved for filmmakers — goes mobile, landing in Toronto for the first time. Stocked with over 1,700 films from the Criterion Collection, the pop-up lets festival-goers browse, pick favourites and even record their own closet video (just like the ones beloved directors film for Criterion’s YouTube channel). Entry is first-come, first-serve, so line up early for a rare chance to step inside this shrine to cinema.
Tickets, tickets, tickets
If you haven’t snagged TIFF tickets yet, don’t panic. The early-bird sales have already come and gone, but there are still plenty of ways to get yourself into a screening — it just depends what kind of experience you’re looking for.
Understanding the sections
TIFF is divided into different program sections, each with its own vibe:
- Centrepiece: Compelling stories with global perspectives — diverse, carefully curated and often some of the festival’s strongest picks.
- Discovery: The future of world cinema. These are directors to watch and breakout voices telling fresh, bold stories.
- Gala Presentations: The starriest events. Think red carpets, celebrities, major premieres and the films everyone’s buzzing about.
- Special Presentations: High-profile premieres from world-class filmmakers. You’ll often spot celebrities here too.
- Primetime: TIFF’s nod to television. You can preview episodes from buzzy new series or upcoming seasons, treating TV as cinematic art.
Premium vs. Regular Screenings
If you want the glamour — celebrity sightings, red carpets and gala energy — you’re looking at premium tickets. These often sell out fast, but don’t be discouraged. TIFF’s ticket system is fluid: people exchange, return and reshuffle constantly. A screening listed as “off sale” may pop back up hours later — or even minutes before showtime. Pro tip: check often, right up until the day of.
Rush Tickets
For a more affordable way in, try rush tickets. Here’s how they work: if a screening is listed as sold out, you can line up in the rush queue —usually about an hour before showtime is ideal, though for super buzzy films, movie buffs have been known to show up two hours in advance for a chance to snag a few coveted tickets. Around 15 minutes before the screening begins, TIFF staff count empty seats and sell them to those waiting in line. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s a great way to catch a film without breaking the bank. Bonus: standing in the rush line can be its own little social event, buzzing with fellow festival-goers.
Rush passes
Beyond individual rush tickets, TIFF also offers a Rush Pass, which can be one of the best-value ways to experience the festival. For $80 (or $39 if you’re under 25), the pass gives you free access to rush lines for a wide range of screenings, including high-demand In Conversation With… events. These are the star-driven Q&As and special presentations that often feature major names — this year, that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Ryan Reynolds.
A Rush Pass doesn’t guarantee entry — you’re still lining up and waiting for last-minute seat counts — but it does open the door to nearly every section of the festival. For cinephiles on a budget (or anyone who wants flexibility without the stress of single-ticket scrambling), it’s an affordable way to catch big premieres and special events without breaking the bank. With tickets costing a minimum of $25 in the rush line, catch more than three films and you’re basically viewing each subsequent movie you score tickets for, for free.
TIFFR: Your secret weapon
TIFFR (pronounced “TIFF-er”) has become the unofficial lifeline for festival-goers. Originally created by a devoted cinephile outside of TIFF’s official channels, the site has earned cult status for its clean design and practical functionality.
Where TIFF’s official site can feel overwhelming, TIFFR distills everything into a streamlined calendar. You can browse films by section, track red-carpet premieres, compare showtimes and build a personalized schedule that keeps you on top of the festival’s constant churn. For insiders, it’s less a tool than a tradition — TIFF simply isn’t TIFF without a TIFFR tab open.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness is TIFF at its wildest, and for many, it’s their most beloved tradition. These screenings begin at midnight and showcase the best in action, horror, fantasy and shock cinema.
They’re not always blockbusters, but they’re often where cult classics are born. Last year’s opener, The Substance with Demi Moore, went on to become a breakout sensation.
But the real magic of Midnight Madness is the atmosphere. It’s rowdy, unfiltered and alive — audiences cheer, laugh, shout and turn every screening into a communal experience. In some years, beach balls have bounced across the crowd; in others, entire rooms have erupted into spontaneous sing-alongs. For anyone who thrills at the bizarre, the grotesque, or the gleefully over-the-top, Midnight Madness is where TIFF loosens its tie and truly lets go.
Celebrity sightings
Of course, you can always stand along the barricades of the official red carpet to catch a glimpse of the celebrities — but there’s a smarter way. The real secret lies in following the paparazzi.
Every TIFF venue has side doors, and that’s where talent almost always enters and exits. If you walk the perimeter of theatres like Roy Thomson Hall or the TIFF Bell Lightbox, you’ll spot clusters of photographers staking out their angles. Where the cameras are, the stars won’t be far behind.
Here’s the trick: check the runtime of the film you’re interested in, and time your arrival for just before the screening starts — or just as it ends. Celebrities have to arrive and leave, and if you’re in the right spot, you’ll get a front-row view without battling the packed red carpet. This is TIFF people-watching at its most glamorous: grab lunch nearby, then circle back an hour before or after the premiere, and you’ll be perfectly placed.
Festival Street
TIFF might be known for its red carpets and star-studded premieres, but the festival isn’t only for insiders. One of the most exciting — and often overlooked — parts of TIFF is Festival Street, a stretch of King Street West that transforms into a free outdoor celebration during opening weekend. From University Avenue to Peter Street, traffic shuts down and the city opens up to a lively street party that brings the festival to everyone.
Festival Street is a hub of energy: live music, partner activations, food trucks, outdoor screenings in David Pecaut Square and a bustling fan zone where you just might spot the stars on their way to a premiere.
While the schedule has yet to be released, the programming changes every year and brings excitement with it. In 2023, Nickelback headlined a free concert; in 2024, there was a TIFF scavenger hunt across eight landmarks with prizes from local businesses. The outdoor screenings are a highlight—last year’s lineup ranged from Ghostbusters and Footloose to Arrival and Pitch Perfect—turning downtown into one big open-air cinema.
For those who can’t snag gala tickets, Festival Street is the next best thing: the iconic TIFF sign, the electric crowds, and the chance to soak up the glamour without ever stepping inside a theatre. It’s TIFF at its most accessible, and it’s where the festival spirit truly spills onto the streets.
Want more?
Click here for a guide to star-spotting at TIFF.
Click here for the best restaurants for celebrity sightings at TIFF.
Click here for where to eat and drink at TIFF.
