And just like that, Labour Day has come and gone, and with it, summer comes to an end. But in true Toronto fashion, just as quickly as the summer season leaves, the fall festivities arrive, marking the official start of the chicest season of the year. The Toronto International Film Festival has returned for its 51st annual celebration of film, fame and culture in this city, kicking off Toronto’s Q4.
If you spent this past weekend anywhere other than downtown Toronto, then you missed one of the best opening weekends this festival has ever had.
The opening weekend of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival brought packed sidewalks, seemingly endless black SUVs, red carpets and a ridiculous number of famous faces to the city.
After a few rocky years, this year’s festival turnout proves that TIFF is back and better than ever. After the pandemic put the festival on pause and changed the way it operated for years afterward, TIFF slowly began rebuilding its pre-2020 energy. Then came the dual Hollywood strikes in 2023, which kept many actors from promoting their films and left Toronto noticeably short on star power.
Add the end of TIFF’s decades-long Bell partnership into the mix, and there have been plenty of questions about whether the festival could ever fully recapture the frenzy of its glory days.
Last year’s 50th anniversary felt like the turning point. This year? TIFF took that momentum and doubled down.
From Michelle Yeoh and Courteney Cox to Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick, approximately half of Hollywood arrived at Pearson this weekend and had the city absolutely packed with star quality this weekend.
Here’s all the celebrities you missed around Toronto during TIFF’s massive opening weekend.
Thursday: TIFF kicks things off
The festival hadn’t even made it through opening night before the celebrity sightings started piling up.
Over at the newly transformed W Toronto, Mean Girls star Avantika Vandanapu was the guest of honour at an intimate dinner at TONO by Akira Back celebrating the latest installment of W Hotels’ Hotel Tales series.
Elsewhere, the premiere of Being Heumann brought Dylan O’Brien, Ruth Madeley, Cheryl Hickey, Madeline Delp and Antwan Tolliver together, while Yorkville got its own dose of festival madness with the Rogers Red Carpet.
Friday: Michelle Yeoh, James McAvoy and a very busy King West
By Friday, TIFF was in full celebrity chaos mode.
Campari’s Cinema Center took over the newly renovated Cassius on King, while the Collider Studio welcomed a revolving door of stars throughout the day.
Michelle Yeoh stopped by with Martin Freeman and Roshan Sethi for The Surgeon, while Courteney Cox, Patricia Arquette and David Harbour appeared for Evil Genius. Josh Hartnett was also in the building for Below.
Later that night, James McAvoy became the centre of attention at the world premiere party for FAITH, working the room at Cassius on King in a butter-yellow silk shirt.
The party marathon continued with the cast of MAGAZINE. Sasha Bhasin, Daniel Zolghadri, Alexandra Pechman, Joshuah Melnick, Alex Edelman, Delaney Rowe, Lukita Maxwell and Iris Apatow celebrated the film, with Anna Kendrick showing up to support her boyfriend, Edelman. Malin Åkerman also joined the party.
And King West wasn’t finished.
Following the world premiere of The Julia Set, Chlöe Bailey, Chase Infiniti, Christopher Briney and Jason Isaacs headed to Beso by Patria for the film’s official HUGO BOSS-hosted after-party.
Saturday: Courteney Cox, Daniel Kaluuya and a surprise Liam Neeson
Saturday made Friday look like a walk in the park compared to the Olympic sprint.
Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Zach Cherry and Issa Rae were spotted for Babies, while Misty Green brought Chris Rock, Tracie Thoms, Rosalind Eleazar and Daniel Kaluuya to the festival.
Over at Collider Studio, the celebrity parade continued with Lily-Rose Depp, Rebel Wilson and Taron Egerton among the stars dropping by. Wilson appeared alongside Randall Park and Christopher Scott for her directorial project Girl Group.
Joining the independent film community as a newcomer to the industry was internet tycoon Caleb Hearon, debuting his film Trash Mountain alongside his costar Zooey Deschanel. Following a panel discussion between the pair, the two made their world premiere on the red carpet here in Toronto.
Later, Cole Sprouse and Kiko Mizuhara took over the venue for Vintage Violence. Sprouse leaned heavily into the Canadian setting with a full denim-on-denim look that guests jokingly dubbed his “Canadian tracksuit.”
Elsewhere in the city, Naomi Watts, Tye Sheridan, Luke Evans and Michael Imperioli’s The Housewife celebrated its premiere with an official party at Primadonna.
But Saturday night, Vinny threw their hat in the ring.
Following the world premiere of true-crime thriller Evil Genius, director Courteney Cox headed to the King West restaurant with cast members David Harbour, Patricia Arquette, Ryan Eggold and Harlow Jane.
And then came the surprise guest: Liam Neeson.
The Rogers Gala added even more familiar faces to the weekend, with former prime minister Justin Trudeau joining Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida, Jonathan Scott, Cheryl Hickey, Dina Pugliese and others at the festival celebration.
Sunday: Amanda Seyfried, Annie Murphy and even more Liam Neeson
Somehow, Toronto still had celebrities left by Sunday of TIFF.
Taron Egerton, Jessica Henwick, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Charly Clive, Herbert Nordrum and Sophie Simnett headed to Primadonna following the world premiere of Everybody Wants To Fck Me* for the film’s official after-party.
During the day, Collider Studio welcomed another seriously stacked lineup.
Orlando Bloom, Rooney Mara, Kate Mara and Domhnall Gleeson stopped by for Bucking Fastard, while Johnny Flynn, Billie Piper and Andrew Scott appeared for Elsinore. Liam Neeson (apparently determined to be everywhere in Toronto this weekend) also visited for The Lost Children of Tuam.
Then it was back to Cassius on King. Amanda Seyfried arrived in a bright yellow dress for The Life & Deaths of Wilson Shedd, joining Missi Pyle, Wunmi Mosaku, Tim Blake Nelson, Devyn Tyler, William Jackson Harper and Scoot McNairy at the film’s TIFF celebration.
Later that evening, it was time for All That She Wants, with Annie Murphy, Zosia Mamet, Cooper Raiff, Christine Baranski and Finn Wittrock among the names attached to the celebration.
Monday: Orlando Bloom, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem keep the party going
Apparently, nobody told TIFF that opening weekend was over.
Vinny continued its seemingly unstoppable run as one of TIFF’s celebrity hotspots.
Following the Canadian premiere of Bucking Fastard, Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson headed to the King West restaurant for an afternoon celebration hosted by Glenfiddich.
That means Vinny went from hosting Courteney Cox, David Harbour, Patricia Arquette and surprise guest Liam Neeson on Saturday night to Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson on Monday afternoon. Just a casual few days at the office.
But the star of the show? Monday night brought two of the festival’s biggest names to Mercer Street.
Oscar winners Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem stepped out for Bunker, joining director Florian Zeller at CineDine’s invitation-only celebration at PUNCH inside Le Germain Hotel Toronto Mercer.
The room was already buzzing before the pair arrived; guests sipped Redbreast cocktails and waited for the film’s stars to make their entrance.
When they did, Cruz arrived in a sleek black lace gown with a thigh-high slit and tailored black jacket, while Bardem kept things more relaxed in a black blazer, crisp white shirt and dark jeans.
The celebration followed another event for Bunker hosted by Sony Pictures Classics ahead of the TIFF screening. The film, written and directed by Zeller, stars Bardem and Cruz alongside Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
So, yes: TIFF is officially back. The sidewalks are crowded, the black SUVs are everywhere, and there’s once again the legitimate possibility that the person slipping into the restaurant beside you is a major celebrity (speaking from experience when Hudson Williams made an appearance at Mizunara).
And if Monday was any indication, opening weekend may have technically ended, but TIFF certainly hasn’t.
