The best season in Toronto is here — TIFF season. When the Toronto International Film Festival descends upon the city on Sept. 4, Toronto will transform into a star-powered, cinematic hub. Confused where to start? We’ve compiled an ultimate guide to everything you’ll ever need to know to make your TIFF 2025 experience a success.
Celebrity spotting
There’s a high-wattage lineup arriving in the city for the festival this year, including favourites such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Catherine O’Hara, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and more. If you want to figure out exactly where to find them and where your best chances are to do some celebrity-spotting, check out our guide to finding 20 of the top celebrities at TIFF.
Don’t forget about the 2025 TIFF Tribute Awards — this year, celebrities including Catherine O’Hara will be honoured. While the event is closed to the public, it’s sure to attract a whole host of stars, including fellow recipient Idris Elba and honorary chair Brendan Fraser. Hang out around the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Sunday, Sept. 7 and you may catch a sighting of a celebrity or two.
Food and drink
Part of the TIFF experience is the food, of course — we live in a world-class restaurant city for a reason! From fancy restaurants with special TIFF menus to nearby spots that you’re almost guaranteed to spot a celebrity at, there are plenty of delicious places to fuel up at before taking your place in a rush line!
Nearby Louix Louis is running a special TIFF50 menu — check out the star of the show here.
Click here for some of the best places to eat and drink near the festival, including an incredible Dutch-Indonesian spot and a restaurant with a super chic patio that’s perfect for people-watching.
Check out all the best TIFF-approved hot spots for celebrity-spotting — these are restaurants that A-listers often frequent. Reservations highly recommended!
For nearby bars where you might spot a movie star getting a little tipsy after their premiere, click here.
Navigating the festival and insider tips
Spanning 10 days and sprawling across the city in multiple venues, TIFF is a mammoth festival to navigate — if you don’t have the right insider tips. We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to the festival, from booking tickets to rush lines to ticket discounts and after parties, as well as a special secret weapon to help make your festival experience a success.
The movies
Of course, we can’t forget about the reason why all these celebrities are coming to Toronto: the movies. This year, TIFF is celebrating its 50th year with a whopping 291 films, including 209 new features, six Classics, 10 Primetime series, and 66 short films.
While the entire lineup looks incredible, we’ve rounded up the top 10 must-see films at TIFF, from buzzy soon-to-be blockbusters to local gems.
You can find out about some more festival movie highlights here.
Other highlights include the Canadian-led opening night film, John Candy: I Like Me. The life and legacy of one of Toronto’s and the entire country’s most beloved comedians will take centre stage at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival in a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds.
And don’t forget about a documentary about another Canadian legend. Degrassi: Whatever It Takes is a new feature-length doc exploring the legacy and impact of the iconic TV franchise, which comes at a time when it’s been rumoured that Drake and his creative team are planning on moving ahead with a new Degrassi series.
