One of TIFF’s biggest free events is taking over downtown Toronto for four days this month: TIFF Festival Street returns for its 11th year, kicking off next week.
It is anticipated that TIFF Festival Street will welcome close to half a million people along King Street, from Peter Street to University Avenue, from Sept. 10 to 13.
The celebration is free to attend and will feature art installations, live music and DJs, free outdoor film screenings, an art market, food trucks, partner activations, and family-friendly activities, according to TIFF organizers.
We’ve put together a what-to-know guide to help make your TIFF Festival Street experience memorable:
What to know about TIFF Festival Street 2026
What is TIFF Festival Street?
The annual street festival has been around for 11 years now. It’s a beloved part of the Toronto International Film Festival, welcoming movie lovers and fans alike.
As we’ve previously mentioned, it’s free to attend and offers a number of activities, pop-ups, art installations and even outdoor film screenings during the four days.
Which free movies can I watch?
Cinema Park, programmed by TIFF Cinematheque and Next Wave, is offering free outdoor screenings for the public in David Pecaut Square.
This will extend past TIFF Festival Street. Flicks will be presented with open captions and screened nightly, rain or shine, at 10 p.m.
- Movie lineup includes:
- Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights – Sept. 10, 2026
- Michael Dowse’s The F Word – Sept. 11, 2026
- Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath’s Madagascar – Sept. 12, 2026
- Louis Leterrier’s Now You See Me – Sept. 13, 2026
- Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train – Sept. 14, 2026
- Gary Nelson’s Freaky Friday – Sept. 15, 2026
- David Anspaugh’s Hoosiers – Sept. 16, 2026
- Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids – Sept. 17, 2026
- Mel Stuart’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – Sept. 18, 2026
- Jim Henson’s The Great Muppet Caper – Sept. 19, 2026
What is happening during TIFF Festival Street?
The options seem almost endless! Here’s a breakdown of what you can enjoy during the celebration:
- Sports fans can meet players from AFC Toronto, the city’s professional women’s soccer club. There are also activities with Toronto Tempo, which include a spin-the-wheel and pop-a-shot, with giveaways and prizes to be won.
- Festival Street Art Market is back in partnership with Toronto Film School. Ten community and arts organizations will share their work and initiatives.
- Participating organizations include Toronto Film School, Inside Out, Reel Asian, imagineNATIVE, Reel Canada, LATAFF, Muse Arts, Workman Arts, Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto Public Library, and new this year, the Liaisons of Independent Filmmakers Toronto (LIFT).
- A series of large-scale public art installations where audiences can interact, play, and see the city in new ways. A dance class and artist talk by Dancing with Parkinson’s and award-winning filmmaker Naomi Jaye will take place in front of the SLOW installation on Friday, Sept. 11, at 1 p.m.
- Other installations include Disco Speakers, by Matt Jones of MattCreative and The Tree of Cinema, created exclusively for TIFF by Yury Goncharov and Alina Tacmelova.
- Three DJ stages with the beats by Nino Brown, Young Teesh, DEROSE, Videri, OTR, Classic Roots, BIA, DevoDLive, Cozmic Cat, DJ Kevin, Jamie-Lee Santos, Jordior, Big Sound Barbie, Prvphet Zay, DJ Shysofly, Ana Luisa, Len0x, and Paul Chin.
- Free Cinema, supported by the Downtown West BIA, is a magical installation created by Bus Collective. It “explores the intersections of film and architecture through a rejection of conventional cinematic space, represented in the multiplex, reinventing the spectacle of cinema as public and accessible,” according to TIFF.
- Fellini Forever is the world’s largest privately held archive touring museum dedicated to legendary Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini.
What food will be available during TIFF Festival Street?
According to organizers, Festival Street Food Market will be back! Festival goers can expect to chow down on eats from locally owned food trucks and hospitality partners. Some of these include new additions like Eataly, Fox on John, and Greta.
There will be a dedicated patio for those who want a spot to relax and eat.
What else can I do during the street festival?
The TIFF Shop Pop-up will be back with a brand new collection of items. Think cozy hoodies, cropped tees, two-tone caps, custom-made tote bags, and brand-new keepsakes like locally made soap bars, sleep masks, earplugs, and shot glasses. It will be located beside the Lightbox at 356 King St. W.
And what is TIFF without its iconic street sign? Of course we’ll be snapping all the pictures and sharing each moment on our socials. This year, fans will notice a new, redesigned look of the TIFF Festival Street sign. With LED lighting creating a vibrant, and no longer orange, backdrop, your pictures are about to pop this year.
To top it all off (as if it could get any better), Toronto Animal Services will be on hand with some of the city’s most dogs looking for their forever homes.
Other activations to check out
Last but certainly not least, Festival Street will have a number of partner activations. These include:
- Rogers Beyond the Seat – Red Carpet Experience
- Ferrero Rocher
- Intrepid Travel Box Office
- Korean Culture Centre Canada
- Lavazza Festival Village Experience
- Lavazza Red Carpet Bar on the Gala Red Carpet
- Modern Ambition Mobile Showroom
- Nongshim
- Nutella Peanut
- RBC Red Carpet Gallery
- Toronto Film School
- Tubi
- YouTube x Variety Creator Premiere Showcase on Festival Street
Lots of ground to cover for four days, but that just means you’re in for a memorable weekend. If you want to get into all the TIFF action, we’ve also put together a what-to-know-before-you-go guide. That covers the nitty-gritty of the annual celebration.
Now, if you’re looking for the hot spots from food and drink to parties and celebrity spotting, we also have a guide for that.
The Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, will run from Sept. 10 to 20, 2026.
When: Sept. 10 to 13, 2026
Where: King Street from Peter Street to University Avenue
Cost: Free
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Karen Doradea
Managing Editor, Toronto – Karen is a multimedia journalist based in Toronto. With a strong knowledge of reporting and editing through all forms of media, she has a true passion for storytelling. She carries several years of journalistic experience and has covered the Toronto scene from local stories to national news. When Karen isn’t publishing fire content, you can find her binge-watching sitcoms on Crave, at a must-try restaurant, or scrolling endlessly on TikTok looking for the next best thing – News never sleeps.
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