If you love poutine (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?), then you’ll want to circle Saturday, September 6 on your calendar. That’s when Smoke-A-Palooza 2025 returns to Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square) for what promises to be the wildest and most delicious street party Toronto has seen all year.
Presented by Smoke’s Poutinerie the event is a massive 12-hour celebration of everything poutine — and it’s totally free to attend. From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the square will be buzzing with live music, jaw-dropping performances, and of course, delicious poutine eating all day long.
Smoke-a-Palooza | World Poutine Eating Championship | Smoke’s Poutinerie
The highlight of the event is the World Poutine Eating Championship (WPEC), the only competition of its kind sanctioned by Major League Eating. This year’s showdown features the legendary Joey Chestnut, defending his world record of consuming 28 pounds of poutine in just 10 minutes. Chestnut will compete against other top-ranked eaters including Geoffrey Esper, James Webb and Miki Sudo, the reigning number one female eater in the world.
The event will also honour Smoke’s founder, Ryan Smolkin, with the Ryan Smolkin Memorial CEO Challenge, where corporate executives face off in a quick-fire poutine eating contest — all to raise money for We Care, a charity supporting kids with disabilities attending accessible summer camps.
Live music from top tribute bands including Sheer Heart Attack (Queen tribute), 80s Gone Wild and Destroyer Canada (KISS tribute) will keep the party going. And if that’s not enough, prepare for circus acts and performers like Flexy-T, the contortionist from Canada’s Got Talent, a Guinness World Record-holding fire eater and other wild entertainment.
There will also be a beer tent and merchandise booth, with proceeds supporting We Care.
If you can’t make it to the square, no worries. The whole event will be livestreamed on Smoke’s Poutinerie’s YouTube and Twitch channels — plus live screenings at Smoke’s locations across Canada.
