Things to do in Toronto this summer will keep you entertained and engaged all season long.

From hotly-anticipated events to things you can do any day you choose, there's plenty going on in the city all summer long.

Here are some of the ways to spend summer in Toronto.

New this year

Fill your belly at the Toronto's newest food pop-up

Outdoor Eats is the city's latest open-air food pop-up at Evergreen Brick Works, with a to-die-for lineup of some of the hottest food and beverage vendors around every Thursday through Sunday this summer.

Eat, drink and shop at The Well

This is the first summer for Toronto's enormous, open-air shopping and lifestyle complex, and it might just be at its best during the steamy season. Try bites at Wellington Market food hall or other restaurants like Lulu Bar between all that shopping.

SUSO Skate's latest pop-up roller rink is on a roof at Don Mills. Photo courtesy of SUSO Skate.

Go roller skating on a rooftop

While SUSO Skate is perhaps better known for their roller skating parties at The Bentway during the summer, they've also set up shop at CF Shops at Don Mills to bring an unparalleled skate party to the rooftops.

Make a splash at Canada's Wonderland's newest attraction

The newest attraction at Canada's Wonderland, an epic waterslide addition at their Splash Works water park, hasn't opened quite yet, but it's expected to arrive in late June. In the meantime, you can splish-splash at their many other slides and pools.

Hit the pickleball courts

Pickleball is all the rage these days, and there are plenty of new spots, popping up to play. Fairgrounds has locations in Etobicoke and Vaughan with another at Yonge and Rosehill coming later this summer, while The Jar has the Castlefield Design District covered.

Marquee events

JazzFest

Ten days of music performances by more than 1500 global artists kicks off on June 21 — which also just so happens to be the first official day of summer!

Green Space Festival

One of the hottest Pride events of the season, the Green Space Festival brings a week of free, public parties to the city to raise funds for the 519, Canada's largest 2SLGBTQ+ community centre, from June 26 to 30.

The Pride Parade is one of the most anticipated events of the summer. Photo by Fareen Karim.

Pride Toronto

The entire month of June is spent celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Toronto, but things really kick off when the street fair takes over Church Street between June 28 and 30, leading up to the big parade on Sunday. Check out our Guide to Pride 2024 to learn more about what's happening in the city.

Taste of Asia

Soak up the sights, sounds, scents and flavours of Asia at this much-loved food festival that takes over Pacific Mall from June 28 to the 30.

Toronto Fringe

Some of Canada's best theatrical talent is hitting stages across the city from July 3 to 14, showcasing the newest, most innovative and envelope-pushing theatre of the year.

Summerlicious

Starting July 5 and until the 21 restaurants across the city, ranging from cheap and cheerful to upper-crust, offer three-course prix-fixe menus for you to sample the best they have to offer.

Salsa on St. Clair

Back for its 20th year, St. Clair West is turning the heat up with salsa sounds, Latin foods and plenty of dancing for one whole weekend on July 6 and 7.

Ossfest

Toronto's coolest street is closing down for one day, from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturday, July 27, complete with curbside patios, street food vendors, artisan markets and so much more.

VELD

The biggest EDM festival of the year returns to Downsview Park from Aug 2 to 4, featuring an exclusive Holo set by Eric Pyrdz.

Caribbean Carnival

Celebrate the city's Caribbean population at one of Toronto's most cherished summertime traditions, featuring a slew of community events at Scarborough Town Centre and culminating in Grand Parade on Aug 3.

CNE

From Aug 16 to Sept 2, one of the city's most time-honoured traditions returns to the Exhibition Grounds, for two weeks of carnival rides, unbelievable eats and celebrating the city.

Eat droolworthy Asian street food at the Waterfront Night Market. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Waterfront Night Market

From Aug 9 to 11, the tastiest event of the year is filling the Stanley Barracks at Hotel X with the flavours of Asian street food, alongside performances, entertainment and a lantern festival.

FanExpo

The ultimate fan event of the year fills the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Aug 22 until the 25, with workshops, performances and appearances from some of your favourite celebrities.

TIFF

The streets of the city will become star-studded once again with the return of the Toronto International Film Festival, featuring premiers, screenings, events and more from Sept 5 to 15.

Summer favourites

Unwind at the beach

Whether you're looking to stretch out on the sand in the heart of the city or just outside of it, you've got a nearly endless supply of options when it comes to a beach getaway in the city. These are my picks for the best beaches in and around Toronto.

Try out a new ice cream or gelato shop

You may be loyal to your local creamery, but with fabulous spots like Oops Ice Cream and GelaTeo Cafe popping up just in time for summer, getting out into the city is a great way to explore some new flavours (and neighbourhoods). Start off by trying out these five new spots.

Rooftop patios, like the one at Kost, are some of the city's favourite spots in the summertime. Photo by Fareen Karim.

Grab a drink at a rooftop patio

Rooftop patios in Toronto are the perfect spots to fuel up with a fruity cocktail or something to nibble on when you just want to be — quite literally — above it all.

Catch a free outdoor movie screening

Parks in the city are completely overrun with moviegoers hoping to score a seat at a free, open-air screening each summer. You can see a complete schedule of all the free outdoor film screenings in Toronto here.

Expand your palette at a food festival

While the bigger marquee events of the summer tend to take all the glory, there are a ton of smaller food festivals that take place in the city over the season, like Smoke-A-Palooza, Taste of the Middle East or Panamerican Food and Music Festival.

Events you can do all summer long

Take a water taxi to the Toronto Islands

Whether it's a Tiki-themed motor boat or something a little more under the radar, there are plenty of water taxi options that'll give you a new perspective on your trip to the islands.

Rent a boat to explore Lake Ontario

From charter boat rentals complete with crew and catering to canoes and kayaks that you can take out for the day, there are so many options for boat rentals in the city that'll allow you to spend a hot summer day under the sun.

Farmers' markets happen every day of the week in Toronto during the summer. Photo by Kat Rizza.

Shop local at a farmers' market

There are so many farmers' markets in the city that you could quite literally attend a different one each day of the week, and why shouldn't you?

Crack open a cold one at a park

Now that alcohol is permanently allowed in all of the city's parks, there's no reason you should be relegated to Trinity Bellwoods for your boozy picnic — the whole city's your oyster!

Attend a summer market at a subway station

If you ever find yourself searching for something to fill your time, a quick trip to Union Station will solve that right away. Their Union Summer festivities include a market, food vendors, a bar and daily live entertainment.

Outside the city

Explore Ontario's first urban provincial park

The Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park is set to open to the public on July 1, making it the province's first urban provincial park, full of green space, babbling brooks and hiking trails to explore.

Take a dip at a quarry or swimming hole

While beaches and lakes tend to get all the glory when it comes to taking a dip on a hot summer day, a swim at an abandoned quarry or hidden swimming hole can provide you with a whole new experience. Try these on for size.

Small towns like Westport make for a breathtaking summer getaway. Photo by Fiona M. Donelly/Shutterstock.

Explore a stunning small town

Nothing says 'summer' quite like a road trip, and the area surrounding the city is replete with quaint, charming and beautiful small towns that'll capture your heart. These are my favourites to visit in the summer.

Perfect your putt at dinosaur-themed mini-golf

Located just outside of the city, Brampton is now home to a Jurassic-tastic mini-putt course complete with enormous replicas of the creatures that once roamed the earth.

Pick your own fruit and vegetables

While strawberry picking tends to get all the glory during the summer months, there are farms across the province that allow you to pick different types of produce, from peaches to peas.