Everything Coming To The TIFF Festival Street 2025
Enjoy Free Movies, Music, Food & More
TIFF is hitting the big 5-0 this year, and TIFF’s Festival Street—the festival’s massive outdoor block party—is celebrating its 10th anniversary in style. From September 4–7, King Street West will transform into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly playground for fans, featuring an array of live music, food, art, and free events that stretch well beyond the movie theatres. One could only dream of the day King St gets rid of cars for good, but until then, TIFF’s Festival Street is the next best thing.
Think of it as the people’s red carpet.
The Kickoff: A Star on the Walk of Fame
It all starts Thursday, September 4, at 4pm, when TIFF unveils its very own star on Canada’s Walk of Fame right outside TIFF Lightbox. Expect speeches, cake, and plenty of photo ops to officially kick off the festival.
Free Outdoor Movies Every Night
Cinema Park is back at David Pecaut Square with nightly 10pm screenings under the stars. This year’s lineup is a nostalgia overload: The Goonies (Sept. 4), Uncle Buck (Sept. 5), Sound of Metal (Sept. 6), Marie Antoinette (Sept. 7), Best in Show (Sept. 8), Before Sunrise (Sept. 9), High Fidelity (Sept. 10), Lady Bird (Sept. 11), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (Sept. 12), and Moonstruck (Sept. 13). Bring a blanket; the vibes are free.
Criterion Mobile Closet Comes to Canada
IT’S A BIG DAY FOR THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON YOU KNOW! For the first time ever, the cult-favourite Criterion Closet makes its Canadian debut. Festival-goers can browse over 1,700 titles and record their own “Closet video” just like the filmmakers. Plus, you can snag your very own Criterion merch at the TIFF Shop.
Food, Beats & Big Art
Festival Street is doubling down on the block-party atmosphere with outdoor dining, extra seating, and music zones curated by Billboard Canada and NXNE. Expect DJ sets from local talent, including Cozmic Cat, DJ Nina Brown, and MKLA.
Artists are also taking over the street: Maziar Ghaderi’s holographic installation Corridoor By Maziart turns a simple stroll into a trippy red carpet walk, while Adrian Hayles will live-paint a massive mural celebrating TIFF’s People’s Choice Award winners.
The Art Market & Local Talent
John Street will host the Festival Street Art Market, featuring booths from 14 local arts groups and film festivals, including Inside Out Film Festival, Reel Asian Film Festival, imagineNATIVE, and Regent Park Film Festival. Come out and support Toronto’s creative community with live performances, installations, and plenty more!
Special Pop-Ups & Freebies
The best part of any street festival is the free stuff you’re sure to throw in your tote bag and forget about for 3 weeks. Freedbies are what make the world go round, duh! Highlights include:
Masaki Saito’s 60-foot sushi bar (Sept. 5), serving free omakase from Canada’s first two-star Michelin chef.
Prime Video’s John Candy tribute, bringing one of Candy’s most iconic film moments to life (Sept. 5–7).
TIFF’s Pop-Up Shop, with exclusive merch, a Roots anniversary jacket, and a Dean Davidson-designed TIFF 50 necklace.
A TIFF 50/50 fundraiser with a jackpot starting at $50,000.
And yes, some of your fav brands argued with their marketing directors to spend their budgets on some outrageous brand activations: Peroni’s House of Peroni lounge, Lavazza’s cold brew bar, Volkswagen’s retro-futuristic ID. Buzz. Even Listerine is getting in on the fun (spin the wheel, win prizes, swish responsibly).
A Thank-You to Toronto
TIFF is also saying thanks to the city that’s hosted it for five decades. On Saturday, September 13, at 3pm, Torontonians can snag free tickets to a surprise screening at the Royal Alexandra Theatre courtesy of the TTC.
Festival Street is open Sept. 4–7, with Cinema Park and select activations running through Sept. 13. Whether you’re there for the free movies, the food, or just the people-watching, TIFF’s 10th Festival Street promises to be one of the city’s biggest birthday parties yet.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4–14, 2025.