10 Best Things to Do in December in Toronto, ON

When you first find your way in between Spadina and Bathurst and then in between College and Dundas in Toronto, you may feel that you haven’t found anything special at first. However, as you start your walking journey throughout Kensington Market, you quickly realize you have entered the realm of something unique. Kensington has quite a history, but today it stands as a multicultural community of noncomformists. During the holidays, it becomes the ideal place for one-of-a-kind gifts. In addition, there is a Christmas Food Tour where you can enjoy an array of treats, from artisanal cheeses to mulled wine. Plus, on December 21 there is the Kensington Market Winter Solstice Parade which has Hanukkah candles, the fire of Christian faith and the pagan celebration of the solstice.

What better way to celebrate winter than in the open air with hundreds of your closest (social media) friends? Toronto’s top DJs spin tunes for free Saturday nights at Harbourfront’s Natrel Rink, including New Year’s Eve, where skates will be kept pumping directly into 2020. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Lake Ontario, it offers the romance of winter with a heated indoor locker room for those times when you can’t feel your face. The rink is frequently open during the week for skating lessons if you need to brush up on your skills. Get ready to be seriously cool.

The National Ballet of Canada has performed for over 50 years and over 10 million people in the heart of Toronto. The company performs works from both contemporary and classical masters and employs some of Canada’s top-notch artists, dancers and musicians. Every holiday season (this year from December 12-January 4) it breaks out the Nutcracker, a beloved holiday tale that they perform flawlessly with 187 costumes in each performance. Come 45 minutes before for Nutcracker story time, to enhance children’s experience of the ballet. It is a spectacle that will make you believe in holiday magic (or at least the Sugar Plum fairy).

Created in 1967 to showcase Toronto’s newly constructed city hall and the Nathan Phillips Square public space that fronts the building, the Cavalcade of Lights today kicks off a month of holiday festivities with a tree lighting ceremony in the square on the last weekend of November. The buildings surrounding Nathan Phillips Square are decorated with festive LED lights, making the display even more cheerful. The opening event is marked by free musical performances including the Les Chausseurs de Rêves and the Lemon Bucket Okestra. Cap it off with fireworks and a countdown (who needs to wait for New Year’s Eve?). A DJ skating party keeps the festive vibe going all the way to 10:30pm, when your cold fingers may need a break anyway.

Canada’s Wonderland is not directly in Toronto, but every born and bred Torontonian has a solid Canada’s Wonderland story. In the winter, it is transformed into a land of enchantment and holiday cheer because we can’t get enough of winter wonderlands (at least until January, when we are done with winter). In 2019, from November 22 to December 31, ice skate on snow flake lake, wonder at 5 million lights, and enjoy 50-foot trees on International Street. There will be lots of holiday food to enjoy, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, pics with St. Nick and interactions with characters like Jack Frost and The Sugar Plum Fairy.

This 115-year-old tradition (the “original” Santa Claus Parade) still has parents bundling up their kids and loading up mugs of hot chocolate. Most Torontonians have memories of waiting anxiously for Santa Claus to come to town at this non-for-profit parade. Santa made his first appearance in 1905! The historical charm has been preserved, as some of the floats from nursery rhyme characters date back from the early 1900s while others are more modern, such as the Harry Potter animated float or the one dedicated to Hockey Night in Canada. In 2019, the parade is celebrating their General Manager and Creative Director, Alf Iannarelli, who has been a part of 50 parades himself. Over 2,000 costumed volunteers help to spread the holiday joy, while over 20 marching bands play carols and classic tunes. It is a big deal to get chosen to participate in the parade. By the time Santa Comes around with his signature “ho ho ho” the crowd has no chance but to be enchanted.

You know a festival is good when it can boast things like “The World’s Largest Indoor Christmas Festival!” That is what Glow is all about, now in 11 cities to keep your frostbite at bay while you get overwhelmed by how much holiday spirit you can cram into your heart. All kidding aside, Toronto’s version of Glow is serious fun for the whole family. The theme for 2019 is “Santa’s Lost Presents.” Go walking through a garden of a million Christmas lights. Cheat on your holiday cards this year by getting a snap by one of their hanging picture frames. Take a trackless train with the kids or let them blow off steam in the festive playgrounds. Daily live music will provide a great soundtrack while you get your shopping done through boutique businesses.

When it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and you are Canadian, you strap on a pair of ice skates and hope for the best. The top place to do this during the holiday season is undeniably Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. Located right in front of City Hall and around the corner from the Eaton’s Centre and popular restaurants, it is a great activity to sandwich between other downtown pursuits. Bring your own skates for free exercise or rent skates for $10 or less. During the holidays, the rink sparkles with lights and displays a large holiday tree for Toronto’s version of New York’s Rockefeller Centre. The Holiday Fair’s dates for 2019 are December 7-23. Expect an elegant Christmas market, a Holly Jolly Midway and Polar Point Bar to shiver away in with your nearest and dearest.

If you can’t remember the last time you felt the Christmas spirit, then put your bells on and get thee to the Toronto Christmas Market. From life sized gingerbread houses for children to a variety of beer and mulled wine gardens, you will feel warm and cozy in your heart even if the rest of your extremities are a tad chilly. It is ranked as one of the top ten Christmas markets in the world. Stand by roaring fire pits, marvel at the sparkling lights and tap your toes to nostalgic music sung by the Candy Cane Carollers. Now there will be no pressure on your family – you will have already had a very merry Christmas.

November 22-January 5 the CNE hosts the Aurora Winter Festival and replaces any “Bah humbugs” with a rampant case of the “Fa la las.” Expect carnival rides aglow with Christmas lights, a full market abrim with gifts that even Amazon doesn’t have, and a heated Entertainment tent that will provide holiday entertainment (and mulled wine to boot). Little kids will enjoy Storytime with Santa and the whole family can get crafty making holiday gifts or sending letters via a magical mailbox that gets straight to Santa. Spot some friendly Yetis at the Yeti cave and frolic through a whimsical forest…because what else is December for but to frolic through a forest? Download their app to make your visit super easy, staying on top of scheduled events and even getting a chance to book your Santa visit.