Toronto will resume hosting large in-person events and festivals after two years of limiting public gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city's mayor said on Friday.
John Tory said major events, including Pride, Taste of the Danforth and the Toronto International Film Festival, will return in-person over the coming months.
"This is the reward for the incredible efforts that Torontonians have made getting vaccinated and having patience with public health restrictions over the last two years," he said.
Tory said the first event where everyone will be welcome to attend is the St. Patrick's Parade on March 20.
Doors Open Toronto will return this year on May 28 and 29, when people will have access to more than 100 of the city's most significant sites including Toronto City Hall, the Aga Khan Museum, and the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant.
Pride Toronto will be back this year with full programming starting on June 1 and ending with the annual Pride Festival weekend on June 24 through June 26.
"After a time when we couldn't go to these events because they couldn't be held, it is really important for people across the city to support these events, and to get out to these events and to make them bigger and better than ever," Tory said.
Other major events that will be back this summer include the city's international art festival Luminato, the Toronto Salsa Festival, the Toronto Jazz Festival and Taste of the Danforth, a large street festival in the city's Greektown that runs in early August.
The Toronto International Film Festival will return in-person in September for an 11-day event.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2022.
The Canadian Press
