Tired of classes yet? Dreading midterms? Have you forgotten what the outside of a textbook looks like? Thanksgiving break and reading week are only a few short days away and Toronto has no shortage of events to keep you busy.
If you’re planning on staying on campus, Ryerson’s library and the Student Learning Centre will be closed Thanksgiving Monday but will operate at regular hours for the rest of reading week.
The TTC, GO trains and buses will be running on a holiday schedule for Thanksgiving. This is essentially the Sunday transit schedule except with a 6 a.m. start for the TTC.
The Eaton Centre will be open on Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. while Yorkdale Mall will be closed for the holiday. Other tourist spots downtown like the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will be open on Thanksgiving and throughout reading week.
If you’re looking for something beyond EdgeWalk and Ripley’s jellyfish, here’s what’s going on downtown during the break:
Movies:
Between now and the end of fall break, movies like Blade Runner 2049, The Florida Project, The Mountain Between Us, Marshall, The Foreigner and Happy Death Day will be released.
Alongside these releases, a handful of film festivals will also be running through reading week. Reelworld Film Festival at the Harbourfront Centre focuses on films addressing social issues and runs Oct. 11-15.
The After Dark Film Festival celebrating all things horror, sci-fi and fantasy runs Oct. 12-20 at the Scotiabank Theatre. Single tickets and all-access passes are available at the festival website.
Fans of director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim) can walk through his AGO exhibit, “At Home with Monsters,” which closes on Jan. 7.
Concerts:
Canadian music producer and DJ, Deadmau5, will be performing on Oct. 8 at the Enercare Centre and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters will be at the Air Canada Centre on Oct. 13. A special presentation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with its score played live by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, will be at the Sony Centre from Oct. 12-14 at 7:30 p.m.
Festivals:
Pumpkinfest at Downsview Park runs from Oct. 7-9 and features food trucks, stage shows and plenty of family-geared entertainment, but the majority of festivals happening downtown are completely food-related.
Smoke’s World Poutine-Eating Championship is being held on Oct. 14 at Yonge-Dundas Square.
The Jewish food festival, NoshFest, is on Oct. 9 at Artscape Wychwood Barns on Christie Street and a Vegan Oktoberfest will be held on Oct. 13 at the Lithuanian House on Bloor Street.
There will also be a Kensington Krawl Food Tour on Oct. 11 from 11:30-3 p.m.
Excursions:
Dundas Peak is always a scenic trip during the fall and perfect for reading week Instagram posts, but note that some parking lots on-site will be closed for the holiday Monday.
There’s also the Draconid meteor shower, which reaches its peak on Oct. 7 and 8, and is best viewed right before nightfall, somewhere far from the city and street lights.
The baby giant pandas at the Toronto Zoo turn two-years-old and are getting a weekend-long birthday festival from Oct. 6-8, starting at 10:30 a.m.
There are ghost walks every Monday until Halloween at Old City Hall from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
You can also take a look at the touring World Press Photo Exhibition, currently at Brookfield Place until Oct. 24. The gallery features award-winning photos and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Whether you’re planning on studying or telling yourself to do so, Toronto has more than enough events, festivals, and things to do this reading week to keep you busy. So busy in fact, you might just need a break after this fall break.