Arts in the Parks to Launch 2026 Season with Free Event at Dufferin Grove Park

The 2026 Arts in the Parks season will kick off with a free, family-friendly event at Dufferin Grove Park on Friday, June 5, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m, and featuring performances by Clay and Paper Theatre, Nagata Shachu, Dance Migration, and the Big Smoke Brass Band, alongside interactive installations and workshops for all ages. The event marks the beginning of a summer-long citywide festival series bringing free arts programming to parks across Toronto.

Arts in the Parks is Toronto Arts Foundation's signature summer-long festival series designed to build community connection through accessible arts experiences in public spaces across Toronto. Last summer alone, more than 140,000 people attended over 300 events in 27 parks citywide, creating paid opportunities for nearly 900 artists. Since launching in 2016, the initiative has welcomed more than 840,000 audience members to over 2,700 free events featuring dance, theatre, music, film screenings, and family-friendly workshops. Arts in the Parks is proudly presented in partnership with the City of Toronto, Toronto Arts Council, and Park People.

Toronto Arts research shows that 3 in 4 Torontonians agree that arts and cultural activities make the city a better place to live. Regular arts patrons report seeing their friends more regularly, having higher trust in people in their community, being more civically engaged, and report better physical and mental health. 7 in 10 Toronto residents also believe attending arts or cultural events in person made them feel more aware of perspectives and cultures that are different from their own. 

The Arts in the Parks Season Kick-off is a rain-or-shine event. Interactive activities include cyanotype, linocut, and screen-printing workshops, as well as garden tours, mural making, and more.

For more information about this year's Arts in the Parks events or to access the schedule, please visit:  https://torontoartsfoundation.org/programs/arts-in-the-parks/.