5 Best Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario

In July and August, free movies are screened outdoors as part of the Free Flicks program. Documentaries, frequently accompanying summer festivals, cultural events, and retrospectives, are presented ad hoc throughout the year.

If you like your films factual, informative, and inspiring, then the Hot Docs Cinema is for you. The permanent home of the Hot Docs festival each spring, this century-old cinema also has an ongoing calendar of documentaries—on everything from art to politics—and crowd-pleasing classics.

This art deco--era cinema located a few minutes west of the Annex underwent a splashy restoration in 2019. Classic and second-run movies are screened here, but the theater also plays host to live music—from touring acts to cover bands and string quartets—and stand-up comics. Wine, cocktails, and Italian food are served next door at Osteria Rialto.

This fully restored 1939 single-screen theater hosts film fest screenings and special engagements, as well as live comedy and music. On top of the usual concessions, next-door bar Birreria Volo has opened a specialty grocer and bottle shop in the lobby, so you can grab snacks even on the days you can't catch a flick.

Operated by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) organization, this state-of-the-art five-screen, five-story complex, opened in 2010, shows classic and avant-garde films, director retrospectives, actor tributes, national cinema spotlights, exclusive limited runs, and new documentaries and artistic films. Tickets are C$13.