Toronto's Weekly Newsletter
What's On
This Week
Week of June 19–25, 2026
From Dave
Hey Toronto
Right now, Toronto is one of the loudest, most alive cities on the planet. The FIFA World Cup is in town, a once-in-a-generation moment for this city, and the Toronto Jazz Festival happens to be running its 39th annual edition through Yorkville at the same time. The World Cup alone would be enough. The Jazz Fest on top of it is just Toronto doing what it does. If you've been waiting for a reason to get out, this is the week.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads this Sunday. I know some of you will spend it on a patio with a cold drink watching a World Cup match. That sounds just about right.
Everything you need for the week is below. There's a lot happening, and some of it is free.
Talk soon,
Dave
This Week
This Week's Top 5
1
FIFA World Cup 2026 in Toronto
All week | BMO Field + Fan Festival at Fort York and The Bentway
Three matches at BMO Field this week: Germany vs Côte d'Ivoire on Saturday, Panama vs Croatia on Tuesday, Senegal vs Iraq next Friday. Tickets for individual matches are still available, but the real story is just being in the city right now. The Fan Festival at Fort York and The Bentway is running throughout the tournament with big screens, food, and up to 20,000 people under the Gardiner. The atmosphere around the waterfront this week is unlike anything Toronto's seen before. You don't need a ticket to BMO Field to feel it.
2
TD Toronto Jazz Festival
Tonight through June 28 | OLG Village Stage, Yorkville + venues across the city
The 39th annual Jazz Festival is running all week, and a huge chunk of it is free. The outdoor OLG Village Stage in Yorkville runs nightly with world-class performances including Kokoroko, DOMi and JD Beck, and the Nancy Walker Quartet. For the full experience, Hiromi and her Sonicwonder quartet play Koerner Hall on June 27. Yorkville in Jazz Fest week is a different neighbourhood entirely.
3
Blue Jays vs Houston Astros
Monday through Wednesday, June 22–24 | Rogers Centre
The Jays host Houston for a three-game series starting Monday, and tickets are still available for all three games. The Rogers Centre is a short walk from the World Cup buzz at Exhibition Place, and the waterfront is going to be electric all week. Good baseball, easy access, and a great excuse to be downtown on a weeknight.
4
Toronto Beaches Rib and Beer Fest
Tonight through Sunday, June 21 | Woodbine Park, the Beaches
This is one of those events that sounds good and turns out to be great. Three days of BBQ ribs from competition-level pitmasters, cold beer, live music, and the Beaches on a summer weekend. The crowd here is always relaxed and the food is serious. Head east.
5
Cirque du Soleil: Luzia
Now Open, runs through Aug 30 | Under the Big Top, Lake Shore Blvd West (Exhibition Place area)
Cirque is back in Toronto. Luzia is the show set in Mexico with gorgeous staging and the kind of acrobatics that make you forget you're under a tent near the Gardiner. It runs all summer so there's no pressure, but with the World Cup crowds in town it's a great week to grab tickets before the run gets busy.
Heads Up: World Cup match day closures are in effect tomorrow (Saturday, June 20) from 11am to 9pm, subject to change. Lake Shore Blvd West from Bathurst to the stadium is restricted, along with Dufferin Street and surrounding streets near Exhibition Place. Take the TTC. The 511 Bathurst has enhanced service to the stadium. Plan accordingly if you're heading anywhere in that area this weekend.
No Cost
Free Things To Do
Toronto Jazz Festival Outdoor Stages
Tonight through June 28 | OLG Village Stage, Yorkville + locations across the city
The outdoor programming at Jazz Fest is genuinely world-class and it costs nothing. Walk through Yorkville on any evening this week and you'll stumble into something good. Check the full schedule at torontojazz.com for set times.
FIFA World Cup Public Viewings at Nathan Phillips Square
Every match day through July 2 | Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St W
Big screens in front of City Hall for every World Cup match, no ticket needed. The TORONTO sign with a packed square behind it is going to look incredible. Saturday's Germany vs Côte d'Ivoire match at 4pm is the one to aim for this weekend.
Fairbank Summerfest
Tonight through Sunday, June 21 | Dufferin Ave & Eglinton Ave W, York
A neighbourhood street festival running all weekend on the west side with live music, food, local vendors, and a beer garden. Classic Toronto summer fair energy. Free admission.
Free Sunday at the Bata Shoe Museum
This Sunday, June 21, 12–5pm | 327 Bloor St W
Every Sunday is free at the Bata. 13,000 artifacts, four floors, a permanent collection going back 4,500 years. A genuinely great museum that a lot of people walk past every day without ever going in.
Food & Drink Pick
Arraiá on Yonge: Brazilian Street Festival
Saturday, June 20 | Midtown Yonge Street (Davisville area)
If you've never been to an Arraiá, it's a Brazilian street party traditionally held around the Festa Junina June celebrations, and the Midtown Yonge version on Saturday is the real deal. You get live forró and samba music, traditional food, dancing in the street under colourful flags, kids' games, and a beer garden. It runs from midday into the evening, and it's the kind of spontaneous, joyful event that Toronto actually does really well. Head up to the Midtown Yonge stretch on Saturday and let the afternoon happen. No plan required.
Around the City
What's New in Toronto
Billy Bishop Airport's future is officially up for debate
The federal government has launched public consultations on the future of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, running until July 24. The province wants to expand it for jets. Environmental groups and many local residents are pushing back. The consultation is open to all Canadians online at tc.canada.ca. If you have a view on this one, now is the window to make it count.
Toronto now has Canada's tallest residential building
A new supertall residential tower in Toronto has taken the title of Canada's tallest residential building, with full completion expected later in 2026. A benchmark moment for a city that keeps pushing the skyline higher, and a reminder of how much has changed in a decade of building here.
Toronto You Probably Didn't Know
Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Toronto. Not in New York. Not in Boston. Here.
On September 5, 1914, a 19-year-old pitcher named George Herman Ruth stepped up to the plate at Hanlan's Point Stadium on Toronto Island. He was playing for the Providence Grays of the International League against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the minor league baseball team that called the island home. He hit a home run. His only one that season. The first of his professional career. It cleared the fence and landed in the water.
Ruth had only been a professional ballplayer for a few months. The Boston Red Sox had signed him that February and farmed him out to Providence. He was a pitcher first, and a good one, but something happened that afternoon in Toronto. The stadium is long gone, demolished decades ago. Hanlan's Point is now a beach, the same beach you take the ferry to on a summer afternoon. There's no plaque, no monument, nothing marking the spot. Most people have no idea.
Ruth would go on to hit 714 home runs in his Major League career, a record that stood for nearly 40 years. The first one was here. On an island in Toronto Harbour, in front of a few hundred people who had no idea what they were watching. Next time you're on the ferry heading to the islands, think about that.
Real Estate
Homeowner Tip
Summer is laneway and garden suite season. Here's what the city will actually cover.
If you own a house in Toronto with a laneway behind it or enough backyard space, you're sitting on more financial potential than you might realize. The city has made some of the most homeowner-friendly changes in years to how laneway suites and garden suites get built and approved, and most people still don't know about them.
The biggest one: for most eligible projects, development charges on laneway suites and garden suites are waived or deferred. On a typical Toronto garden suite project, that can mean tens of thousands of dollars in savings, and where deferral applies, it's interest-free for up to 20 years. Development charges were a real deterrent to backyard builds for a long time. That deterrent is largely gone.
The city also offers pre-approved architectural plans for these suites through its website, which can cut months off the permit timeline. You pick a design that already meets code, customize it slightly for your lot, and the permit process moves much faster than a custom application. Summer is when most contractors are assessing and quoting projects ahead of fall construction windows. If you've been thinking about it, this is a good time to run the numbers.
Curious what a laneway or garden suite could mean for your property value? Reply with your address and I'll give you a quick, honest read.
This is Toronto doing what it does best. Two of the biggest events in the city's recent history are happening at the same time, and somehow the city is making it look easy. If you've needed a reason to feel good about where you live, this week is it.
If buying, selling, or investing is on your mind, I'm always happy to chat.
