TORONTO, 2012-11-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — Torontoland awaits you as it bustles with holiday-themed activities, events, and outdoor displays everyone can enjoy. Explore Toronto and all it has to offer with Tourism Toronto’s plethora of Torontoland hotel packages, from Hotel & Parking or Breakfast to Romantic Holiday, Family Holiday and even the Girls Night Out package.
Starting at just $124 for two, Torontoland packages found on www.SeeTorontoland.com include a one night downtown Toronto hotel stay, breakfast or parking, and tickets for two to a popular Toronto attraction, including the Hockey Hall of Fame or the Royal Ontario Museum. While making plans for a happening holiday season, don’t forget to check out all of the other things going on in the city keeping the season festive and merry:
- Santa Claus heads south to Toronto for the 108th Annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade on Sunday, November 18th . The parade starts at 12:30 p.m. at Christie Pits and works its way throughout the city ending at the St. Lawrence Market. The parade will feature spectacular floats, celebrity clowns, and the man of the hour himself, Santa Claus! thesantaclausparade.ca
- The popular Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market returns to the Distillery District from November 30 to December 16, 2012. Inspired by the Old World and influenced by the New, this free annual event captures all of the tradition, heritage and charm of a European Christmas Market, while showcasing hundreds of unique and local handcrafted products. Family friendly entertainment includes musicians, carolers and children’s choirs. torontochristmasmarket.com
- Families will enjoy Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music from December 27 to December 30, 2012 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox; Holiday Workshops for children and youth from December 27 to December 31, 2012 and January 2 to January 4, 2013; and Family Drop-ins where kids have the opportunity to dress up as a super hero of their own creation and act out their powers in front of the green screen in Green Screen, The Super Hero Experience. Family Drop-in days take place December 27 to 31, 2012 and January 2 to 6, 2013. tiff.net
- The 46th annual Cavalcade of Lights kicks off the holiday season at Nathan Phillips Square on November 17, 2012 at 7 p.m., with live musical performances by pop/rock vocalist Suzie McNeil, R&B artist Sean Jones and rising star Alyssa Reid and the first lighting of the Cavalcade of Lights display, followed by a breathtaking fireworks display at 8 p.m. toronto.ca/special_events/cavalcade_lights/2012/index.htm
- Celebrate the holiday season with Winterfest on Toronto’s Waterfront taking place November 24 to December 16, 2012 – Weekends Only. Winterfest features the 7th Annual Santa Cruise, and Have Your Pet’s Photo Taken with Santa at PawsWay, plus much more! waterfrontbia.com.
- Beginning November 19, 2012, laugh out loud this holiday season at The Second City’s Nut-Cracking Holiday Revue, an all-new collection of hilarious sketches, songs, and improvisations inspired by the season of merriment, mirth, and last-minute shopping. The Second City’s intimate cabaret theatre is located in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment and financial districts, and offers table service of a tasty and affordable food and beverage menu throughout the performance. secondcity.com
- Holiday performances taking place in Toronto include Soulpepper’s A Christmas Carol, the Charles Dickens favourite on stage until December 3, 2012 soulpepper.ca and the National Ballet of Canada’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from November 10-25, 2012, national.ballet.ca
- Harbourfront Centre DJ Skate Night returns! From December 15 to February 23, 2013, Toronto’s hottest DJs put the beat in your blades. Featuring all kinds of high-energy music, from reggae to house to electronica to dub. This year’s line-up includes 1 LOVE T.O, Soca on Ice with Dr. Jay and more. All December long, the Harbourfront Centre will be offering free family holiday and winter activities, including scavenger hunts and big bands! harbourfrontcentre.com
- On November 17th, 2012 between 5:00 and 6:00 pm, Matt Dusk will be in concert for the Bloor-Yorkville BIA’s Official Lighting Ceremony, a kick off to Holiday Magic in support of the Toys and Games Fund at the Hospital for Sick Children. Friends, families and music-lovers are invited to the Village of Yorkville Park (Cumberland and Ballair Streets) for a special performance by one of Canada’s most beloved male vocalists. bloor-yorkville.com
- Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is featuring the exhibition, Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting through January 20, 2013 Together they made up one of the most prolific and politically charged couples of the 20th century. They were also two of the most compelling Latin American artists to paint about their country and themselves…They are Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting is a rare showcase of 155 works by and about the artists, drawn primarily from the collection of Mexico’s Museo Dolores Olmedo. This is the first time these spectacular, moving and important works by Kahlo and Rivera will be shown together in Canada. ago.net
- In celebration of James Bond’s monumental 50th anniversary, the TIFF Bell Lightbox is hosting the much anticipated exhibit Designing 007 – FiftyYears of Bond Style. Running until January 20, 2013, this innovative exhibition will focus on the distinctly British luxuriance of the world’s most iconic movie brand and its influence on art, music, lifestyle, automotive design, travel, technology and fashion over the course of five decades. tiff.net/bond
- The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) continues to showcase the world premiere of Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana through January 6, 2013. The exhibition is curated, designed and produced by the ROM, and these dinosaurs make their first stop in Toronto before embarking on an international tour. Based on groundbreaking research from scientists around the world, this exhibition reveals bizarre and unusual looking dinosaurs virtually unknown to North Americans because they evolved in isolation in South America, Africa and Madagascar. rom.on.ca
- Ontario Science Centre steps from the “armchair” into the action by sprinting, rowing, pitching and jumping in SPORT, an exhibition for all ages through January 6, 2013. Fire a aseball as fast and accurately as you can, or sprint 50 metres in a sport wheelchair. This exhibition meshes pure fun with fitness and science, SPORT returns home to the Ontario Science Centre where it was developed and created. ontariosciencecentre.ca
- Check out the Toronto Zoo’s amazing animals this holiday season. With over 5,000 animals representing over 500 species and with over 10km of walking trails, there’s something for the whole family. torontozoo.com
- TIFF Cinematheque is featuring Dickens on Screen from December 13, 2012 to January 3, 2013. As part of the worldwide celebrations of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens (1812-1870), TIFF Cinematheque is proud to present this generous selection of famous, neglected, rare, curious and fascinating adaptations of Dickens’ beloved novels for film and television, stretching from the silent era to the modern day. tiff.net
- Visitors can relive the most famous series in all of hockey through a special 40th anniversary display paying tribute to the 1972 Summit Series between Team Canada and the Soviet Union. The Hockey Hall of Fame 1972 Summit Series 40th Anniversary Tribute features artifacts such as the stick used by Paul Henderson to score the game-winning goal in the eight and deciding game and pants worn by Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak throughout the series. The tribute is on display at Brookfield Place until December 31, 2012. hhof.com
- Don’t miss Mirvish Productions’ award-winning production of War Horse at the Princess of Wales Theatre, extended until January 6, 2013. mirvish.com
- The Toronto Fringe presents the Next Stage Theatre Festival, running from January 2-13, 2013 at the Factory Theatre in Toronto. Now in its 6th year, the Next Stage Theatre Festival features some of the best independent theatre artists in the country. Past productions have been recognized through Dora Award nominations, remounts in seasons at leading theatres across Canada, and off-Broadway productions in New York City. fringetoronto.com
- Have a sweet tooth? Try Tasty Tours’ Holiday Sweets Tour on Dec 9 from 11:30am – 1:30pm. It features a guided tour on the history of sweets, including holiday favourites like candy cane, an introduction to five sweet stores in Kensington Market with samples from each location. tastytourstoronto.com
Get to Toronto on Via Rail Canada viarail.ca; get around on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the city’s local transit system ttc.ca; and see the sites with the Toronto CityPASS which provides admission into five top attractions citypass.com/toronto.
For further information or to book a Torontoland holiday, visit SeeTorontoNow.com or call 1-800-499-2514.
About Tourism Toronto
Tourism Toronto, Toronto’s Convention and Visitors Association, is an industry association of more than 1,200 members established to sell and market the greater Toronto region as a remarkable destination for tourists, convention delegates and business travellers around the globe. Tourism Toronto operates in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture as Regional Tourism Organization 5, representing the cities of Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton. For more information please visit seetorontonow.com.
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For more information please contact:
Vanessa Somarriba
Tourism Toronto
416-987-1739
vsomarriba@torcvb.com