Why are so many Toronto restaurants doing Christmas pop-ups this year?
Is it just me, or are there an exceptional number of Toronto restaurants transforming into festive Christmas-themed pop-ups this year?
Don't get me wrong, I am no Scrooge: no sooner had it turned to midnight on Dec. 1 than I had already watched two Home Alone movies and Elf, but this year, it's looking more like Christmas is some sort of communicable virus that restaurants in the city simply can't avoid.
For years, festive pop-up bars have been a go-to way for the city's legal drinking age crowd to drum up a little holiday cheer as event spaces, restaurants and bars get enshrouded in kitschy Christmas ephemera, twinkly lights and wrapping paper walls.
There have been a handful of reliable go-tos, like Miracle on Bloor, from the team behind Civil Liberties, and Papi Chulo's Mistletoes and Margaritas, but, during the 2025 festive season, the number of Christmas bars Toronto residents have the option of attending has, for whatever reason, skyrocketed.
The Miracle team opened a second pop-up on the Harbourfront for 2025, while Pnut Gallery, the hospitality team behind Papi Chulo's, which has opened two new restaurants this year, is running four distinct holiday pop-ups this year, to say nothing of all the hotels, restaurants and bars in the city who've decided to run their own, too.
Could it be that holiday cheer is reaching hitherto unseen heights?
At Portland Square, the four-storey restaurant complex home to Honey Chinese and Primadonna, a vacant floor has been transformed into Christmas on King every Thursday through Sunday until Dec. 31.
"We noticed there wasn't a Christmas pop-up on King Street and wanted to make use of a space that would otherwise be empty before our renovation in January," Charles Khabouth, CEO of INK Entertainment, tells blogTO.
"It felt like the perfect opportunity to transform the space into a festive environment for the holidays. We also felt confident because of the high-traffic area and the lack of that concept in the neighbourhood."
It's also provided the perfect location for charitable initiatives, he explains, like INK's annual Breakfast with Santa, which supports The Neighbourhood Group.
As for all the other Christmas pop-ups in the city, Khabouth explains that the uniquely prime location at King and Portland, paired with the team's passion for their own initiative, felt like it gave Christmas on King a distinct edge.
"While there are plenty of Christmas pop-ups around the city, we felt like King Street was missing some holiday cheer. Instead of feeling pressured, we saw it as an opportunity to bring our own initiative to life and add something unique to the neighbourhood," Khabouth says.
"It's more about creating a space that reflects our vision and the festive spirit than competing with others."
As it happens, Christmas on King isn't even the only seasonal pop-up that INK is operating. Running now until February, KOST at the Bisha Hotel has also been transformed into the Kost Chalet, with apres-ski-themed interiors and festive food and beverage.
Just around the corner, at Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen, another brand-new pop-up is underway: a Caribbean-inspired Christmas pop-up called Pon Di Nice List.
"At Chubby's, the vibe is all about warmth, celebration, and bringing people together and the holidays are the perfect moment for that spirit to shine," Lauren Bailey of Gusto 54 restaurant group, who owns Chubby's, tells blogTO.
"We wanted to create something joyful, nostalgic, and distinctly us: a Caribbean-inspired holiday escape right in the middle of winter."
Pon Di Nice List still features the same cocktails in Santa-shaped mugs and tinsel-laden decor you'd expect from any Christmas pop-up, but, Bailey explains, Chubby's distinct Caribbean influence — not to mention Michelin-recommended cuisine — innately sets the pop-up apart.
"We're bringing a holiday vibe you won't find anywhere else in the city—a Caribbean Christmas through the lens of Chubby's," she says, but she's not afraid of a little healthy competition with other cheerful pop-ups in the city.
"Definitely the more the merrier! People are hungry for experiences that make the season feel special and it pushes us to bring something fresh and unexpected to the table," Bailey tells blogTO.
"There's room for everyone, and the more festive energy in the city, the better."
Down on the waterfront, Queens Harbour has transformed into The White Garden until Jan. 31 — a slightly more refined (read: no tinsel here) take on the Christmas pop-up phenomenon. In fact, Queens Harbour co-founder Ali Badreddine is quick to note that it "isn't a traditional Christmas pop-up" at all.
"Queens Harbour is a year-round destination, and when we opened it, our goal was always to bring the waterfront to life throughout every season, not just in the summer," Badreddine tells blogTO.
"With The White Garden, we wanted to deliver a monumental winter activation in the city, revitalizing the waterfront during the colder months and giving Torontonians an unforgettable seasonal experience."
The expansive waterfront space has been flooded with flocked pine trees and faux snow, creating an ambiance that Badreddine says is unlike anything else in the city.
"The White Garden is on a whole other scale. Every wall, every corner, every possible space is filled with trees, snow, and details that make you stop and take it all in. We want people to see that winter doesn't have to be dull."
People in Toronto are hungry for unique experiences, Badreddine says, so the fact that The White Garden is a drop in an endless bucket of them is of no concern.
And, sure, while restaurants' Christmas pop-ups, not unlike Mariah Carey's annual "it's time" video or the release date of Starbucks' holiday menu creeping earlier and earlier each year, are, by and large, a cash grab, there is something to be said about how a little Christmas cheer could do us all some good.
A study published in the BMJ found that the intangible feeling of "Christmas spirit," largely triggered by familiar images and holiday traditions, can actually be registered on an MRI machine, while another, published in PubMed, showed that listening to Christmas music had a positive effect on blood pressure.
So, whether you're the sort to deck the halls before the leaves have even finished falling or the holiday season is merely something you endure, it might just be in your best interest to swing by one of the city's growing number of festive pop-ups this month.
Hector Vasquez, courtesy of Miracle Toronto
