festival street tiff

Huge crowds take over King St. in Toronto for TIFF Festival Street

TIFF is in full swing as movie lovers, filmmakers and celebrities alike flock to Toronto to celebrate film — and King West is the hub of it all.

Spanning from University Avenue to Peter Street, King West has been transformed into "Festival Street" — the beating heart of the Toronto International Film Festival.

With screening venues like Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre and, of course, the TIFF Lightbox all holding court on the strip, the buzz is palpable as soon as you walk up the steps of St. Andrew Station.

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Festivalgoers pose at the TIFF sign.

Greeted, on either end of the street, by the now-iconic TIFF sign, festivalgoers eagerly wait in line to announce their arrival with a photo before delving into the depths of the street party.

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Food trucks offer sustinance among the excitement.

At the University end of the street festival, food trucks from the likes of Rick's Good Eats, Nom Nom Nom Tater Tots and Arepa Republic, as well as a cart setup from Oretta line the street to provide bites for those on the go.

If you're eager for a sit-down meal, restaurants are in good supply along the strip, with some spots extending their sidewalk patios to keep you closer to the action while you dine.

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A live performer entertains the festival.

Outside of Charlotte's Room, a performer provides the soundtrack to the evening — on opening night, it was a selection of 80's and 90's rock played on accoustic guitar — though the sounds of cheering fans and tunes blasting from patios provide a secondary score.

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The Fan Zone at David Pecaut Square.

The TIFF Fan Zone, a ticketed area where anyone holding a wristband can enter, is located at David Pecaut Square — renamed Cinema Park in honour of the festival.

There, fans can access special areas like the RBC Red Carpet Gallery, Campari Red Carpet Lounge (where pre-screening toasts and talks with filmmakers are held) and a bar by Peroni featuring bites by Chef David Rocco.

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Fans await the arrival of their favourite stars in a Fan Zone.

There are also Fan Zones set up on the south side of King across from every screening venue, where fans can await the arrival of their favourite stars before premieres.

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Public chargers are available to replenish you phone's battery life.

Also located just outside of David Pecaut Square are a series of public phone charging stations, an absolute must for star spotters between red carpets.

Various brands and organizations operate booths lining the street, offering giveaways, contests and experiences to anyone willing to brave the frequently expansive lines they draw in.

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Ferrero Rocher and Beyond Meat offer free samples to attendees.

Among the free goodies you might just be able to get your hands on this festival season are free slices from Pizza Nova, espresso martini shots from Lobster Burger Bar, entire chocolate bars from Ferrero Rocher (in my opinion, the freebie most deserving the wait) and Beyond Sausage samples from Beyond Meat.

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OVO and 1LOVE T.O. spread the love with limited-edition merchandise.

In true Toronto fashion, Drake makes his mark on the event with a collaboration between his fashion brand OVO and 1LOVE T.O., displaying limited edition designs for the festival and offering the chance to win an OVO gift card.

While TIFF might be the city's most well-known film festival, Toronto is home to a slew of various community film festivals throughout the year, and they, along with OCADU and Toronto Film School, are on display at the Art Market.

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Student films are screened at the Toronto Film School and OCADU booths.

If you need a break from the hustle and bustle, you can even sit down at OCADU and Toronto Film School's booths with a basket of free popcorn to watch screenings of student- and alumni films.

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Take a photo with Pharrell Williams. The LEGO version of him, that is.

Photo-ops reign supreme along festival street (assuming you haven't eaten up your phone storage snapping shots of celebs), including one where you can pose next to a near-lifesized LEGO model of Pharrell Williams in honour of his film, Piece by Piece, which premieres at the festival on Sept. 7.

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Movie lovers await rush tickets outside the pop-up shop at the TIFF Lightbox.

The nucleus of the film festival is the TIFF Lightbox which, in addition to serving as a box office for rush tickets and a venue for screenings, also features and extended merchandise pop-up with festival-specific merchandise.

tiff festival streetWhile TIFF runs until Sunday, Sept. 15, Festival Street is more fleeting — wrapping up on Sunday, Sept. 8, though Cinema Park will be home to a series of nightly free outdoor movie screenings for the duration of the festival.

Photos by

Fareen Karim


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