Here are the celebrities coming to Toronto for TIFF 2026

Celebrities coming to Toronto for TIFF 2026 run the gamut from hometown heroes (read: Seth Rogen) to high-flying and even higher-belting on-screen witches (read: Cynthia Erivo), and you might just bump into them on your next commute to work.

With the film festival slated to kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10, the excitement around the city is already palpable. Whether you're in it for the film screenings, festival street, or, like me, the chance of seeing your favourite stars in the wild, mid-September is always a thrilling time in Toronto.

And, judging by the roster of stars set to descend on the city for TIFF 2026, this year should be no different. From Canadian favourites to Academy Award winners, it's going to be a star-studded September in the city, indeed.

Here are some of the most exciting celebrities expected to attend TIFF 2026 in Toronto.

Hudson Williams

Following his bottlerocket ascent to stardom thanks to Heated Rivalry, Williams is appearing at the festival for a talk, where he'll discuss coming up in the Canadian film industry, his Heated Rivalry experience and his upcoming new Crave Original show, YAGA.

Cynthia Erivo

You won't have to "look to the Western sky" to find this powerhouse Wicked star at TIFF 2026, she'll be at the world premiere of Prima Facie on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Channing Tatum

Starring alongside Gemma Chan and eight-year-old Mason Reeves in the upcoming drama-thriller Josephine, Tatum is expected to attend the film's Canadian premiere on Monday, Sept. 14.

Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem

This powerhouse couple, who've appeared in plenty of films together over the years, is gracing the big screen once again in Bunker, which is having its North American premiere on Monday, Sept. 14.

Michelle Yeoh

This Oscar winner and star of the 2000 TIFF People's Choice Award-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is back on Toronto turf for the North American premiere of It's My Time on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Ayo Edebiri

This star of The Bear and Bottoms graces the screen in Clarissa, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway," which is set to see its North American premiere on Friday, Sept. 11.

Chris Rock

Not only will this comedian's new film Misty Green, which stars Slow Horses' Rosalind Eleazar, Daniel Kaluuya, Adam Driver and Anna Kendrick, have its world premiere at the festival, Rock will also appear at a special In Conversation With... event. 

Luckily, Will Smith isn't expected to attend the festival, so he can — likely — walk away without a punch in the face.

Seth Rogen

This Vancouver-born funnyman stars alongside Anna Kendrick in Lauren Miller Rogen's Babies, which will have its world premiere at the festival on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Jennifer Coolidge

Sharing the screen alongside legends like Rebel Wilson, Nicole Scherzinger and Sally Hawkins in Wilson's Girl Group, we can expect to see this Legally Blonde and The White Lotus star at the film's world premiere on Friday, Sept. 11. Makes me want a hot dog real bad...

Not star-studded enough for you? Here are even more celebrities expected to attend the event this year — and this is only a small taste.

• Mahershala Ali
• Jesse Eisenberg
• Chase Infiniti
• Tom Hiddleston
• Daniel Kaluuya
• John Malkovich
• Julianne Moore
• Issa Rae
• Andrew Scott
• Sebastian Stan
• Gary Oldman
• Naomi Watts
• Forest Whittaker
• Rebel Wilson
• Iris Apatow
• Antonio Banderas
• Curry Barker
• Orlando Bloom
• Gemma Chan
• Courteney Cox
• Willem Dafoe
• Lily-Rose Depp
• Zooey Deschanel
• Jon Hamm
• Caleb Hearon
• Holmes
• Geddy Lee
• Aimee Lou Wood
• James McAvoy
• Liam Neeson
• Margaret Qualley
• Amanda Seyfried
• J.K. Simmons
• Cole Sprouse