Permits, Insurance and Regulations

Regardless of your location in Ontario, presenting art in a park is likely to require one or more permits from your municipality.

In an effort to streamline the process and make permitting easier for artists and city staff alike, in 2016 Toronto’s department of Parks, Forestry & Recreation created a simplified permit level for arts programming. One-time, grassroots, free admission arts events may now access free permits with a very quick approval time. See Arts and Music in City Parks for more information about permits for Toronto’s city parks.

However, if you’re planning an event or events which span more than one day, or will include alcohol, food, amplified sound or installation of infrastructure or equipment, you will likely need to complete a number of documents and apply for several additional permits, including:

• Waste management plan
• Noise exemption permit (if there will be amplified sound)
• Public health permit (if serving food)
• Alcohol & gaming permit (if serving alcohol)
• Building permit (if constructing or installing a tent stage, platform or other infrastructure)
• Emergency action plan (if large audiences are expected)

Additionally, municipalities will have regulations that pertain to permitted park use. Some examples of additional regulations in Toronto include:

• No provision of bottled water on park property
• Restrictions on the size of signage and sponsorship recognition
• Fireworks restrictions

In Toronto, everyone presenting arts programming in City parks requires insurance. Insurance can be a particularly difficult requirement so it’s important that it be considered and resolved early. To help with the cost and difficulty this requirement can cause, particularly for individual artists, the following solutions have been put in place:

• Artists working under an Arts and Music in City Parks permit may purchase the necessary insurance from the city (cost ranges from $25 to $100)
• Toronto Arts Council takes out group coverage for all artists and organizations receiving funding under the Animating Toronto Parks program. The group coverage is a highly valued benefit of being part of Arts in the Parks.