About ARTS IN THE PARKS

Arts in the Parks is an annual summer-long, inclusive arts initiative that brings arts events to parks in every corner of the city, from Etobicoke to Scarborough and North York to the downtown core. Events are free and family-friendly and include theatre, music concerts, film screenings and workshops for children and their families and neighbours.

Now in it’s 10th year, Arts in the Parks encourages community building, enjoyment of local parks, and offers arts events for residents and tourists of all ages. Arts in the Parks is an initiative of the Toronto Arts Foundation, being presented in partnership with Toronto Arts Council, the City of Toronto and Park People.

Through Arts in the Parks, Toronto Arts Foundation runs an extensive volunteer program for people of all ages including youth, engages community, and promotes all events with a city-wide marketing campaign.

Purpose & History

Toronto Arts Foundation has a clear vision for Toronto – a great city where all our neighbourhoods are connected to the transformative power of the arts. This vision sees our communities reflected in our arts, where adults can witness the joy on children’s faces as together they dance and create along with professional artists, where barriers are lifted, and arts are enjoyed and experienced by all. 

To better understand how we can fulfill and support this vision, the Foundation conducted extensive research into public opinion about the arts. We discovered that although 96 percent of Torontonians see benefits of the arts to the city, nearly 9 in 10 see at least one barrier to attending arts events. Barriers cited were cost, proximity, and lack of quality events in their neighbourhood. 

To directly address these barriers, Toronto Arts Foundation created Arts in the Parks.

The success of the program since its inaugural year in 2016 has been remarkable – over 9 years, Arts in the Parks has presented 2,426 events in 78 parks to over 700,000 Torontonians.