Canada’s largest free book and magazine festival is taking place in Toronto this month. 

That means it’s time to gather all the book worms in your life and get ready for a multiday celebration. 

The Word On The Street (WOTS) celebration is taking place for two days on Sept. 27 and 28 as it hosts its 36th annual festival.

And if you haven’t been before, expect author readings, writing workshops, kids’ activities, book signings, and a giant marketplace “full of the country’s finest bookstores, publishers, arts organizations and artists” at the festival, which attracts more than 200,000 visitors every year.

“For 36 years, Word On The Street has been championing literacy and literature,” Sienna Tristen, director of programming for WOTS, tell Toronto.com.

“The Word On The Street is a vital part of Toronto’s arts scene precisely because of its commitment to ensuring that any Torontonian can walk on-site and engage in the magic of written word,” Tristen adds. 

But it’s about more than just books.

Stop by Soapbox Science for mini-talks on everything from black holes to breaking down plastic, the Pride and Prejudice Embroidery Experience to contribute to a communal sewing project or take part in the sitewide literary scavenger hunt by Diaspora Dialogues.

And if you’ll be shopping through the marketplace, there will be more than 200 vendors. So, be sure to bring a tote bag or pick one up at the celebration.

Word On The Street

If you’ll be shopping through the marketplace, there will be more than 200 vendors, so be sure to bring a tote bag or pick one up at the celebration.

Word On The Street

“If you can read it, you can find it here,” Tristen says.

With the festival taking place close to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, WOTS is also “a great time to immerse yourself in Indigenous art and culture.”

David A. Robertson will be reading from the final book in his “Misewa Saga” series, Willie Poll will be leading kids through Indigenous foods and harvesting with her book Our Ancestors’ Kitchen and Tanya Talaga, a finalist for this year’s Toronto Book Awards, will be giving an in-depth reading of her book “The Knowing.”

Find the Word On The Street celebration at David Pecaut Square at 215 King St. W.

And for more ways to fill your time, the first weekend of Toronto’s new — and free to attend — Water/Fall Festival will also take place on Sept. 27 and 28.

Hosted by the Waterfront Business Improvement Area (BIA), festival goers will find dynamic activations, including public art installations on and off the water, harvest-themed food and drink markets, live music and dance performances, a sustainable makers market and more.

And if you can’t make it during the first weekend of programming, the celebration will also take place on Oct. 4 and 5. Find the inaugural Water/Fall Festival on Queens Quay from Bathurst Street to Bay Street.