{"id":31560,"date":"2025-09-19T21:05:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/31560\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T21:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:05:12","slug":"canadas-largest-free-book-festival-is-happening-in-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/31560\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s largest free book festival is happening in Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s largest free book and magazine festival is taking place in Toronto this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That means it\u2019s time to gather all the book worms in your life and get ready for a multiday celebration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Word On The Street<\/a>\u00a0(WOTS) celebration is taking place for two days on Sept. 27 and 28 as it hosts its 36th annual festival.<\/p>\n

And if you haven\u2019t been before, expect author readings, writing workshops, kids\u2019 activities, book signings, and a giant marketplace \u201cfull of the country\u2019s finest bookstores, publishers, arts organizations and artists\u201d at the festival, which\u00a0attracts more than 200,000 visitors<\/a> every year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 36 years, Word On The Street has been championing literacy and literature,\u201d Sienna Tristen, director of programming for WOTS, tell Toronto.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Word On The Street is a vital part of Toronto\u2019s arts scene precisely because of its commitment to ensuring that any Torontonian can walk on-site and engage in the magic of written word,\u201d Tristen adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s about more than just books.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

\"Word<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

Word On The Street<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can read it, you can find it here,\u201d Tristen says.<\/p>\n

With the festival taking place close to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, WOTS is also \u201ca great time to immerse yourself in Indigenous art and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

David A. Robertson will be reading from the final book in his \u201cMisewa Saga\u201d series, Willie Poll will be leading kids through Indigenous foods and harvesting with her book Our Ancestors\u2019 Kitchen and Tanya Talaga, a finalist for this year\u2019s Toronto Book Awards, will be giving an in-depth reading of her book \u201cThe Knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find the Word On The Street celebration at David Pecaut Square at 215 King St. W.<\/p>\n

And for more ways to fill your time, the first weekend of Toronto\u2019s new \u2014 and free to attend \u2014 Water\/Fall Festival<\/a> will also take place on Sept. 27 and 28.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And if you can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s largest free book and magazine festival is taking place in Toronto this month.\u00a0 That means it\u2019s time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[288,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-31560","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}