Things to do in Toronto this week: September 20–26

This is TIFF week, which means the 6ix is running on festival time and you either lean into it or find your own thing in the pockets between the red carpets. Sunday the 20th starts clear and mild—a rare overcast-but-dry window with highs near 22°C—before the week turns cool and grey. It is the only day this week that genuinely rewards being outside, so plan accordingly.

The Toronto International Film Festival dominates Sunday morning and afternoon across Scotiabank Theatre and the main venues, with early screenings rolling from 9 a.m. onward. If you are not already locked into TIFF tickets, the festival is now in full swing and the backlog of must-sees grows by the hour. The films pulling the most heat this year are worth the scramble.

If you want live music and you want to stay warm and dry indoors, Loathe—the post-hardcore outfit from the UK—lands at History Toronto on Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. with Fleshwater and Prostitute in tow. Fleshwater, from the US, trades in alternative metal and shoegaze textures that lean heavy. It is a lean, loud night for people who like their rock sharp and uncompromising. Tickets run standard venue pricing; this is a proper show, not a festival callback.

For something entirely different, Thee Sacred Souls—a soul group from San Diego with roots in Chicago and smooth soul traditions—play the RBC Amphitheatre at 7 p.m. the same evening. On a dry, mild night, the Amphitheatre is one of the few outdoor stages still worth considering this time of year, and soul music is built for Sunday sunset. This is the week's warmest evening; do not sleep on it.

Beyond the stage, the city is quietly reshaping its dining map. Woodlyns, the new Chinese-Jewish fusion spot from chef Nick Liu, just opened at Bathurst and Eglinton, aiming to anchor a corridor that spent years in construction limbo. It is a meaningful reopening for that neighborhood. And Canis—the fine-dining room that closed during the pandemic—is back in Little Italy with a 28-seat tasting menu format from chefs Jeff Kang and Tosh Agassiz. After six years dark, that is a real return. If you want to eat well this week, both are worth the booking.

Tous Les Jours, the South Korean bakery chain with nearly 2,000 locations globally, opens its Canadian flagship Thursday inside the new H Mart at Yonge and Cummer in North York. It is not haute cuisine, but it signals real momentum in the GTA's food infrastructure. For something more immediate, Fox on John—the gastropub standard—remains a solid bet for the cool, grey mid-week stretch ahead, and El Catrin on King West holds its own if you want Mexican food with proper technique.

Monday through Wednesday turn cool and overcast, with highs barely breaking 17°C and scattered rain chances climbing toward 10 per cent by mid-week. Plan indoor dinners, catch the second and third days of TIFF screenings, or move that restaurant reservation indoors. Friday clears slightly and warms to 20°C—a small reprieve before Saturday settles into the week's forecast pattern.

If you have one evening, make it Sunday at the Amphitheatre with Thee Sacred Souls: clear sky, warm air, and soul music that lands harder when the sun is actually setting behind you.