Culture in Toronto

This is partially because of an influx of residents in the downtown caused by a large amount of new condominium construction in the city since the mid 2000s.

The city is home to the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind in the world.

[4][5] Successful television shows shot or set in the city and surrounding areas include Kim's Convenience, Schitt's Creek, SCTV, Kids in the Hall, Orphan Black, and the Degrassi franchise.

A few famous music artists that have emerged from the city or its suburbs include Peaches, Rush, Drake, Jessie Reyez, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, DillanPonders, K-os, Roam, Sean Leon and The Weeknd.

[2] In 1998, Variety magazine acknowledged that TIFF "is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile pics, stars, and market activity".

Past recipients of this award include Oscar-winning films, such as: Life Is Beautiful, American Beauty, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Slumdog Millionaire, The King's Speech, 12 Years a Slave, The Imitation Game, Room, La La Land, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Green Book.

There are also museums, such as the Parliament Interpretive Centre, operated by Ontario Heritage Trust, purposed for education about the War of 1812 and the history and anthropology of the province and city.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition[19] is another annual weekend event at Nathan Phillips Square, gathering more than 500 visual artists and craftspeople mainly from Ontario and Quebec.

Works including Native art, contemporary sculpture, and architectural models can be seen within the rotunda of Toronto's City Hall.

Public art and sculpture in the city are abundant, and have representations of many artists like Henry Moore, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, Menashe Kadishman, Douglas Coupland, Bernard Schottlander, Jaume Plensa, Rowan Gillespie, William McElcheran, Joe Fafard, and traditional Inuit art, among others.

As Canada's recording industry centre, Toronto is also home to many Canadian pop, rock, and hip hop musicians.

Established acts play at venues such as Lee's Palace, The Opera House, The Horseshoe Tavern, The Mod Club, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, The Guvernment and Kool Haus.

The Toronto Music Garden, designed with Yo-Yo Ma as a consultant, also hosts free outdoor orchestras in the summer.

Luminato is a 10-day festival in June featuring over a thousand local and international artists for theatre, dance, music, visual arts, books and film events.

Downtown Toronto is home to attractions like the CN Tower, St. Lawrence Market, and the Royal Ontario Museum, with exhibits on natural history.

[26][27] The city celebrates its ethnic diversity through numerous food festivals: Perhaps one of the most iconic and distinct Toronto offerings is the peameal bacon sandwich, normally on a Kaiser.

Some notable offerings of the sandwich are Paddington's Pump, Sausage King, and Carousel Bakery; coincidentally enough, all are located at St. Lawrence Market.

"[34] They appear in the works of major Toronto writers such as Margaret Atwood, Anne Michaels, Morley Callaghan and Ann-Marie MacDonald.

Canadian journalist Robert Fulford had described the ravine system as "both a tangible (though often hidden) part of our surroundings and a persistent force in our civic imagination.

With recent condominium developments in the Entertainment District, many condo tenants have made noise complaints against nightclubs and their rowdy patrons.

Ossington Avenue and Dundas Street West have become nightlife destinations that attract mainly young hip, bohemian-type patrons.

Parkdale, another hip westside neighborhood known for its affordable housing stock and creative community, has gained nightlife popularity thanks to notable venues such as The Rhino, Guu Izakaya, The Shameful Tiki and Tilt Arcade Bar in addition to also containing Noble Street Studios where numerous famous musicians such as Billy Talent, Kanye West and The Weeknd have worked on music.

The city's many dance and live music venues host international and Canadian performers, and its comedy clubs have served as training grounds for stars such as Jim Carrey, Russell Peters, The Kids in the Hall and SCTV.

After recently coming out of a recession, the many abandoned warehouses in the city became a breeding ground for Toronto's emerging rave scene.

Provincial legislation, in the form of Bill 73 (the Raves Act of 2000), forced parties to apply for permits and made police presence standard at all events.

Events quickly moved into clubs and more established locations to escape the strict regulation, but this had the unintended effect of removing people under the age of 19 from the scene.

Artists who have achieved moderate mainstream success include Kardinal Offishall, k-os, Choclair, Maestro Fresh-Wes, Saukrates, Dream Warriors, K'naan and Drake.

The city is quickly becoming a larger player in hip-hop with artists such as Jazz Cartier, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Tory Lanez, P Reign, Roy Woods, NAV, OB O'Brian, Pressa, and Sean Leon among others, finding success.

[42] Burke's success as one of Toronto's top bookers despite issues with substance abuse and living as a homeless person have made him into a local celebrity.

Artists such as Deborah Cox, Glenn Lewis, Melanie Fiona, Daniel Caesar and The Weeknd have achieved mainstream success outside of Canada.