It turned out the day I chose to visit was bitterly cold. It was a shame that this dampened the…read moreotherwise good experience. There were various installations located throughout the Distillery District. Make sure you go down all the little alleyways to see everything. As I was about to leave I heard one of the staff informing a visitor that there was going to be a fire show.

This is the third year of this annual festival running Jan and Feb at the Toronto Historic…read moreDistillery District. The lights come on sundown to 9pm/10pm. It features many different artists from around the world. The exhibits are immersive with some that includes participation like this year's Cloud Swing (where people swing under light clouds). Each show piece is very different in theme and they are different over the years. I've been all three years. For some reason, the nights chosen have always been cold (at least my fingers freeze when taking pictures/videos! Luckily there are shops and restaurants you can enter to warm up.

This is our second year going to this festival and my kids love it! The kids area is amazingly set…read moreup and equipped with tons of entertainment and leisure options for kids. The shows, meet and greets, face painting, train rides, all free and the kids love spending hours here. If you have kids, this is definitely a festival you don't want to miss!

We went on Sunday at 4 pm....it closed at 6. We had to pay full entry ($5pp) but it would be free…read moreat 5 pm. We entered and saw some food and merchandise stalls and some entertainment on the stages. There were rides and a petting zoo. Prices were high...large cotton candy for $8, 2 beaver tails for $15. It was not busy as it was almost over and it was becoming cloudy/rainy. It is a great community event and a great way to see neighbours. We missed the bread and honey and parade and races, but it was still a fun time.

On Saturday July 26 I attended the TFOB. It was my 2nd time attending this particular Beer Fest…read more but my previous visit was in 2011, 14 years ago, at the same location, west side of The CNE Grounds. I arrived in the long lineup to get in at about 2:20 pm, 20 minutes after the Fest. started. The line moved fairly steadily and I got in at about 2:40. As usual at the bigger Beer Fests that I attend, I walked around to get 'a lay of the land' and find out which Breweries and other beverage Companies were there and what they had available. My admission included a sampling glass and 5 tokens which could be used for beverages and food. Additional tokens cost $1 each and samples were predominantly 2 tickets for a 4 oz (half glass) pour, therefore $2/each. I started sampling around 3 pm and continued doing so for 3 1/2 plus hours; I had a total of 10 samples - mainly beer - but also Pear Apple Cider and Mango Guava Vodka Soda. I experienced a wide variety of flavours and styles in the different beverages I had. Loud music was playing through large speakers in the large outdoor area that the Fest. mainly took place in; indoors there was a stage with instruments on it and several other beverage providers. For food, there were food trucks stationed in a separate area at the Fest.; due to the cost I had lunch beforehand. It started to rain later in the afternoon and I left around 6:45 pm. More Attendees had arrived as the afternoon progressed and although it became fairly crowded outside, there was still adequate room to circulate throughout the Fest. I quite enjoyed experiencing the TO Beer Fest. for my 1st time in a very long time. Largely a younger crowd was present and it appeared to me that many others who came quite enjoyed attending as well.

In the last 2 decades, I have been to TFOB probably 6-7 times. It was previously held at Fort York…read morebut a while ago, with growing popularity - they moved the location to Exhibition Place. I was not happy about this change because it became less accessible (far from the city core, and need to take GO transit) but I go there anyway as I love beers. I go there to sample many different beers - it is HEAVEN for beer lovers. Just like endless beer flights. Especially, if you have luck with the weather - the experience will be very relaxing. To me, it is like a paradise - surrounded by hundreds of thousands of happy, friendly, and cheerful zythophiles - feels like a community celebrating the golden beverage! As per food - the qualities are declining, unfortunately. They used to invite a variety of Toronto's popular restaurants and chefs, but not anymore. Now all are "food track level" except for Oyster Boys. Food can be purchased with both cash and tokens. Tokens are sold by mobile-token-sellers - TFOB staff are walking around selling tokens. It accepts credit and debit cards but I strongly recommend you carry cash, as the debit machine seemed to have a lot of issues here and there. Beers - there are several sections based on the types of producers (import, local, newbies, etc...). My recommendation is the area called "Change Makers" - you can sample new local breweries' products on tap - if you want to support new local businesses, and try new and different beers, it is a "must go". This year's best was - Town Brewery (Whitby). I am not saying this just because I am a Whitby resident. This place is really passionate about what they are doing and continues to make high-quality beer. I was glad to have beer from Left Field - for established stability. We also had a very nice conversation with the staff from Old Credit Brewing Co - I thought their beer was worth people's attention! Final note - be careful about the size of the bag you bring in. If it is too big, you are not allowed to enter. Only a small handbag is allowed. No backpack. There is no locker around (on-site, at Exhibition GO station or Union Go). So, you will be in big trouble if you have a big bag! Cheers!

A couple of friends and I were hanging out at Square One. We wanted a place to eat after exercising…read moreour credit and debit cards. One of them suggested heading to Celebration Square. She had noticed a number of food trucks. They walked over from our friend's place. I left my car parked at the mall and we all walked over. It only took five minutes or so. When we got there, we figured out that we were attending Iriefest, a celebration of all things Caribbean, from all sorts of music, to food and crafts. There were a decent number of food and drink vendors. We settled for good eats from Blue Mahoe Catering. Our logic was that it was a shorter line. I had wanted the oxtail, but it was sold out. Bummer! Instead, I went with the goat curry with two festivals and a pineapple beverage. My friends split the fried chicken. One of them also got fried chicken. The goat curry was stellar! I loved the curry sauce. It was incredibly flavourful. The goat was tender and perfect. My pineapple drink was refreshing. It was sweet, but I didn't mind it one bit. It balanced my meal out nicely. I tried a plantain. It was battered and seemed to be deep-fried again. It was a disappointment. My friends devoured the fried chicken. It looked good. I didn't have a shot at taking a pic. They loved it! We caught some dancers on the stage, strutting their stuff to good Caribbean music. I loved the energy here. Folks brought their folding chairs, planted themselves on the green AstroTurf, and relaxed. There were clothes, artsy items, and more available for purchase. You can either park at Square One, like I did, or try parking in the underground parking lot at Celebration Square. I recommend the former, as it's free. I'm glad I attended my first Iriefest. I had a great time eating, chatting, and taking in the music. (197)

I decided to drop by to check out the Yelp booth on the weekend and check out the action in…read moreCelebration Square. It was a great venue with tons of room and plenty of action happening in the square. Lots to see and Iriefest is a great outlet and expression for the Caribbean culture. The main stage hosted all the live music and demonstrations. The crowd was happy, energetic and awesome! The food vendors were my favorite as I got my Caribbean weakness...ROTI...sooo good...There were also some local food trucks there to serve up their wares as well. The Yelp booth was also great, as it allowed people to chill out on the couches and charge up their phones if they needed it. Props go out to the YelpGTA interns for awesome service! Good food, great venue, awesome live music and free! 4 stars

I could genuinely rave about Reservoir Lounge forever. It's such a unique spot, and I don't think…read moreI've been anywhere else in Toronto quite like it. The underground setting, live swing music, and overall atmosphere make it feel like you've stepped into a different era. We ordered the charcuterie board, grabbed some drinks, and ended up having one of the most memorable nights I've had in a long time. Danny B and his band were incredible. They had so much energy, and by the end of the night the entire bar was singing along with them. It just felt like the kind of place where everyone was there to have a good time, and it made the whole experience even more special. If you're looking for something different from the usual bars in Toronto, I can't recommend Reservoir Lounge enough. It's a place I know I'll keep coming back to, and it's a night I won't forget.

Amazing place! My parents met here in 1998 and my middle name is res named after this place. We are…read morein the states now but every time I come it's the best drinks and service. Great chocolate cake too. Cool atmosphere as well. The chocolate storm martini and the strawberry coconut martini are my favorites.

GOOD FOOD. GREAT MUSIC…read more CHEAP DRINKS. Way better than I was expecting! Group of us went out for a birthday. We started in the front part where the TACOS were amazing! Reasonably priced and filling. We then relocated to the back part to dance. Cover was $10 (which went us from the $5 posted when we arrived). But once on the dance floor, we had a blast. The mostly '90s throwback hits kept us dancing till 2am, and the drinks were so cheap! Just know the bar is CASH ONLY, but there's an ATM in the room.

Possibly the worst-sounding music venue in Toronto…read more If anyone in the audience makes a sound, claps, sings, etc, the artist performing is drowned out by the cacophony of life.

This was such a fun, spontaneous evening! It had a cool Oriental night market vibe with tons of…read morefood stalls, bouncy houses, and two live DJs. The food was tasty but definitely pricey, especially after the entrance fee (which wasn't cheap). Highlight was launching lanterns into the water such a sweet little moment with my kid. It felt like a cool blend of culture-meets-festival energy. Would totally go again, just maybe pre-game with snacks first .

The website: I wasn't impressed with this waterfront night…read moremarket. I had such high hopes though. Their marketing & pictures of past events looked so good. Hubby & I bought tickets for this year's event. Firstly, their website doesn't have any FAQs. Other than a link to buy tickets & what the cost of the ticket gets you there's not much more information. First Impressions: We arrived just after 4pm & lined up. We got through pretty quickly because there wasn't much of a lineup. The device they were using to scan tickets wouldn't scan ours so they took a picture instead. We had VIP tickets so we got the "nicer" red lantern with tealight candle (the kind with a battery & a switch to turn on). They did a bag check & saw one of us had a bottle of water with us (unopened). They made us throw it into the garbage before going in. That wasn't nice. I later saw people with their reusable water bottles walking around with it. Why were those allowed and not ours? Not nice. As we went inside some booths weren't even set up. Though a good amount were already making their food items for waiting customers. One booth near the entrance was grilling skewers & the smoke went everywhere. The food: After wandering around I decided to get the ube burger & fries from the Bunso booth. The burger was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. The beef patties inside were quite thin. It didn't look appetizing compared to the picture. But it tasted a lot better than it looked. LOL. One thing I will criticize about the burger I wish they hadn't put so much black pepper into the patty. It was a bit spicy for me. It would have been nice if they had seasoned it more gently. The fries were decent. My only complaint is that they weren't hot. But given the circumstances where they were cooked (outdoors on a windy day) I can understand that. The Chatime food truck was nearby so I bought a purple aura bubble tea drink from them. It was too sweet for me. I only drank about half of it before abandoning it. Later on I got the egg shaped waffles in a small carton & the combo comes with lemonade in a flask. This was from Eggette Lab. The flask is a round ring & the strap is pink. Hubby drank the weak lemonade in it. It was funny to see him wearing the flask with pink ribbon & cartoon cats on it. Hubby got chicken skewers from Bunso (no picture) & a Vietnamese coffee style drink (didn't catch name of food vendor). The good: -The red lanterns hanging above the dance floor were nice. -The water feature where the lanterns go was nice. But the water didn't look too clean. -There was a plastic gold dragon by the water which looks nice in pictures & there's a small red bridge beside the water feature for selfie shots. -There was also some plastic Fu dogs where the dragon dancers have a tent. -The fake cherry blossoms looked nice too. -People were friendly & food vendors were friendly. -There were picnic tables set up near the back of the area away from the dance floor. It was quieter there. -The live dj was good. The bad: -A lot of the same food vendors here have also been at Mel Lastman Square events which is free to get into - I didn't feel like I was getting anything special or VIP. I was hoping to see more food vendors I hadn't seen before. -The only washrooms were portapotties which were disgusting & dirty. You can use the washrooms at enercare center but you have to leave the market & might not be allowed back in. -The VIP ticket came with a free alcoholic drink. That booth wasn't even set up yet when we arrived. Hubby was able to get a soju bomb later. -There are no recycle bins or green bins. Everything goes into the garbage. That's a lot of waste. When we got home we opened up the lanterns to look at them. They are cheap plastic lanterns. We recycled them at home. The electronic tea lights are ones you can get at the dollar store. It was nice to experience a different night market but I don't think I'll come back to this one. There are tons of free-entry night markets around the city that I can go to.

I was very glad to get introduced to this Scarborough hub. This stretch of Lawrence is blessed with…read moremany options for Middle Eastern (Hallal) and Caribbean cuisine. The Taste of Lawrence festival featured some of the local delicacies. I had some skewers of Hawaiian style chicken, slowly grilled over charcoal flame and lightly basted in semi-sweet sauce. A pineapple garnish tied the skewer together. A taco truck was serving better-than-average, authentic tacos. I got a duo of succulent carnita (pulled pork) tacos with fresh corn tortillas, some pico de gallo salsa and a wedge of lime for the perfect citrusy finish. The festival has two stages. We saw a Brazilian drum ensemble accompanied by a dancer looking straight out the festival in Rio. There was a capoeira demonstration afterwards. There are also a handful of rides and concession stands fitting for a street fair.

Lots of fun for kids and food vendors. Variety of food from juice to BBQ's. I ended up buying…read morehalo-halo in FV Foods.