Summer is a great time to be a kid, there’s swimming, camp, running through sprinklers, popsicles and staying up way later than your bedtime because the sun is still high in the sky.
But what about parents? Do you ever run out of things to do during the summer with your kids? Here is a list of free musical concerts to attend with your kids for the rest of the summer! Bonus tip... A lot of these festivals offer concerts at midday which is great for those who need to be home for afternoon naps!
The Harbourfront Centre puts on FREE concerts every Thursday and Sunday (except for August long weekends) at 479 Queens Quay West. These concerts range from reimagining Baroque performances, to global genres that fuse traditional dance and vocals all the way to extraordinary pairings of instruments.
Performances that kids will surely be enthralled by:
“New and Special Ways”- the New Zealand String Quartet, Thursday, August 1st at 7pm.
“Voices from Eastern Europe”- Blisk, an all-female quartet, Thursday, August 15th at 7pm
“Lausa: Spark of Gascony”- Lausa from south-west France, Sunday, August 18th at 4pm
“Something Old, Something New”- Cello duo VC2, Thursday, August 22nd at 7pm
“Hit, Pull, Push”- Percussion and violin duo mix-it-up, Sunday, September 8th at 4pm
With 7 downtown locations, and performances from 11am – 5pm, there is so much flexibility with these concerts, which is great if you need to be home for a nap by 2pm! ;) These concerts feature artists who are doing weird and wonderful things in the world of music.
Kids will love:
Cody Coyote, Ojibwe/Irish hip-hop/electronic! Tuesday, July 30th at 12pm.
Julie Sun Lee, a genre-boundary-bending violinist! Monday, August 12th at 12pm.
Yonge Street: The Heart of Music City, a free walking tour! Sunday, August 18th at 10.30am.
Big band Starlight Orchestra will perform a free concert on Sunday, July 28th at 7pm. Dance favourites are sure to be played, so bring your dancing shoes! Sometimes the kids take a dip in the reflecting pool... shhhhh, don’t tell ;)
Hosted by Bloor-Yorkville at "The Rock", these performances range from jazz to Cuban, to Celtic and everything in between. Running until September 7th, there is sure to be something here for your family! Concerts are Fridays at 11.30am and Saturdays/Statutory Holidays at 1.30pm.
For those of you who want a weeknight boost, these Tuesday evening concerts at 7pm offer an outdoor music experience that is sure to give you the boost you need! Bonus events are the two family movie nights on Thursday, August 22nd and 29th at 8.30pm.
We are very proud to live in a city such as Toronto where summer arts are so popular! Hope to see you at one of these concerts!
