A major breakdancing competition will take place in Toronto next year
Dancers from 27 countries around the world will take part
If you’re a sports fan in Toronto, you may currently be stressing over the bewildering World Cup ticket situation, or perhaps you’re still recovering from the Blue Jays’ very close World Series loss. Whatever your pain, this unique announcement might take the edge off.
According to a press release issued by Red Bull, the world’s largest one-on-one breakdancing—also known as breaking—competition will take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre next year. Dancers from over 25 countries around the world will head to the city to compete in the Red Bull BC One World Final in November 2026.
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Past iterations have been held in Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Paris and New York, and 2026 will mark the tournament’s first time touching down in Canada.
In the months leading up to the finals, over 67 qualifying events will take place in nearly 30 cities, with the top dancers advancing to the major Toronto event. The series “defines the modern competition era of breaking while staying true to its hip-hop roots,” says the release.
Excitingly, Olympic gold medallist Phil Wizard will be competing to represent Canada. Breaking only just made its historic Olympic debut in 2024, and it’s cool to see Toronto in the mix.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
