City Protected: Five festive reasons to put down your devices and get out into the city Protected: Five festive reasons to put down your devices and get out into the city By Adam Campbell | December 17, 2014By Adam Campbell | 12/17/2014 Facebook This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password:
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December 13 to January 3, Four Seasons Centre, nationalballet.ca.
2. Savour a cold-weather classic...
Toronto’s enthusiasm for all things artisanal finds decadent expression in Soma Chocolatemaker’s Mayan hot chocolate. The spiced concoction is made from Venezuelan dark chocolate, and is flavoured with Madagascar vanilla, orange peel, and a hit of chili for an extra warming hit. If you head to Soma’s Distillery District location, you can take in the sights and sounds of the European-style Toronto Christmas Market as you sip.
32 Tank House Ln., somachocolate.com.
3. ...or slurp something more potent
Toronto has fully embraced all-weather patios—heated outdoor spaces where hardy locals can enjoy an al fresco beverage, even in mid-winter. Top picks include the rooftop terrace at King West’s Gusto 101, the Canadiana-themed lodge at Rose and Sons Big Crow on Dupont, and the Distillery’s Mill Street Beer Hall, which has two fireplaces, a slew of heat lamps, and 15 outdoor taps.
Gusto, 101 Portland St., gusto101.com; Big Crow, 176 Dupont St. (in the back), roseandsonsbigcrow.com; Mill Street, 21 Tank House Ln., millstreetbrewpub.ca.
4. Take part in a pagan parade
The 25th annual Kensington Winter Solstice Festival, organized by an artist-run non-profit, offers an antidote to rampant holiday commercialism. Costumed revellers wind through the neighbourhood streets, carrying lanterns and beating drums to mark the longest night of the year. They end the night at Alexandra Park with fire spinners and a bonfire big enough to toast the chilliest toes.
December 21, Oxford St. at Augusta Ave.
5. Go back in time
For history buffs—or Downton Abbey fans—Black Creek Pioneer Village is the best place to experience an old-timey Christmas: carolling and folk music, a craft market, horse-drawn wagon rides, and the chance to taste old-fashioned flaming plum pudding. Special events include several traditional turkey dinners, and the Humber River Shakespeare Company’s production of A Christmas Carol, complete with Victorian costumes. Holiday dinners December 13, 14, 20, 21. A Chistmas Carol December 17.
Black Creek Pioneer Village, 1000 Murray Ross Pkwy., www.blackcreek.ca.
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