Plan an adventure right here in the GTA! There are tons of great experiences waiting for you this weekend. Celebrate the season and find your fun today!

Lunar Lanterns of Indigenous Lights – Varley Art Gallery of Markham 
Imagine with us through the Lunar Lanterns of Indigenous Lights, lighting up the winter with stories from the Indigenous communities of the Greater Toronto Area. Each artwork holds precious stories from the artist and their cultures, waiting for you to explore your own connection to the land we share and the wonderfully diverse community we live in.
Visit the lanterns outside the Varley Art Gallery for a bright start to the Year of the Rabbit!
This year’s lantern artists:
-Hotdog Water
-Elliott Doxtater-Wynn
-Mishiikenh Kwe (Autumn Smith)
-Loretta Gould
-Sherry Crawford
-Nathalie Bertin
Date & Time:  January 14 – February 28, 2023, running all Day
Venue: Outdoors at Varley Art Gallery of Markham, 216 Main Street Unionville, Markham, ON, L3R 2H1

 

Disney Animation: Immersive Experience – 1 Yonge Street 

Disney Animation: Immersive Experience is an innovative celebration that takes you inside the greatest films of Walt Disney Animation Studios, from their very earliest, groundbreaking features to the beloved hit movies of today.
Imagine stepping into the Casita with Mirabel from Encanto, being at Pride Rock as Rafiki presents Simba – surrounded by the animal kingdom as the sun rises. Imagine hopping on a train with Judy Hopps and going into Zootopia or taking a magic carpet ride with Aladdin and Jasmine, and so much more….
Now you can! Step into the art and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios and celebrate the music, artistry and animation from the creators of Frozen, The Little Mermaid, Big Hero 6 and many more.
Tickets: $36.99 & up
Dates: Now – to March 19, 2023 – Hours vary depending on the dates
Venue: 1 Yonge Street, Toronto

 

Free Public Skating at Evergreen Brick Works

Skating is back at Evergreen Brick Works!
Experience the magic of one of the best skating rinks in Toronto. The Brick Works’ outdoor skating rink weaves through snow-covered gardens under exposed beams from the roof of the old brick factory.
Bring your own skates or rent a pair of ours! Skating is free, and skate rentals are available for $5 a pair.

Tickets : Free public skate
Skate rentals: $5/pair
Skate sharpening: $10/pair

Weather Dependent, check website before travelling.

Venue: Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave. Toronto, ON

 

Terra Lumina – Toronto Zoo

Enjoy an immersive experience along a 1.5 km walking path that travels into the future and back. Terra Lumina is the eleventh unique experience created in Moment Factory’s Lumina night walk series.
Step through a portal of light into 2099, a time when the world glows with possibility. Humans have learned to live in harmony with nature and wildlife, filling the planet with enchantment. Explore the bright wonders of a thriving future, where hope blossoms all around. Then return to the present with the inspiring secrets of tomorrow.
Created specifically for the Toronto Zoo, Terra Lumina creates positive moments of connection. Vibrant lighting, multimedia effects, animated projections, inspiring storytelling, and an original score conjure an immersive future world that shares a message of hope for a brighter tomorrow.
The symbol of Terra Lumina draws together the narrative threads of the experience to illustrate its storytelling arc and themes. It features the twilight portal people pass through to access the adventure, and what they will find there — the metaphorical seeds of change, the wisdom of future wildlife — and two stylized markings that express the change of perspective that happens during their passage through this enchanted world.

Tickets : Adult (13-64): $29.99 + HST
Child Rate (3-12): $24.99 + HST
Senior Rate (65+): $27.99 + HST

Animals are not visible during your Terra Lumina experience.

Various time slots depending on dates.
Arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time
Venue: Toronto Zoo, 2000 Meadowvale Rd, Toronto

 

Afghanistan My Love –  Aga Khan Museum

Featuring the work of art collective ArtLords and Afghan-Canadian artist Shaheer Zazai, Afghanistan My Love is a contemporary exhibition that demonstrates how art can be used as a powerful medium for connection during times of adversity. It will offer visitors a glimpse into an Afghanistan which is more than a physical place — it is a home, a memory, and an identity.
Embark on a journey through ArtLords’ past community murals painted all over the world as well as paintings rescued from their gallery in Kabul.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to contribute to the exhibition by participating in a community mural designed by the collective. Filled with imagery inspired by the people, culture, and nature of Canada and Afghanistan, the collaborative mural shows us how art has the unique power to unite people and inspire empathy and understanding. It shows us that creating something beautiful together can bring about peace.
Conceptualized in Microsoft Word, Shaheer Zazai’s mesmerizing patterns and designs explore the many layers of his complex cultural identity. A selection of Zazai’s digital works and carpets which are inspired by these designs will showcase the artist’s unique processes and his contemplations around what it means to be an Afghan away from their homeland.
Zazai’s carpets are the result of a collaboration with Afghan women weavers who not only transform his designs into a new medium but in the process, add their own individual voices. Through this creative conversation between the artists, flourishes such as flowers and colour changes were woven in to create new and unexpected artworks. The subtle changes in Zazai’s pieces are a testament to the unifying power of art created within the context of community and rich cultural histories.