How to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Toronto and the GTA

On Dec. 31, people across Toronto and the GTA will come together to ring in 2025. Here’s what you need to know about what’s going on and how to get around on New Year’s Eve.

Toronto celebrations

On Tuesday evening, the City of Toronto will hold its annual new year celebration along the waterfront, featuring music, pop-up performances, and 10-minute-long fireworks show.

The free-of-charge festivities will get underway at 10 p.m. with participatory dance sessions and performances by INCIRQUE artists at Sherbourne Common, 61 Dockside Dr., and at the Toronto Music Garden, 476 Queens Quay W.

Co-produced with the Dance Together Festival, there will also be DJ sets by Traxx & Feels Collective at Bathurst Quay Common, a new waterfront park on the historic Canada Malting Co. property at 3 Eireann Quay. Revellers can also view a curated selection of short films from the National Film Board of Canada from this location.

The festivities will culminate with midnight countdown celebration starting at 11:45 p.m., lead by Mayor Olivia Chow and drag entertainer Sanjina DaBish Queen. The festivities can also be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel.

The fireworks show, held in the Inner Harbour, will be synchronized to music and is set to begin around 11:50 p.m. The best places to view it, according to the city, are at Sugar Beach Park at 11 Dockside Dr., Harbour Square Park at 25 Queens Quay W., Harbourfront Centre at 235 Queen’s Quay W., HTO Park, 339 Queen’s Quay W., and HTO Park West at 375 Queen’s Quay W.

Pedestrians can best access these seven viewing areas via York, Jarvis, Bay streets and Spadina Avenue.

Attendees taking public transit should exit at St. Andrew, Osgoode, King, or Queen stations on Line 1.

Revellers should also note that there will be a number of road closures as well as access restrictions at Union Station to manage the expected crowds.

If skating is more your thing, rinks at Harbourfront Centre, Nathan Phillips Square (which also features the annual Cavalcade of Lights display), The Well, The Bentway, and Evergreen Brick Works will all be open to the public on New Year’s Eve.

The Distillery Historic District is also hosting a New Year’s Eve event with live percussion and vocals by Mo Guzman and beats by DJ Clymaxx starting at 10 p.m., followed by a countdown and fireworks at midnight with Devo Brown. Admission is $15 between 4 and 9 p.m. or $30 after. Tickets can be purchased online. Kids ages nine and under are free.

Another New Year’s Eve option is the Toronto Zoo, which is holding a “Discovery Zone” event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday. This celebration, which is free with admission, will include interactive games, entertainment and music for the whole family.

Other GTA festivities 

The City of Mississauga will be hosting a family-friendly NYE celebration at Celebration Square on Dec. 31.

The City of Mississauga will be hosting a family-friendly NYE celebration at Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Dr., starting at 8 p.m.

The evening will begin with a NYE Jr. party featuring a performance by Canadian hip-hop artist Maestro Fresh and a confetti shower at 9 p.m.

It will continue with performances by DijahSB, Shad and AR Paisley, who, along with Maestro, will perform a “GTA Mix-Tape” tribute to the history of hip-hop in the GTA followed by fireworks at midnight.

Don’t forget your skates as, weather-permitting, the skating rink will be open until 11 p.m.

Attendees are urged to walk, carpool, or take the MiWay, which will be free from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Drivers should note there will be a number of road closures in effect near Celebration Square.

Brampton is also hosting a free New Year’s celebration at Garden Square, 12 Main St. N., starting at 7 p.m. with music and a concert by Simple Plan. A fireworks display is set for midnight.

Markham will also be ringing in 2025 with its free “Illuminate the Night” event, featuring music by DJ Oliver and Something Free, followed by midnight fireworks and a countdown lead by its town crier. The festivities will get underway at 9 p.m. and will be held at Origin Square, 169 Enterprise Blvd.

Free TTC, GO Transit, and UP Express service

The TTC, GO Transit, and UP Express service will be free until 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

The TTC will be providing extra bus, subway, and streetcar service to accommodate the expected increase in riders. Subway service will be running till 3 a.m. with the last subway train departing from Union Station at 2:30 a.m. Overnight buses and streetcars will run till 8 a.m.