Weekend DeskList
Weekend plans in Toronto that repeat all season: a market on Saturday, free museum Sundays, the ferry, galleries and the zoo, each with an official link.
Every Toronto weekend has a rhythm. A market that opens on Saturday, a museum that is free on Sunday, a ferry that keeps running, a gallery that always has something new on the wall. This list is built on those repeating places, so it holds up whichever weekend you are reading it, and every pick links to the organiser’s own page for the details that change week to week.
The City says the North Market is primarily known for its Saturday Farmers’ Market. The North building hosted its first Saturday Farmers’ Market on April 5, 2025. The South Market, the main building, is open six days a week and has more than 60 specialty vendors.
Our pick is to do both buildings in one trip and eat as you go.
Harbourfront Centre says its art exhibitions are free and on view. Its home page also lists the Shaw Festival staging theatre at Harbourfront Centre. A lively calendar is the draw here, so open the page and see what is on for the day you are going.
Earth Rangers Studio, in the Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity on Level 2, is open most weekends. For adults who prefer the night shift, ROM After Dark is a 19+ themed after-hours event series.
The City says the Toronto Zoo has over 5,000 animals representing more than 450 species and is an agency of the City of Toronto. The zoo’s site posts a schedule of Meet the Guardians talks, a way to learn more about your favourite animals. Its Wild Encounters let visitors meet animals up close and run year-round.
Riverdale Farm is a historic working farm with 7.5 scenic acres, including wooded areas, ponds and gardens. There are various farm animals and buildings, such as the pig and poultry barn and the Residence. Check the farm’s calendar page for upcoming events.
The Bata Shoe Museum says admission is free for everyone on Sundays. The nearest subway station is St. George.
Ferries to Toronto Island run year-round from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. From mid-April to mid-October, service runs on three routes to Centre Island, Hanlan’s Point and Ward’s Island. The winter schedule runs from October 14 to mid-April. Online ticket holders use an express line during peak travel times.
Schedules can change because of weather or mechanical issues, so check the City’s page that morning.
Toronto History Museums are 10 City-run museums offering stories, exhibitions and events about the histories of Toronto’s communities. General admission is free. The City’s page lists current special events, so check it for this weekend’s programming.
The AGO’s Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre has art-making and creative play activities for the whole family. It is on the concourse level, and admission is included in general admission. Admission to the gallery is free on the first Wednesday night of each month.
The museum lists Saks Afridi: SpaceMosque as an exhibition running from October 24, 2026 to March 7, 2027. It was founded in 2014 and is dedicated to fostering intercultural dialogue and understanding.
Outdoor artificial ice rinks typically open in late November and close for the season in March. The City operates more than 50 outdoor rink locations in a typical season. At City indoor rinks and outdoor artificial ice rinks, all drop-in programs are free.
Several of these picks carry a free condition straight from the organiser. The Bata Shoe Museum says admission is free for everyone on Sundays. General admission to the City-run history museums is free. Harbourfront Centre says its art exhibitions are free and on view. And at City indoor rinks and outdoor artificial ice rinks, all drop-in programs are free. Always confirm the condition on the organiser’s page before you leave home, because free programs can change.
Here is how we would string it together. Start Saturday at the market and eat your way through the North and South buildings. Spend the afternoon at Harbourfront Centre, walking the lakeshore and ducking into an exhibition. On Sunday, take the free hours at the Bata Shoe Museum, then catch the ferry if the sky is kind. If it is not, switch to the AGO and keep the day indoors.
That is a full weekend with very little planning, and every stop has an official page to check.
With kids, our picks are Riverdale Farm, the ROM’s weekend studio and the zoo. For a couple, try the ferry, a gallery or ROM After Dark. For a solo wander, the market and the free museums are easy company, and nobody minds if you read every label. If your group cannot agree, pick the market first. Food settles most debates.
Treat each link above as the source of truth. We keep this list to places and programs that come back week after week, so you will not find one-off events here. For those, our events calendar is the better home. A quick look at the organiser’s page on Friday night takes a minute and saves a wasted trip. Official pages show what is on right now, and that is what we send you to. For rainy forecasts, our rainy day plan swaps in museums. For a plan with a plus-one, try our date night ideas. With little ones along, start with the kids guide, and for the whole picture see things to do in Toronto.
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“Weekend sorted: a Saturday market, free Sunday at a museum, the island ferry and more Toronto plans, each linked to its organiser.”
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