In December the sun sets over Toronto at about twenty to five, and for once the city does not seem to mind. By five the Christmas tree in Nathan Phillips Square is lit, the skaters are already going round beneath the arches, the queue for hot chocolate at the Distillery District stretches back down the brick lane, and the office towers of the Financial District have hung wreaths in their lobbies that no one will take down until January. Toronto in December is cold, grey and dark by teatime, and it is also one of the best months of the year to be here — as long as you know which three weeks to come, and which day to avoid entirely.
This guide covers what the weather actually does, the Christmas lights and markets worth your evening, the big shows, skating, shopping, the awkward truth about Christmas Day, and whether the month is worth a trip at all. Dates are for the 2026 season and prices were checked in October 2026 in Canadian dollars; ticketing changes, so confirm on each organiser’s site before you buy.
Toronto in December at a Glance
| What | December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Daytime highs | Averaging about 2.6°C, colder by the lake with the wind |
| Overnight lows | Averaging about −2.7°C, with colder nights in a cold snap |
| Daylight | About nine hours; sunset around 4:40pm |
| Distillery Winter Village | 12 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 |
| Cavalcade of Lights | Opens Saturday 28 November, Nathan Phillips Square, free |
| The Nutcracker (National Ballet) | 5–31 December, Four Seasons Centre |
| Toronto Zoo Glow in the Wild | Runs to 3 January; closed 24 and 25 December |
| Black Creek Daytime Santa Fun | 12, 13 and 19–23 December; $22.50–$27.45 |
| TTC fare | $3.30 with PRESTO or a tapped card; day pass $13.50 |
| Quietest day | 25 December — hours change, so check each venue |
December Weather in Toronto
People who have never been imagine Toronto in December as a snow globe. It is more often a very clean grey. Daytime highs hover either side of freezing, overnight lows drop several degrees below, and precipitation arrives as whatever the temperature decides on the day — rain, sleet, wet snow, occasionally a proper dry snowfall that settles and makes the city look briefly like a Christmas card. A white Christmas is closer to a coin toss than a promise. The bitter, bright, minus-twenty cold that visitors fear usually waits until January and February.
The thing that actually gets you is the wind. Toronto sits on the shore of Lake Ontario, and a north-westerly coming across the open ground of the waterfront or down the canyons between the bank towers makes minus two feel like minus ten. Weather forecasts here quote a “wind chill” figure alongside the temperature for exactly this reason, and it is the number to dress for.
Early December is often mild enough that a warm coat, a hat and gloves will do. By the third week you want proper winter boots with grip, because the combination of slush, salt and overnight refreeze turns sidewalks treacherous. Our Toronto weather guide has the month-by-month numbers, and the Toronto packing list covers exactly what layers to bring.
How short the days are
This is the part that surprises Europeans less than it surprises Americans from further south. Around the solstice the sun is up for only about nine hours and is set by roughly 4:40pm. That shapes how you plan a day: do outdoor sightseeing in the late morning and early afternoon, go indoors to a museum as the light fades, and save the lights, markets and skating for the evening, which is when they look their best anyway.
Early, Mid or Late December?
December is really three different months, and the one you choose changes the trip.
1–14 December: the sweet spot
The first half of the month is the best time to come. Many of the Christmas events are up and running, the Distillery Winter Village and Cavalcade of Lights are both open, and the Nutcracker opens on 5 December. Weekdays at the markets are pleasant rather than crushed.
15–24 December: festive and busy
The second half is peak season for locals. Office parties fill every restaurant and bar from Thursday to Saturday, the markets are packed at weekends, and the Eaton Centre and Yorkdale are a scrum of last-minute shoppers. It is wonderfully atmospheric and also crowded. Book restaurants ahead, go to the Distillery on a weekday, and expect to queue for anything with a Santa in it.
25–31 December: quiet, then loud
Christmas Day is the quietest day of the month, when opening hours change (more on that below). Boxing Day on the 26th is the opposite — a shopping event — and the week between Christmas and New Year is a relaxed, sociable time when a lot of locals are off work, the rinks are full of families, and museums and attractions are busy with kids on school holiday. It ends with New Year’s Eve, when the city’s free waterfront celebration and ticketed parties across Toronto see the year out.
Christmas Lights and Markets
Toronto does not have one great Christmas market in the German sense so much as a handful of distinct festive destinations, each with its own character. You can comfortably do the best of them in two evenings.
Distillery Winter Village
The Victorian brick lanes of the old Gooderham and Worts distillery become Toronto’s best-known Christmas market from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with the tree lighting on the opening evening. Expect wooden huts selling crafts, ornaments and gifts, mulled wine and hot chocolate, a very big tree, and — in recent seasons — rides and light installations that photograph beautifully and are rammed with people doing exactly that.
The 2026 Winter Village runs from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 at 55 Mill Street. Tickets start from $16 plus HST and a service charge, and whether entry is free depends on the date and time, so check the Winter Village website before you go. Visit on a weekday afternoon if you want to actually see the stalls — then stay until the lights come on around five. The Toronto Christmas Market guide goes into the stalls, food and timing in detail, and our Distillery District guide covers the neighbourhood the rest of the year.
Cavalcade of Lights, Nathan Phillips Square
The city’s own holiday kickoff has been running since 1967. In 2026 the Cavalcade of Lights opens on Saturday 28 November, 5–10pm, with the lighting of the big tree in front of City Hall, a stage show and skating on the rink under the arches. It is free, and it is the most straightforwardly joyful thing on this list — families, teenagers on dates, tourists and office workers all turning up for the same moment.
The tree and the lights stay up through December, so even if you miss the opening night it is worth coming by after dark. Stand at the top of the raised walkway around the square for the classic view of the tree, the rink, the illuminated TORONTO sign and Old City Hall’s clock tower all in one frame.
Holiday at The Well and other free lights
The Well, the big mixed-use development at Front and Spadina, dresses its covered laneways for the season, and The Bentway — the public space beneath the Gardiner Expressway near Fort York — runs a figure-eight skating trail in winter. Neither is a destination on its own, but both are pleasant, free, and easy to combine with an evening in the King West or waterfront area. Downtown’s department stores and hotel lobbies also put real effort in; the Fairmont Royal York’s lobby is worth a wander.
Toronto Zoo: Glow in the Wild
The zoo’s after-dark lantern trail has more than 2,000 illuminated lantern displays along an outdoor walking route and runs through to 3 January 2027, mainly Thursday to Sunday with extra dates added over the holidays. It is closed on 24 and 25 December. Tickets are timed and priced by date and hours vary, so book online, and remember that zoo parking is charged separately. The zoo is a long way out in Scarborough; if you are relying on transit, check the last bus back before you set off. See our Toronto Zoo guide for how to get there.
Canada’s Wonderland WinterFest
The big theme park north of the city in Vaughan reopens on select dates for WinterFest, running from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Expect light displays, skating, holiday shows and a small selection of rides. It is a big hit with families and a long trip without a car. Dates are select rather than daily, so check the calendar carefully. Our Canada’s Wonderland guide covers the practicalities.
Black Creek Pioneer Village
For a gentler, old-fashioned Christmas, the living-history village in the north of the city runs Daytime Santa Fun on 12, 13 and 19–23 December 2026, noon to 4pm, at $22.50–$27.45, with toy- and decoration-making, cookies and hot cocoa, carnival games and a visit to Santa in his cabin. On 12 and 19 December it adds Festive Nights from 6 to 9pm, with storytelling, roasted chestnuts, live entertainment and country dancing. It is the best choice on this list for families with younger children who find the Distillery crowds too much.
Casa Loma
Toronto’s castle usually decorates for Christmas, with holiday lights and seasonal programming running from early December into early January, including Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Check Casa Loma’s holiday programme page for this year’s dates. The Casa Loma guide covers tickets and getting there.
Holiday Shows, Concerts and Theatre
The Nutcracker
The National Ballet of Canada’s Nutcracker runs 5–31 December 2026 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, at Queen and University. It is the city’s defining holiday performance, and it is a genuinely lavish production rather than a going-through-the-motions seasonal filler. If you are flexible, a weekday evening performance earlier in the run is both easier to book and usually cheaper.
Messiah, carols and choirs
Handel’s Messiah is a Toronto December tradition, typically performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall and by the period-instrument ensemble Tafelmusik, whose sing-along performance is a much-loved local fixture. Churches downtown, including St James Cathedral and the Metropolitan United Church, host carol services and concerts through the month, many of them free or pay-what-you-can. Programmes are announced in the autumn, so check the orchestras’ and churches’ own listings for dates.
Mirvish and the big theatres
December is a busy month for the commercial theatres on King Street and Yonge Street, which often programme family-friendly shows over the holidays. See our guide to Toronto theatre for how to find discounted tickets and which houses are where.
Shaw Festival holiday season
If you are heading out of the city, the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake runs a holiday season through to 23 December 2026, with Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and A Year with Frog and Toad on the 2026 playbill. Combined with the town’s decorated main street, it makes a very civilised December day out. The Niagara-on-the-Lake guide has transport options, though note that the GO+WEGO shuttle extension to the town only runs April to October.
Skating in December
Skating is the most Canadian thing you can do in Toronto in December, and it costs almost nothing. The city’s outdoor artificial rinks generally open in late November or early December, weather permitting, and skating on city rinks is free.
- Nathan Phillips Square — the city’s signature rink, beneath the arches in front of City Hall, with the Christmas tree beside it. Busy in the evenings, magical at night, and the best choice if you only skate once.
- The Bentway — a skating trail looping under the elevated Gardiner Expressway near Fort York. Unusual, atmospheric and less crowded.
- Harbourfront Centre — a lakeside rink with views across to the islands. Very cold when the wind is blowing off the water.
- Neighbourhood rinks in parks across the city, where you will be skating with locals and their kids rather than other tourists.
Opening dates depend on the weather, and a mild spell can close outdoor rinks for a day or two. Our ice skating guide lists the rinks, rental options and the hours.
Sports in December
December is the heart of the hockey and basketball seasons. The Maple Leafs and the Raptors both play at Scotiabank Arena, and a Leafs home game in the run-up to Christmas is about as Toronto as an evening gets — although tickets are expensive and scarce. Raptors tickets are generally easier to find. For cheaper hockey, the AHL Toronto Marlies play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place, with far lower prices and a family-friendly crowd. The Scotiabank Arena guide covers tickets, seating and how to avoid resale traps.
Shopping: Christmas Markets to Boxing Day
If you are here to shop, December is the month — with one big caveat about the calendar.
- The Eaton Centre is the downtown shopping hub, connected to the PATH and two subway stations, and its giant Christmas decorations are an event in themselves. Weekday mornings are manageable; Saturday afternoons in the second half of December are not. See our Eaton Centre guide.
- Yorkville and Bloor Street West is the luxury strip, dressed up and much calmer.
- The Distillery Winter Village and the city’s seasonal craft fairs are the places for handmade gifts and Canadian-made souvenirs.
- St Lawrence Market is where to buy edible gifts — maple products, cheeses, and the ingredients for a proper Christmas dinner if you are staying in a rental. Check the hours before you go, as it does not open every day of the week.
Boxing Day
26 December is Boxing Day, a holiday in Ontario and traditionally the biggest sale day of the Canadian retail year. The large malls and downtown stores open, often early, and the crowds are serious. If you enjoy a bargain hunt it is an experience; if you do not, it is a very good day to visit a museum instead. Check individual store hours, as they vary.
Christmas Day: What Is Actually Open
This is the part of December most travel guides skip, and the part that ruins a surprising number of trips. On 25 December opening hours change across the city: some shops, museums and restaurants close for the day, while others stay open. Many downtown workers leave the city to be with family, so it is also eerily quiet.
What you can usually count on:
- Hotels remain open, and many hotel restaurants serve a Christmas brunch or dinner — book well in advance.
- Some restaurants in Chinatown and elsewhere open as normal, as do a number of places that make a point of serving a Christmas Day menu.
- The TTC runs, on a holiday schedule.
- Outdoor rinks and parks are there for a walk or a skate, weather permitting.
- Cinemas are often open.
Everything else you should verify for the specific day. Toronto Zoo’s Glow in the Wild, for example, is closed on both the 24th and 25th. The practical advice for a visitor is simple: plan 25 December as a slow day — a long hotel breakfast, a skate, a walk along the waterfront, a film and a booked dinner — and put the attractions on the days either side. Our Christmas in Toronto guide covers the day itself in more detail.
New Year’s Eve
The month closes with a celebration. In recent years the city’s free New Year’s Eve celebration has moved from Nathan Phillips Square to the waterfront: for 2025 it was held at Harbourfront Centre, with DJ skating, live music and a ten-minute fireworks display at midnight, and the TTC, GO Transit and UP Express ran free from 7pm to 8am. For 31 December 2026 (a Thursday), check the City of Toronto’s New Year’s Eve page before you plan around it. Bars, clubs and hotel ballrooms across the city sell NYE packages, and most go up in price sharply compared with a normal Saturday. If you want to be out in the city on the 31st, book accommodation early, as rates for that night climb well above the rest of December. Our best nightclubs guide and rooftop bars guide are good starting points for something a little more polished than the square.
Things to Do Indoors When It Is Just Too Cold
Toronto has a very good indoor fallback for the days the wind wins. The Royal Ontario Museum can fill a whole day, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the best galleries in the country, and Ripley’s Aquarium and the Hockey Hall of Fame are both easy downtown picks with kids. The PATH, around thirty kilometres of underground walkways linking the downtown towers, lets you get between large parts of the Financial District without stepping outside. Our indoor things to do guide has more for families.
Day Trips in December
- Niagara Falls in December is cold and much quieter, with the Winter Festival of Lights illuminating the town and the gorge through the season. The falls themselves, fringed with ice and mist, are strangely beautiful. The summer boat tours do not run. See the Niagara Falls day trip guide.
- Niagara-on-the-Lake is at its most charming in the weeks before Christmas, with the Shaw Festival holiday shows and decorated inns.
- Blue Mountain usually opens its ski season in December, conditions permitting, about two hours north. See the Blue Mountain day trip guide.
- Nordic spas come into their own in the cold — sitting in a hot pool while snow falls is the whole point. Our Nordic spas guide compares the options within two hours of the city.
Is Toronto Worth Visiting in December?
Yes — with conditions. For a festive city break, the first three weeks of December are excellent: the Christmas events are running, the skating is free, the Nutcracker is on and the shopping is at its best. You will get a big-city Christmas with a Canadian accent, which is to say lots of skating, lots of lights, and a real willingness to stand outside in the cold for it.
Where it falls short is if you are expecting a fairy-tale snowy winter wonderland. For that, Québec City or Montréal do the job better — they are colder, snowier and more committed to winter. Toronto is also a poor choice if your trip lands squarely on Christmas Day and you have not planned for a quiet day. And if you are coming mainly for the outdoors — the islands, the waterfront, the beaches — December is the wrong month entirely; the island ferries run a reduced schedule and the parks are bleak. Our best time to visit Toronto guide compares every season honestly, and the Toronto in winter guide covers January to March.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it snow in Toronto in December?
Usually, but not reliably. Most Decembers see some snowfall, but it often melts within a day or two, and rain and sleet are common. A white Christmas is roughly a coin toss.
How cold is Toronto in December?
Daytime highs average about 2.6°C and nights about −2.7°C, with the occasional sharper cold snap. Wind off the lake makes it feel considerably colder, so dress for the wind chill figure, not the temperature.
When is the Toronto Christmas Market in 2026?
The Distillery Winter Village runs from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with the tree lighting on the opening evening at 6pm. Tickets start from $16 plus HST and a service charge, and whether entry is free depends on the date and time.
When does the Nathan Phillips Square tree get lit?
At the Cavalcade of Lights on Saturday 28 November 2026, from 5 to 10pm, with a stage show and skating. It is free.
Is everything closed in Toronto on Christmas Day?
Opening hours change on 25 December: some shops, museums and restaurants close, while hotels, some restaurants, cinemas and the TTC (on a holiday schedule) operate. Check each venue before you go, plan a quiet day and book any meal in advance.
Is December a cheap time to visit Toronto?
Hotel prices vary a lot by date and tend to be highest around New Year’s Eve, so compare rates for your exact dates before you book, and book early if you want to be in town for 31 December.
What should I pack for Toronto in December?
A warm, windproof and ideally waterproof coat, a hat, gloves and scarf, layers you can take off in overheated shops and restaurants, and waterproof boots with good grip for slushy and icy sidewalks later in the month.
If New Year’s Eve is the main event of your trip, it deserves its own plan: the city’s free fireworks have moved to the waterfront, transit has been free overnight in recent years, and the best hotel rooms and club tickets go weeks in advance. Our New Year’s Eve in Toronto guide covers where to watch, how to get home and the quieter alternatives.
One of the cosiest ways to spend a cold December afternoon is a festive tea. The Fairmont Royal York’s Festive Afternoon Tea runs from 21 November until 3 January in its lobby lounge, Wednesday to Sunday, with cranberry scones, mini desserts and a pianist. Our guide to afternoon tea in Toronto has the prices, seatings and other hotel teas worth booking.
Related Toronto Guides
- Christmas in Toronto — the full festive season, from parade to Boxing Day.
- Toronto Christmas Market Guide — the Distillery Winter Village in detail.
- Toronto in Winter — what to do from December to March.
- Toronto Weather Guide — the month-by-month numbers.
- Toronto Packing List — what to bring for the cold.
- Ice Skating in Toronto — every rink worth lacing up for.
- Best Time to Visit Toronto — how December compares with the rest of the year.
Photo Credits
The Toronto sign, rink and Christmas tree at Nathan Phillips Square: Toronto City Hall (27475000409) by Sharon VanderKaay from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square: Calvacade of lights in Toronto by Benson Kua from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Children at the Distillery District Christmas Market: Christmas festival in the distillery district, 2014 12 03 (1) (15756373007) by booledozer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A snowy residential street in Toronto: January 2019 Toronto snowstorm (2) by Jason Zhang, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
