The Distillery District

While the Distillery District is a popular destination throughout the year, it is during this pre-Christmas season that it really shines. The Toronto Christmas Market, now in its sixth year, begins November 20. The staggering crowds attracted last year (over half a million people visited in 2014) have prompted two changes to this year's market. First, it's longer, running for 28 days. Second, they have instituted a $5 admission charge for visits on Saturdays and Sundays. It is hoped that ticketed weekend entrance will help redirect some of the visitors to the less crowded weeknights. Whenever you decide to go, you can expect to find food, shopping, free entertainment and lots of festive cheer.

Now, because there's so much more to the Distillery District, and because everyone seems to love lists, here are my top 5 affordable things to do in the Distillery, regardless of when you come:

1) Take your picture with the giant red heart. This installation, called "Under the Mistletoe", was installed for the 2014 Christmas market but remained after the market was dismantled.

2) Visit the Mill Street Brewery on a Thursday night for Tap That Cask. The brewers at Mill Street like to experiment and every Thursday they tap a cask of something a little different. At 7 pm they distribute free samples with a cheese pairing, and for the rest of the evening, or until the cask runs dry, pints are only $5. There's also live music. If you're interested in taking part, you can also apply to be a guest cask tapper.

3) Pop in to Soma and breathe deeply. The smell alone is heaven, but take it a step further and buy yourself one of their unique truffles. Each one is a mini masterpiece and makes for an affordable but luxurious treat.

4) Get rush tickets for a play at Soulpepper. While it's not unusual for shows to be sold out, if they're not, tickets are available 60 minutes prior to the performance for only $25, or $5 if you're under 21. Cash only.

5) Learn a little about the site's history. Artifacts from the distillery's industrial past, complete with explanatory signage, are displayed throughout the site. If you're not the type to walk through unmarked doors, they can be easy to miss as many are located in building pass-throughs. So get brave. If the door isn't marked "Private", take a peek!

The Distillery at Christmas

Once again this year, the Distillery District will be the home of Lowe's Christmas Market. The already beautiful Victorian pedestrian district gets all gussied up with lights, a gigantic tree, and lots of additional opportunities for shopping, drinking & entertainment.

 

There's something for everyone at this event. For those looking to take care of some of their Christmas shopping, in addition to the Distillery's usual shops and artisans, small wooden chalets are set up throughout the lanes, each housing a unique vendor. Traditional foods and gift items will be in abundance. A list of vendors is available here. And as an added bonus, MasterCard is offering free gift wrapping for any purchases made at the Market which were paid for using a MasterCard.

If you plan to bring your kids to the Market, apart from the regular entertainment and fantastic food treats, there's also a ferris wheel to ride, and Santa's Lane to visit. The Lane features storytelling, a fairy tale forest maze, Rudolph's reindeer zoo, Santa's House and more.

For those just looking to hang out and have a good time, there's plenty of entertainment scheduled. A daily fixture will be the Candy Cane Carollers, who perform Christmas favourites in four-part harmony at various times throughout the day. Local choirs and bands will also provide entertainment, and on weekends and select weekdays, solo artists will perform on the mainstage. Steven Page will help open the festivities on December 2, and other performers include David Myles, David Usher and Suzie McNeil. And if you're like me and prefer to keep the cold at bay with a beverage, there are 3 beer gardens and 3 hospitality lounges serving a variety of drinks. Free samples will even be offered at select times at each of the lounge venues. And there's always the hot chocolate at Soma, one of the best things about the Distillery at any time of year.

The Market opens December 2 and runs until December 18th. Admission is free.