Places to go and people to see?

July 22, 2007 5:24 PM

TeenWeekendFilter: What can I do/Where can I go on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday night at 16 years old in Toronto?

So this is a serious question: I'm 16, I'm in Toronto for the summer, and my friends and I can't seem to find casual things to do on the weekends, except for the occasional concert. What can I do on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday night? Where can I go that will allow 16-year-olds to enter?

posted by alon to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

When I was sixteen I hung out in coffee shops, diners, and friends backyards. It was tough to find things to do.

That being said, you should check 'Eye' or 'Now'. They list the festivals, events, etc that are happening over the city. You could also try doing some 'exploring the city' type jaunts - go out for dinner in chinatown, or little italy, or parkdale, or little india, or the annex. Those kinds of nights are fun - walk around neat neighbourhoods, eat at cheap places, etc, and you don't need to be 19.
posted by Kololo at 6:45 PM on July 22, 2007

Harbourfront weekend festivals come to mind, but the highlights are mostly concerts. I always had fun checking those out. It's late in the summer, so i think there are only two left. (As a 16 year old, I particularly liked the free stuff.)

As Kololo said, check the weeklies for festivals. There are plenty of all-ages stuff to see, different every week. Film fests, jazz fests, street fests... next weekend there is Just for Laughs.
posted by bread-eater at 8:47 PM on July 22, 2007

I visited for a week when I was 17, in 2001. (I moved there a couple of years later.) Going to hang out on Centre Island is pretty cool, if you haven't been there. Exploring the city was fun, too, there are some amazing little neighbourhoods. Messing around in Kensington Market, or finding really great places to eat... you can go hang out at the Beaches, it's not just for laying on the beach, you can see all sorts of people and maybe meet some... I actually really liked Ontario Place, I know it is a little lame, and I didn't necessarily want to go, but it turned out great. I even played mini-golf. (I was with a girl! I have an excuse!)

When we were done with that stuff, we went the alcohol and video games route. Or movies. But that's not very original.
posted by blacklite at 11:45 PM on July 22, 2007

Try going to a rave. Many are 16+. Check out Toronto's rave community online, for events listings.
posted by sunshinesky at 12:52 PM on July 23, 2007

the beaches' jazz festival is this weekend, if i'm not mistaken. even if you and your friends aren't really into jazz, it's still an awesome place to be.

if you can get to Pearson airport by transit, go with some friends and hang out in the Arrivals area. it's pretty interesting to people-watch there. i used to live nearby and went frequently just for the hell of it.

i'm 20, and live near Toronto. i check toronto.com for upcoming events. there's always an art exhibition or an indie concert to check out. if i don't find anything appealing, i go to coffee shops, find a side street downtown and decorate the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk, find out if anything's happening in High Park (like Shakespeare in the Park), go grocery shopping at 3 am and bake a cake for someone that's just an acquaintance, etc.

why don't you buy a large bag of candy or some fresh cherries and hand them out to the homeless people downtown?
posted by gursky at 3:57 PM on July 23, 2007

Please don't hand out cherries or candy to homeless people. They are human beings trying to maintain their self-respect, they are not seals at the circus.

I've occasionally given actual food or groceries to homeless people, but it would never dawn on me to call this 'entertainment' or 'something to do.' Yeesh.

Also, if, as gursky suggests, people watching seems interesting, for goodness sakes, sit at one of the bazillion sidewalk cafes or in one of the parks or harbourfront or the beaches etc. Not the airport.
posted by Kololo at 8:14 AM on July 24, 2007

well, handing out cherries/candy is an ACTIVITY. and it's not demeaning if you're offering it to anyone/everyone hanging about. most people throw nickels/dimes to homeless people. what if they'd like some fresh fruit or candy? and of course they're not seals, which is why you don't ask them to do tricks.

also, i don't see what's wrong with the airport. watching people reuniting is far more interesting and exciting than watching people trek home from work.

"yeesh."
posted by gursky at 8:18 PM on July 28, 2007