FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The Ashkenaz Festival depends on the skills and energy of a diverse and committed group of volunteers. Whether youre an Ashkenaz die-hard or its your first time at the festival, there is a volunteer contribution that you can certainly make! We hope that whatever your age and stage, you will consider joining our fun and rewarding volunteer team.

Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay W.)

There are 2 easily accessible parking lots at Harbourfront Centre:

Underground – 225 Queen’s Quay West

Street Level 318 Queen’s Quay West (Queen’s Quay at Rees St.)

Temple Sinai (210 Wilson Ave.)

Free Parking onsite

Varsity VIP Cinemas (55 Bloor St W.)

Parking is available at the Impark lot under the Manulife Centre

Trinity St. Paul’s (427 Bloor St W.)

Paid parking, including accessible parking, is available across the street on Robert Street at the Green P lot on the south side of the Metro grocery store.

Sherman Campus (4600 Bathurst St.)

Free Parking onsite

Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay W.)

BY CAR: Head south on Lower Simcoe Street from Lakeshore Boulevard.

WALKING: TTC to Union Station, Harbourfront is an 8-minute walk South on York Street.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: TTC to Union Station, take the 509 bus from Union. You can also take the 510 bus from Spadina Station (at Bloor).

Temple Sinai (210 Wilson Ave.)

BY CAR: Take Highway 401 to exit 366 (Bathurst Street), and head 4-5 blocks West on Wilson Avenue.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Take TTC Bus Route #7 (Bathurst) to Wilson, and take TTC Bus Route #96 (Wilson) Westbound to Clyde Avenue.

Varsity VIP Cinemas (55 Bloor St W.)

BY CAR: Head east on Bloor toward Avenue Rd./University Ave.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: TTC subway either Bloor-Yonge or Bay Station.

Trinity St. Paul’s (427 Bloor St W.)

BY CAR: Head south on Spadina, east on Bloor.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: TTC 7 bus to Bathurst Station, or subway to Spadina Station.

Sherman Campus (4600 Bathurst St.)

BY CAR: Head north on Bathurst past Sheppard Ave.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: TTC 7 bus north to 4600 Bathurst St. stop.

Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre will offer a few food trucks onsite offering a variety of food and beverages. Ashkenaz will also have Elite Salads serving Kosher hot dogs and burgers.

Additional Food Vendors on Site: 

Sunshine Smoothies (freshly blended fruit smoothies)

The Mighty Cob (fresh corn on the cob)

Boxcar Social (coffee, light lunches/meals/snacks, drinks)

The Slip (drinks and burgers)

Lisa’s Ice Cream (ice cream cones, cups, and bars)

Other food options close to Harbourfront Centre:

Amsterdam Brewery (just west of Harbourfront on the waterfront)

Joe Bird (Queens Quay Terminal)

The Goodman Pub (Queens Quay Terminal)

Pie Bar (Queens Quay Terminal)

Kinka Izakaya Harbourfront (Harbour Street)

Swades Indian Cuisine (Queens Quay West)

Rosie’s Burgers (Queens Quay West)

Pearl Dim Sum Restaurant (Queens Quay Terminal)

Tim Horton’s (Queens Quay West)

Firkin on Harbour (Harbour Street)

Officially, unauthorized audio and video recording of Festival artist performances is prohibited. Unofficially, we do encourage you to document your Festival experience in various ways and to share your photos on social media.

We ask you to please be mindful and respectful of performers and other audience members in various venues, in order not to disrupt anyone else’s experience. Flash photos are prohibited under all circumstances.

Ashkenaz has been working closely with Toronto Police and Harbourfront Centre to ensure the Festival will be safe for everyone involved. There will be both visible and hidden security measures in place, as well as additional measures and increased security presence.

In the event of protests, police have strategies in place to deal with them, including a designated protest zone on the periphery of the site with a defined buffer zone. Police will be ready to arrest anybody who appears at the event with criminal intent — including acts that make attendees feel unsafe.

Harbourfront is a public venue, so unless your animal is restricted by law, all are welcome. Service animals are always welcome, unless legal restrictions apply. Animals are not permitted at any other Festival venues/events.

There is no camping on the Festival site, but there are a multitude of hotels in the downtown Toronto area that can accommodate your needs.

Our guests are able to make their own reservations by calling in toll free at 1-888-627-8559 and stating that they are part of the Ashkenaz Festival Vendor’s Block or simply quoting the group code ‘AKZ ’.  Below is the booking link that our guests can use:

Book your group rate for Ashkenaz Festival – Vendor’s Block

link for above:

https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1723210724312&key=GRP&app=resvlink

Also, a friendly reminder that the cut-off date to make reservations under the group block with the negotiated group rate is on Tuesday August 20, 2024. 

The majority of Ashkenaz Festival events are totally free! This is only possible because of incredible supporters and Festival patrons like you. However, there are some special ticketed presentations that require ticket purchase:

The Golden Thread Septet  
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-golden-thread-septet-tickets-944438209107?aff=oddtdtcreator

Welcome to Yiddishland (International Premiere)  
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/welcome-to-yiddishland-international-premiere-tickets-946493185597?aff=oddtdtcreator

In the Footsteps of the Zimro Ensemble 
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/in-the-footsteps-of-the-zimro-ensemble-tickets-944478710247?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Ashkenaz Festival is a family-friendly community event. Unless the Festival schedule denotes differently, all presentations and shows are appropriate for every member of the family!

Unless it is purchased from a licensed vendor on site and kept within restricted boundaries, alcohol is not permitted.

Absolutely not! The Ashkenaz Festival is proud to reach a wide array of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and peoples. Many of our performers come from incredibly diverse backgrounds and travel all over the world, and many of them aren’t Jewish themselves! Everyone is welcome to enjoy!

Harbourfront Centre, Temple Sinai, Varsity VIP Cinemas, and Sherman Campus are wheelchair accessible. The main floor of Trinity St. Paul’s is accessible and has specific wheelchair seating available, but the balcony is up a flight of stairs. Please reach out and let us know if you have any other accessibility issues, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

In case of an emergency, go to the Harbourfront Centre info and security desks, located at the north end of the Bill Boyle Artport (main building). You can also flag down an Ashkenaz staff member or volunteer who will be pleased to assist you.

Lost and Found is located at the Harbourfront information desk in the Bill Boyle ArtPort (main building), along with general Harbourfront Centre venue information. Ashkenaz-specific help can be found by asking one of our many volunteers around the site.

Lawn chairs and other assisted seating devices are permitted! Feel free to bring anything that may assist your experience along with you to Ashkenaz.

The Ashkenaz Festival will take place rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather conditions, depending on the severity, some performances on the outdoor stages (Concert Stage, Stage in the Park) might be affected.

PARKING LOCATED ONSITE, AS WELL AS ACROSS THE ROAD AT SIMCOE ST. AND AT REES ST. TO THE WEST. PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS THE MOST ADVISABLE MEANS OF GETTING TO HARBOURFRONT CENTRE.