Food festival with 40-year history in Toronto cancelled this year

A long-running food festival in Toronto has been cancelled this year.

VegTO Fest, Canada’s largest free-to-attend vegan festival celebrated its 40th anniversary last year.

The annual festival was held at Nathan Phillips Square Sept. 20 and 21 last year, but it won’t be back in 2026.

In a post on Instagram, VegTO Fest said the City of Toronto had provided dates for the festival in Nathan Phillips Square, but decided to hold a FIFA World Cup event at the venue.

In a statement the City of Toronto said the decision was not related to a FIFA World Cup event.

“The City of Toronto was collaborating with the organizers of VegTO Fest an event planned at Nathan Phillips Square since November 2025. The event was scheduled to take place on June 13 and 14, 2026,” the statement read. “In mid-March, we were informed that the organizers decided to go in a different direction and would revisit hosting the event in the future. The event was cancelled by the organizers, and the decision was not related to the FIFA World Cup.”

Past VegTO Fest events were hosted annually in September.

VegTO Fest said they were not able to find a venue.

“Alternate locations with sufficient capacity were explored, but we were unable to secure an appropriate venue on dates that make sense for our event,” the VegTO Fest post reads.

“This means we will not be hosting an event of the size and scope of VegTO Fest this year.”

VegTO Fest also said the current economic situation has made it challenging for vendors, sponsors, partners and attendees to participate.

Smaller events, such as seminars and workshops, could be planned for 2026, and the festival could be back next year.

“We aren’t totally closing the doors on VegTO Fest, we’re just taking the time necessary to rethink it, and are hoping to bring it back in 2027 informed by your feedback,” the post reads.

The festival was held at Harbourfront Centre for over 30 years, but moved because the centre is no longer hosting this type of event.

Last year, there were over 100 vendors along with speakers and performances in Nathan Phillips Square.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by VegTO (@torontoveg)

Lead photo: VegTO Fest

Editor’s note: This story was updated with a statement from the City of Toronto