June 12 – August 24, 2025
Fort York, Christie Pits, Corktown Common
The Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (TOPS) is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary with the 2025 summer film series, “When We Were Young.” Running from June 12 to August 24, this open-air cinema festival will host 20 screenings across three Toronto parks: Fort York, Christie Pits, and Corktown Common.
Revisiting its inaugural theme of coming-of-age stories, TOPS aims to reflect on its journey and the universal experiences of youth. The curated selection will feature a diverse array of films exploring the trials, tribulations, and wonders of growing up, appealing to audiences of all ages.
The festival will kick off at Fort York with Baz Luhrmann’s stylised adaptation of “Romeo + Juliet,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. The opening week will also showcase Steve McQueen’s “Lovers Rock,” Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow,” and a 30th-anniversary screening of Amy Heckerling’s “Clueless.”
All TOPS events are free and accessible to the public, with no tickets required. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs and arrive early to secure a good spot. The festival operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and films begin at sundown.
As a charitable organisation, TOPS relies on community support to maintain its free programming. Donations are welcome, and contributors of $15 or more will have the opportunity to vote on the festival’s closing night film. For those interested in supporting the festival further, TOPS offers an exclusive Insiders’ Night on June 5 at Fort York. This donor-only event will feature a screening of Spike Lee’s “Crooklyn,” along with complimentary snacks and beverages.
Fort York National Historic Site
June 12-17, 2025
Toronto Outdoor Picture Show’s 2025 programme opens with one full week of film events at Fort York. A unique historic site within Toronto’s downtown core, nestled between 200-year-old walls and the Gardiner Expressway, Fort York plays host to the opening week of our 2024 summer season, before TOPS takes the show to other parks across the city in July and August.
The festival will kick off with an opening night screening of Baz Luhrmann’s stylised adaptation of “Romeo + Juliet”.
Christie Pits Park
July 6 – August 24, 2025 (Sundays)
A summertime tradition in Toronto’s west end, Sunday evenings at Christie Pits are the place to be. From July 6 through August 24, the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show looks forward to presenting its 2025 programme titled “When We Were Young“, a series of films that highlights a variety of workers and their backdrops on the big screen, all summer long: domestic labourers and manual labourers, street workers and factory workers, shop-keepers and frontline game-changers. Whether conventional, fantastical, or radical, “When We Were Young” considers the ways our work impacts our lives and the way we form communities with the people we spend our workdays (or nights) with.
Corktown Common
July 3 – August 7, 2025 (Thursdays)
On Thursday evenings, join us at one of Toronto’s loveliest parks: beautiful Corktown Common is nestled between the Distillery and the Don, with an unbeatable view of Toronto’s skyline. The 2025 “When We Were Young” programme will explore the people and places that centre our workdays (or nights).
About Toronto Outdoor Picture Show
Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (TOPS) is a charitable organization (#815672589 RR0001) dedicated to bringing high-quality, diverse, and engaging outdoor film programming to communities across the city of Toronto. The festival’s carefully curated programme includes a combination of popular and critically-acclaimed feature films from around the world alongside local and Canadian short and feature films that allow us to celebrate excellent homegrown talent.
