LUMINATO FESTIVAL 2025: A BOLD NEW ERA

June 4 – 22, 2025 | Across Toronto 

TORONTO – (APRIL 2) – Luminato Festival returns June 4-22 to ignite Toronto with bold, playful, and of the moment art experiences that transform the people, places and possibilities of the city. Under the visionary leadership of CEO Celia Smith and Artistic Director Olivia Ansell, Luminato enters a new era with a bigger and more ambitious 19th edition of the festival that invites the public to encounter the city like never before. 


"Luminato presents once-in-a-lifetime, inclusive art experiences that showcase the best of Toronto, our country, and the world," says Celia Smith, CEO of Luminato Festival and expert in urban transformation. "We create moments that inspire and connect us and lead to positive change in our everyday lives." 


The theme of Luminato 2025, DAY:NIGHT explores how we inhabit the city in a 24-hour cycle. From dusk to dawn and dawn to dusk, any given day can be ordinary or extraordinary. Artistic Director Olivia Ansell says “First breath, dawn light through to last dance and final word - the 2025 program asks us to reflect on the cycle of our collective lives and how we engage, disrupt and exist in time and space as a community. Be it the first or the last of things, we invite locals and visitors to encounter Toronto differently.”  


This year’s festival ignites both day and night culture engaging audiences around the clock with a dynamic mix of music, dance, and theatre, along with immersive, family-friendly, and free public art. With the city as its canvas, Luminato brings art encounters to outdoor spaces, transit stations, theatres, galleries, and neighbourhoods across the Toronto area. Over 1000 artists from Canada and afar reimagine this city with compelling public art over three blockbuster weeks with 12 world premieres, 8 commissions and 14 exclusives from 10 countries. 


Day one opens with opera visionary Krystian Lada’s Dawn Chorus (Poland) as it transforms Union Station into a living symphony. Award-winning photographer Nadya Kwandibens’ (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe) Night/Shifts captures the lives of Toronto’s night workers and displays them across the TTC and beyond. At Luminato at Harbourfront, the vibrant festival hub, First Breath by UK’s Luke Jerram celebrates new life born in Toronto each day with a breathtaking light installation. Terceradix Luminarium is an immersive, otherworldly structure of colour and light at Harbourfront Centre by UK artists Architects of Air. 


Also at Luminato at Harbourfront is Teatro La Plaza’s (Peru) Hamlet which reimagines Shakespeare’s most famous work with eight incredible actors with Down syndrome, giving it new relevance. A Glimpse of Quincy: Celebrating the Legendary Quincy Jones is arranged and produced by Grammy Award-winning artist Larnell Lewis. 


Theatre and dance highlights include Tim Crouch’s hypnotic story of loss, An Oak Tree (UK) presented in partnership with TO Live, where each performance features a different guest artist, revealed only at curtain time, at the Jane Mallett Theatre. Artists include Amrit Kaur, Jean Yoon, Amanda Cordner, Daniel MacIvor, Karen Robinson, and Qasim Khan, with more to be announced. Red Like Fruit by Hannah Moscovitch, co-presented with Soulpepper and produced by 2B Theatre, explores themes of power and complicity in the post-#MeToo era. Queen of the Night Communion, co-produced with Tapestry Opera, is an immersive opera experience that transforms baroque tradition at Metropolitan United Church. What the Day Owes to the Night by Compagnie Hervé KOUBI (France/Algeria) and in partnership with TO Live and Fall For Dance North, blends capoeira, martial arts, and Sufi traditions in a captivating dance performance. The world premiere of HANS: My Life in Fairytales by Craig Francis and Rick Miller, uses puppetry, video, and clowning to bring Hans Christian Andersen’s extraordinary stories to life. Canadian/Columbian collaboration Nigamon/Tunai by Émilie Monnet and Waira Nina is a poetic manifesto against extractivism, land destruction, and displacement. Theo x Travis: Jazz is Dead is a high-energy fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and R&B, featuring trumpeter Theo Croker and tap dancer Travis Knights, co-presented by dance Immersion. 


Luminato will showcase a number of remarkable free public art installations and performances that connect art directly to the people. THAW by Australia’s Legs on the Wall is an epic eight-hour performance which makes climate change impossible to ignore with a 2.7-tonne block of ice suspended over Sankofa Square. Rainbow Dreams by Japanese born, Australian based, Hiromi Tango creates three unique rainbow-filled environments at Brookfield Properties that invite the public to explore pathways toward well-being. Flamboyant and defiantly joyous, Dandyism by Rwandan born, UK based Ziza Patrick celebrates the timeless swagger of African style through powerful street and contemporary dance. 


Luminato at Harbourfront will also feature free experiences for all ages throughout the day. Notable hub highlights include Sangam, curated by The Tawoos Initiative, creates a confluence of rhythms from South Asia. Featuring the highly anticipated North American debut by the uncensored voice of Pakistan - legendary rap pioneer, Faris Shafi, and a return of the popularly demanded electronic music producer and composer Talal Qureshi. Miigwech Collective curates an exciting line-up of Indigenous music artists including blues and country artist Crystal Shawanda, pop and R&B singer Alicia Kayley, and electronic world beats artist Tica. Lulaworld celebrates Latin and Indigenous music, including Colombia’s revolutionary La Pambelé orchestra, the electrifying Afro-Colombian Kombilesa Mí, and the dynamism of Sonic Sancocho’s vinyl sets. SANTÉ by Cirque Kikasse (Quebec) brings high-flying acrobatics atop a food truck for gravity-defying feats of fun. 

Luminato’s sound experiences include: 


  • Immersed by Justin Gray, an innovative audio experience blending Indian classical music, jazz, and electronic soundscapes, co-presented with TD Music Hall 
  • Dusk Soundscapes by Maria Chávez, a live DJ set co-presented with the Art Gallery of Ontario 


2025 Luminato Conversation Series and community events include: 


  • Beach Clean Up, hosted by Swim Drink Fish and artist Merle Harley, combines environmental action with creative expression. 
  • For the 2nd year, The Wedge Lecture, co-presented by Wedge Curatorial Projects and part of Luminato’s Conversation Series, explores Black Diasporic narratives, identity and issues around representation. 
  • Last Words: Talking in Cemeteries with Canadian Christa Couture & Guests is an intimate exploration of life, death, and legacy in a historic cemetery in Toronto, part of the Conversation Series. 
  • You’re All in the Band, presented by Community Music Schools Toronto in association with Luminato Festival, is an immersive musical journey with hundreds of students celebrating joy and inclusion. 

Luminato 2025 will also feature the following experiences presented by a number of partners: 


  • Sleep Temple, presented by Jumblies Theatre in association with Luminato Festival. 
  • The 52 Live: Stories of Women Who Transformed Toronto presented by Museum of Toronto in association with Luminato Festival 
  • Gimeno Conducts The Best of Brahms by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in association with Luminato Festival. 
  • To Dream of Other Places by Emmanuel Osahor, presented by The Power Plant Gallery. 
  • Runway Rivers Public Art Installation by John Notten, programmed and presented by YZD. 
  • Luminato’s Industry Series returns for its 8th year, offering opportunities for Canadian artists to learn, share their work and network with global peers. In LuminaCity, the Festival podcast, our team of accessibility leads enhance the festival experience in surprising ways with unique artist interviews, behind the scenes content, and description-rich, on location reporting.     

 

Under the leadership of Celia Smith and Olivia Ansell, Luminato’s transformative vision solidifies its role as a global cultural leader. By redefining how people experience Toronto – both those who live and visit here – the festival positions the city as a premier destination for art, culture, and community. Through Luminato’s unwavering commitment to creative transformation and a 2025 festival which highlights environmental sustainability, mental wellbeing, and the wide-ranging experiences inhabiting a 24-hour cycle, the festival contributes to a thriving, connected and inspired city. This June, Luminato again invites the world to explore Toronto’s streets, stages, and stories like never before. For full event details, including dates and times, please visit luminatofestival.com. 

Thank you to our programme supporters: 


Dawn Chorus is supported by The Azrieli Foundation, Union and the Toronto Star. 

 

Night/Shifts is presented by Ian and Kiki Delaney and supported by the TTC, Old Town BIA, and the Toronto Star. 

 

First Breath is supported by the Toronto Star. 

 

Hamlet is supported by The Azrieli Foundation. 

 

Queen of the Night Communion is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts with assistance from Denton Creighton and Kristine Vikmanis. 

 

What the Day Owes to the Night is supported by the Ontario Arts Council. 

 

HANS: My Life in Fairytales is supported by The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation. 

 

Nigamon/Tunai is supported by the Michael Young Family Foundation and The Daniels Corporation. 

 

Theo x Travis: Jazz is Dead is presented by BMO. 

 

THAW is made possible by lead support from the Michael Young Family Foundation with additional support from Downtown Yonge BIA, XYZ Storage, S.M. Blair Family Foundation and the Toronto Star. 

 

Rainbow Dreams is presented by Brookfield Properties with support from Jaybird and the Toronto Star. 

 

Dandyism is presented by BMO and supported by the Toronto Star. 

 

Luminato at Harbourfront is presented by the Province of Ontario and supported by TD Ready Commitment, the Toronto Star Solotech and Bullfrog Power. The Indigenous programming at Harbourfront is presented by TD Ready Commitment. 

 

The Wedge Lecture is presented by BMO and supported by BIPOC Executive Search. 

 

Last Words: Talking in Cemeteries is presented by Mount Pleasant Group. 

 

You’re All in the Band is supported by the Lindy Green Family Foundation. 

 

Luminato’s Industry Series is supported by Canada Council for the Arts. 

 

Luminato’s Accessibility Program is supported by The Azrieli Foundation with assistance from the Kingfisher Foundation. 

 

 

Luminato Festival gratefully acknowledges our Festival supporters: 

 

Founding Government Partner: Province of Ontario  

Major Partners: City of Toronto, Government of Canada 

Corporate Partners: TD Bank Group, BMO, Brookfield Properties, Mount Pleasant Group, The Daniels Corporation, Old Town BIA, Downtown Yonge BIA, XYZ Storage, Solotech, BIPOC Executive Search, and more. 

Individual Donors and Foundations: Donald K. Johnson, O.C. LLD, Ian and Kiki Delaney, C.M., The Larry and Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation, The Azrieli Foundation, The Michael Young Family Foundation, Burstyn Family Charitable Fund, Linda Chu and John Donald, Lucille Joseph, The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation, Denton Creighton and Kristine Vikmanis, Kingfisher Foundation, Lindy Green Family Foundation, The S.M. Blair Family Foundation, and more. 

Government Partners: Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts 

Major Media Partners: The Toronto Star, St. Joseph Communications 

 

About Luminato Festival 
Luminato Festival transforms the people, places, and possibilities of Toronto with extraordinary art experiences. Every June we present bold, playful, and of the moment art for all to enjoy. Distinctly Toronto, proudly Canadian and totally Global, we welcome the world to explore our streets, stages and stories. Encounter the city like never before. 

 


Festival Ticketing & Access 

Tickets for most Luminato events are available as of April 2 on luminatofestival.com. Take advantage of our 20% early bird discount while quantities last and bundle savings. For some free events, advanced registration may be required. Visit luminatofestival.com today for full details and to secure your spot. Luminato aims to create inclusive experiences where everyone feels welcome to participate. Please contact our Access Concierge for assistance: email: access@luminato.com and phone: 437-776-1569 


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Media Contact 
Ashley Belmer 
B-Rebel PR 

ash@b-rebelpr.com 

416-617-8934