An arts festival that knows no bounds
Founded in 2007 by David Pecaut and Tony Gagliano, Luminato Festival Toronto is an international arts festival dedicated to big, bold contemporary works of art that cut across traditional artistic boundaries of music, dance, theatre, and visual art. Originally created to help Toronto rebuild after the SARS epidemic, Luminato works at the intersection of artists, spectators, and city spaces to produce once-in-a-lifetime experiences that highlight the very best of our city, region, and country.
Each June, Luminato kicks off the summer with a festival that welcomes the world to Toronto. In its first decade, Luminato became a preeminent international arts festival in North America, with more than 3,600 performances featuring 15,000+ artists from over 40 countries. Today, the festival is one of Canada’s most active commissioning bodies, having commissioned 100+ new works across artistic disciplines.
We believe that the arts are essential in building stronger, more connected communities and that creativity can inspire and change the world. In our increasingly complex world, Luminato provides a creative sanctuary that starts conversations, inspires audiences, and gives art a real-world context.
Our Founders
David Pecaut
Co-Founder (1955-2009)
An accomplished civic leader and humanitarian, David Pecaut worked tirelessly on initiatives designed to make our city and country a better place. David was a Senior Partner in The Boston Consulting Group and advised companies and governments on public policy issues around the globe. A well-known speaker and writer, David was a frequent commentator on CTV, CNN, CBC, CNBC, and CBS, and in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Maclean’s.
David was also the voluntary Chair of the Toronto City Summit Alliance (now CivicAction), a diverse cross-sectoral coalition of civic leaders whose mission is to accelerate social and economic development in the Toronto region. The founder of dozens of initiatives aimed at new comers, youth, neighbourhoods and lower-income workers, David Pecaut was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in November 2009.
Tony Gagliano
Co-Founder, Chair Emeritus
Tony Gagliano presently serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph Communications which was founded by his parents in the basement of their home shortly after emigrating from Italy. Under Mr. Gagliano’s leadership, St. Joseph Communications has evolved from a small family business with a handful of associates to a national, fully integrated communications/media corporation with more than 2,100 associates from coast to coast.
Tony Gagliano is actively involved in a number of organizations. He is a Board member of the St. Michael’s Hospital Board, Salt + Light Foundation, Villa Charities and Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.
In addition, he is a cabinet member of Ryerson University in Toronto, a council member of the Royal Conservatory of Music, an honorary board member of Scouts Canada, and a Board Member and President of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Tony Gagliano is founding chair of Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts & Creativity.
Most recently Tony Gagliano was the recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Volunteer award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter and Graphic Monthly Magazine’s 2010 Printer of the Year.
Our Vision
An accomplished civic leader and humanitarian, Luminato co-founder David Pecaut had a clear and ambitious vision for the role Luminato would play in the hearts, minds, and creativity of Torontonians:
"Luminato began as a dream that each year Toronto would invite the world to join us in celebrating creativity. A dream where the best artists in the world and the best artists in Canada fill the stage that is Toronto with new and wonderful creations. Today that dream has become the reality of a boisterous festival sprawling all over the city with music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, film and celebrations of all kinds.
Luminato is a hugely personal and collective enterprise. It is a shared spectacle. At its core Luminato is about the creativity in each one of us. Luminato is a time, a place and a set of experiences where each of us can reconnect with the creative in ourselves. The dream of Luminato is that each of us can discover and share our innate creativity. And in doing so, connect with one another as a community in the most powerful way we know.”
— David Pecaut, June 2009
Our Values
By consistently upholding our values, together we seek to build a positive, ambitious culture at Luminato that is professionally rewarding and personally enjoyable.
Fostering a Culture of Empathy, Inclusivity and Safety
Luminato Festival Toronto seeks to foster an inclusive and secure environment that extends to everyone involved in the festival, including our audiences, artists, staff, volunteers, and other collaborators.
We are committed to creating spaces which warmly embrace our city’s diversity as we strive to design more equitable experiences for people from historically marginalized communities.
We champion the rights of all individuals to enjoy freedom of speech and expression, recognizing its centrality in the creation of great art.
We ask individuals to treat others with dignity and respect and to collaborate with us in building an atmosphere of safety and inclusivity.
We strongly urge all those involved in the festival to actively embrace this responsibility, acknowledging our collective duty to foster a welcoming and safe environment for everyone.
2023 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report
2021 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report
2019 Annual Report
2018 Annual Report
2017 Annual Report
2016 Annual Report
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Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts, Culture and Creativity
350 King St. W., 4th Floor,
Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
Charitable Registration Number: 81163 7347 RR0001