Location’s important when it comes to your school, and if you’re a student at one of Centennial College’s five campuses, you’re right in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (or GTA). Toronto’s a hub of culture in Canada, and it’s a great experience to get out and explore it. And, good news for college students, a lot of it can be cheap, or free! And with March Break 2025 happening Tuesday, March 11 to Friday, March 14, it’s the perfect time to check out the city.
If you’re heading into downtown for March Break events in Toronto, transportation can be easy - $3.35 can get you a ride on a bus or subway car, though you might want to look into driving to places outside the city. Either way, here’s a list of a few things you can do in Toronto on March Break, but it’s only scratching the surface, since there’s so much happening. And if you’re going to be in the neighborhood of one of our campuses, it’s also a perfect opportunity to discover Centennial College's March Break activities. But for now, let’s break down what you can be doing in and around the city:
Special Holiday Events
While you’re on holiday, another holiday will be taking place! St. Patrick’s Day will be happening on Sunday, March 16, and if you want to take part in this celebration of Irish heritage and culture, you can travel to downtown Toronto to see the St Patrick’s Day Parade. You can see marching pipe bands, Irish dancers, fancy floats, and more. It starts at the corner of St. George and Bloor Street West, heads east on Bloor, turns south on Yonge Street, and ends at Dundas Street. Remember to wear something green!
Toronto Comicon is a pop culture convention for all kinds of fans, and it’s happening during this year’s March Break dates. Whether you like comics, science fiction, video games, anime, horror, or just want to see all of the people in costume, there’s something here for you. It takes place the weekend of March 14-16, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Check out their website to learn more about the different celebrities and special guests that will be attending, as well as the panels and events happening over the weekend
For another taste of culture, if you’re spending March Break in Mississauga, you can check out the Halal Eats Eid Bazaar, March 15-16, at the Pearl Banquet Hall and Convention Centre. The holiday of Eid may not take place until the end of March, but this Bazaar will be open during the break. It features food, shopping, and entertainment, and best of all, admission is free. And speaking of taste…
Take a stroll, and grab a Bite
Everyone who lives near Toronto should make the St. Lawrence Market a March Break destination. The St. Lawrence market has been around since the 19th century, and while there are many kinds of vendors there, it’s the food that you’ll remember. Fresh produce, meat, cheese and fish, that you can eat there, or take home, it’s all waiting for you. Just make sure to check the hours first, they’re a little funky.
Want to soak in some more local culture? Check out the Kensington Market, located just next to Chinatown. Instead of being a food-oriented destination like St. Lawrence, it’s a little more offbeat. There’s stuff like retro furniture, vintage clothing, quaint coffee shops, but plenty of food, too. It’s bohemian, it’s trendy, and it’s way different from the tall skyscrapers surrounding it.
If you want to take a little trip back in time with your food and drink, you can also visit Toronto’s Distillery District, which has a unique atmosphere made up of Victorian industrial architecture. Even if you’re not looking to shop at the stores, restaurants and galleries, the place has a unique charm, and you can take guided tours to learn its history.
For a different kind of experience to accompany your munchies, if you want to see the Royal Ontario Museum in a new way, every Friday night, the museum hosts ROM After Dark, which features a dance floor, DJ, and live artists. Plus, you can still wander the museum with food and drink, meaning you get to see things like Canada’s largest dinosaur on display (the Barosaurus).
Feel Artistic for Cheap!
Want to experience some art? There’s plenty of places where you can do that for cheap, or free. The big, official Art Gallery of Ontario boasts having over 90,000 works by Indigenous, African, and Canadian modern and contemporary artists and photographers, making it one of the largest museums in North America. And if you’re under 25, admission is free (if you have ID.) If you’re over 25, it’s still free if you go on Wednesday Night from 6-9 pm, though you need to book it online in advance.
Another “free admission if you go at the right time” gallery is the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and the time to go is Friday after 5 p.m. MOCA is a massive converted factory in Toronto’s west end has a combination of permanent and rotating exhibits, including some that are interactive.
There’s more ways to make art than paintings. If you feel like taking a trip down to Ontario Place, you can see a different kind of art, with Lumière: The Art of Light. This event begins March 10, and runs until April 2024. IT’s an acclaimed yearly event that takes place in Trillium Park, where you can freely wander, and look at light installations made by local artists. This year’s theme is “Neon Dreams: Light and Colour.”
And what about art for your ears? Here’s an interesting bit of free musical culture:
Here’s an unusual bit of free musical culture. Have you ever actually been to an opera? The Canadian Opera Company offers a series of free concerts, from September to May, happening at the Richard Bradshaw Theatre, at noon during the week (check the schedule in the link). Sounds like a good way to check that one off your bucket list.
Go on an island adventure
If you want to get out of the city, taking a trip to Centre Island might be just the March Break travel idea that you need. If you’ve got a Centennial College Student ID, it’s $5.86 for a quick ten-minute ferry ride. Centre Island’s got amusement parks, restaurants, and attractions. It’s one of three Toronto islands, and if you want to leave the bustle behind, the other two are a little more peaceful and tranquil.
And this is just a little bit of the March Break events in Toronto that you can be checking out, when you’re not checking out Centennial College’s March Break events, that is.