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Poster for The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, the title in a vintage circus font against a black silhouette of the Toronto skyline on top of a collage of 8 black & white archive photos.
Poster for The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, the title in a vintage circus font against a black silhouette of the Toronto skyline on top of a collage of 8 black & white archive photos.

Toronto the wacky

awaits your discovery in this week-long festival of weird history tales.

Home Events Cities The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History 2024

The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History 2024

Strange history for curious people

From Monday, May 6 to Sunday, May 12, 2024, uncover Toronto’s extraordinary past at The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History. Organized by author and Toronto history aficionado Adam Bunch, the Festival is dedicated to exploring strange stories from Toronto’s past – featuring online lectures, panels, interviews and walking tours featuring some of Toronto’s greatest storytellers.

Every year, participants and attendees spend seven days digging into the oddest tales Toronto has to offer, whether it’s grisly murder cases, incidents of empty coffins and missing corpses, the strange secrets hidden behind gravestones or Mary Pickford’s mom raising a family filled with scandalous child stars.

As of April 10, this year’s festival includes the following events. Check the schedule for details and additional events.

  • Monday, May 6 @ 8:00 PM ET on Zoom: A Night of Strange & Shocking Murders!, a talk with Nate Hendley, Carolyn Whitzman & Adam Selzer.
  • Friday, May 10 @ 8:00 PM ET on Zoom: The Body Snatchers of Toronto, a talk with Adam Bunch.
  • Saturday, May 11 @ 1:00 PM ET: A Bizarre Tour of the Necropolis Cemetery, a walking tour led by Chantal Morris.
  • Sunday, May 12 @ 1 PM ET: A Weird Toronto Mother’s Day Walk, a walking tour led by Adam Bunch.
About Adam Bunch

Adam Bunch is the author of The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love, host of the Canadiana documentary series, and creator of The Toronto History Weekly newsletter. His Weird Toronto History radio segment airs every Tuesday afternoon on Newstalk 1010. And his work popularizing Canadian history has been recognized with the Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media – the Pierre Berton Award.

Poster for The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History, the title in a vintage circus font against a black silhouette of the Toronto skyline on top of a collage of 8 black & white archive photos.

(Photo credits: The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Historian & author Adam Bunch

Type of event: history lectures & walking tours (with a twist)

Lecture/panel participants/walking tour guides: See the schedule.

Dates & times:

  • Zoom lectures/panels/interviews: Monday, May 6 – Friday, May 10 @ 8:00 PM ET. See the schedule for details.
  • Walking tours: Saturday, May 11 & Sunday, May 12 @ various times. See the schedule for details.

Cost: All prices include taxes & fees.

  • Festival pass: C$49.50
  • Individual event tickets: C$17.50

Location: Zoom & various sites around Toronto, ON, Canada. See the schedule for specific site locations.

Booking link: Book your passes & tickets here.

Contact Details: The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History; hello@bizarretoronto.com, bizarretoronto.com

 

Content warning: Please refer to the individual events.

Accessibility: Please refer to the individual site and walking tour locations.

Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.