Toronto outdoor picture show PRESENTs
TOPS & FRIENDS
Summer 2021 at fort york
Over the course of Summer 2021, Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (TOPS) proudly presents TOPS & Friends, a multi-week programme of film screenings celebrating community and cinema in the great outdoors. After successfully presenting Toronto’s first in-person festival of 2020, safely and memorably, we’re returning once again to the walls of Fort York National Historic Site.
This time we’re bringing a few friends along for the show! TOPS will launch the season with a three-night opening weekend beginning Saturday, July 31, and throughout the month of August we will host screenings guest-curated by a who’s who of Toronto’s local film festivals and arts organizations, including Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, Vector Festival, Toronto Palestine Film Festival, Regent Park Film Festival, Breakthroughs Film Festival, Goethe-Institut Toronto, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, and more! Finally, TOPS will wrap up the summer with a bang over Labour Day weekend: a jubilant five-night closing weekend of movies… and a few more surprises in store.
TOPS’ opening and closing weekend programming is curated around the theme of community celebration. Lavish weddings and prom night ragers, dinner parties both triumphant and disastrous, legendary drag balls and spectacular fireworks - after the year we’ve all had, this programme reminds us of the importance of joyful celebration and community in any and all forms, even in the face of adversity. As always, TOPS screenings will pair feature films with short films by Canadian creators, including the premieres of several brand-new original shorts funded last year as part of TOPS’ tenth anniversary. In keeping with the theme, TOPS & Friends brings together cultural curators from across the city and a diverse selection of films from around the world, from nostalgic pop classics to international art cinema and cutting edge experimental works. Come celebrate with us for another season of unforgettable summer nights.
The 2021 TOPS programme is co-curated by TOPS co-founders, Artistic & Executive Director Emily Reid and Board President Felan Parker, with contributions by Jon Petrychyn, Olena Decock, Isabella Brown, Aisha Jamal, Tom Dorey, Nataleah Hunter-Young, and Nikin Nagewadia. This series is made possible by a partnership with Toronto History Museums.
Poster Artwork by
José Garcia of Zoca Studio Inc.
Free advance tickets to TOPS & Friends events will be available to the public as of July 15th at 12 PM, while supplies last. Due to the limited attendance capacity of this festival, please take only the tickets you need, and save some for your neighbours. You can see all ticketing and event terms & conditions here.
A small number of additional tickets will be made available on each festival day at 12 PM for that evening’s screening, so join the TOPS newsletter to receive all programming updates.
All public health protocols will be followed closely and groups of attendees will be physically spaced out to ensure a safe and enjoyable event. You can find out more about our event protocols in our FAQ here.
AUGUST - various dates
TOPS & Friends screenings will be announced July 13th
Labour Day Weekend
Closing Weekend programme will be announced July 13th
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FESTIVAL FRIENDS!
TOPS & FRIENDS at FORT YORK
TICKETED SERIES
Admission: Free public tickets available on July 15 at 12 PM
Click on the ticket buttons for each film title
There will be no admission without an advance ticket.
Donations make our programming possible
Venue
"Walled Fort" of Fort York National Historic Site - entry at west gates of 100 Garrison Road
Event details
Gates open @ 7pm / Showtime @ sundown
COVID-19 on-site protocols - please read before attending
Event & ticket terms and conditions
Snacks and alcoholic beverages for sale (no outside alcohol permitted)
BYOBlanket & Chairs
Please see the accessibility features of Fort York
Films are screened with captioning unless otherwise noted
FOLLOW US
@TOpictureshow
#TOPSandFriends
#TOPS2021
Click site map to expand
#511 Bathurst & #509 Harbourfront Streetcars / #63 Ossington & #121 Fort York-Esplanade Bus Routes
WHAT TO EXPECT AT A TOPS 2021 SCREENING
All TOPS policies and safety protocols are subject to change, and will be updated in accordance with public health guidelines as they evolve. TOPS will communicate all updates with ticket holders ahead of the event, and all protocols will be posted at the event’s entrance.
Q: WHY IS THIS EVENT TICKETED?
A: TOPS wants to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all guests, staff and filmmakers in attendance. TOPS events remain free to attend, though this year they are ticketed in advance to ensure the maximum allowable number of attendees is not exceeded, and for contact tracing. You can read our Ticket Terms & Conditions here (which are subject to change at any point).
Pre-registered tickets are required for entry, and there will not be a rush line. A small number of additional tickets will be made available on each festival day at 12 PM for that evening’s screening. All film and ticket links below.
Please note: Events may be intentionally oversold (there are always a few people who don’t show up). Your ticket is not guaranteed so we suggest you arrive at least 30 minutes before sunset to avoid disappointment, as the event has limited capacity.
Q: IS THIS A DRIVE-IN SERIES?
A: No, this is not a drive-in! This is a good old fashioned Toronto Outdoor Picture Show event, where you can come on foot, transit, or bike, and enjoy great cinema in the open air with your friends and neighbours. But since capacity is limited and we want to ensure that all attendees have necessary personal space, tickets must be secured in advance. Advance reservations are a provincial requirement in the Roadmap to Reopen.
Q: WHAT PHYSICAL DISTANCING MEASURES WILL BE USED ONSITE?
A: In Step 2 of the Roadmap to Reopen, TOPS at Fort York will operate at no more than 25% capacity, to ensure ample space for visitors and staff alike to be safely distanced from one another. The capacity limit will be posted at the entrance to the venue.
Each attendee must come with their own seating: blanket or chairs; and groups must sit at least the distance of one blanket (2m) from the next group. Fort York affords ample space for all attendees to comfortably have the breathing room that they need to feel safe.
TOPS will maintain physically distanced queues for other activities around the event, including at the entrance, washrooms and the TOPS concessions & merch tent.
Q: DO I NEED TO WEAR A FACE COVERING WHILE AT THE EVENT?
A: : At this time, we ask that guests wear masks whenever 2 metre distancing is not possible:
At the entrance, when presenting your ticket.
At any point when you need to enter a building (eg, to use the washroom).
When purchasing concessions or visiting vendor booths.
When engaging face-to-face with people outside your group.
Guests should come with their own masks. Please be very respectful of personal space, and the comfort level of others when enjoying the festival venue.
Q: WILL WASHROOMS AND SANITIZER BE AVAILABLE ONSITE?
A: Yes! TOPS is fortunately a very low-contact event, and onsite restrooms will be made available for our event, open throughout each evening. Hand washing stations will be located in the washrooms and hand sanitizer at the TOPS concessions & merch tent. Hand sanitizer can also be found at the entrance. As the restrooms are indoors, guests must wear masks to enter these facilities.
Q: WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I CAN’T MAKE IT TO MY SCREENING?
A: Please remember that on-site attendance is limited, so we want to make sure all tickets are used. If you or anyone in your party can’t make it to your event (due to illness, or other unforeseen circumstances), you can cancel and return your free ticket up to 24 hrs before your event on the ticketing site. If you can’t make it to your event and are unable to return your ticket through the Universe platform for any reason, please email tickets@topictureshow.com so we can release your ticket.
TOPS asks ticket holders to please self-screen ahead of their event for any symptoms of COVID-19 or other illness, and to stay home if they aren’t feeling well or believe they have been exposed to the virus. If you are onsite and begin to feel any symptoms, please wear your face mask and go home promptly to rest and monitor your symptoms.
Q: IS FORT YORK AN ACCESSIBLE EVENT?
A: TOPS events are accessible to most audiences, and all screenings feature open captioning unless otherwise noted. You can read our complete accessibility features for this venue here, and please don’t hesitate to email us at info@topictureshow.com if your particular needs are not addressed.
Q: ARE DOGS ALLOWED AT THE EVENT? WHAT ABOUT PICNICS, AND BIKES?
A: Yes! Dogs are welcome to join for the evening - just please make sure they’re well behaved and you pick up after them.
Your food picnics are welcome too (food will also be available for sale) but since this is a licensed event, outside alcohol is not allowed (bags will be checked). Please ensure that no garbage is left behind on the grounds.
Bottled water is not sold at any screening and all patrons are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles.
You can bring your bicycle into the fort with you, and you are responsible for watching it. There will be no bike valet.
Q: WHERE IS THE EVENT?
The ticket entrance for Fort York is at the west gates of the “Walled Fort”, 100 Garrison Road.
#511 Bathurst (this route has detours) & #509 Harbourfront Streetcars / #63 Ossington & #121 Fort York-Esplanade Bus Routes
