Your entertainment guide for October is here

Fall is here, and that means sports are back, the leaves are changing, and a lot of television shows are starting new seasons. The city is bursting with life and colour from every corner of the entertainment world, and we’ve selected our must-see events and shows for the month of October, from plays to sports and more. Check out what everyone will be talking about this month.

Here’s what’s getting buzz in October

On screen

The History Channel’s groundbreaking documentary, True Story, premiered its second part on September 30,  The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The important two-hour special offers an educational look at the often misrepresented history of the Indigenous people on the land we now call Canada.

The Toronto Blue Jays clinched a wild-card spot and the three-game series takes place runs from October 4 to 6.

On October 6, Ted Rogers’ Hot Docs cinema premieres “Joan Baez I Am Noise,” a documentary detailing the folk musician and activist’s 60-year career. According to the press release, the documentary features Baez’ overly candid commentary about everything from “her longtime emotional struggles to her civil rights work with Martin Luther King Jr. and a 
heartbreaking romance with a young Bob Dylan.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs open the 2023 NHL season at home against the Montreal Canadiens on October 11.

A new Paramount+ show, Frasier, sees Kelsey Grammer reprise the titular role that made him popular in the 90s. It premieres on the streaming service on October 12.

Another Paramount+ special, The Burning Girls, is set in Chapel Croft, a village haunted by a dark and turbulent history. Reverend Jack Brooks, played by Samantha Morton and her daughter Flo, played by Ruby Stokes, arrive hoping for a fresh start. They soon find a village with a bloody past, rife with conspiracies and secrets where uncovering the truth can be deadly. It premieres on October 19.

The NBA’s Toronto Raptors open their season against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on October 25.

For the love of food

Ginny & Georgia star Alex Mallari Jr. partnered with Canadian whiskey brand Forty Creek to create a limited-time beverage that’s available at Balzac’s Junction location until the end of November. The Forty Creek Hazelnut Cream Latte combines Forty Creek Original Cream Liquor with the iconic Balzac’s Blend’s bold flavours and a healthy dose of sweet hazelnut.

Toronto restaurateur Evelyn Chick, the mastermind behind Simpl Things and other city hotspots, is releasing her book “For the Love of Cocktails” on October 3, just as the restaurant transitions to an Asian-inspired cocktail and snack bar with two new chefs at the helm.

For Thanksgiving, several of the city’s top dining destinations, including 1 Kitchen Toronto and the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, are offering celebratory dinners. 1 Kitchen’s set menu is priced at $90 a person and runs from October 7 to 9, offering sustainably sourced festive dishes. Café Boulud at The Four Seasons will also run prix-fixe menus for $110 a person on October 8 and 9.

DASHA and The Soy Luck Club announced s collaboration collaboration in support of the CIBC Breast Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital. On October 24, the exclusive ticketed dinner will feature a curated six-course menu at $100 per person, and dishes include a Vietnamese carpaccio, oysters and more. DASHA is also offering two dishes throughout the month of October to continuously raise additional awareness and funds for the CIBC Breast Centre. 

Baro’s Dine Around Latin America series heads to Cuba for the month of October, and the brunch special, available in the main dining room, is a breakfast Cubano. It’s an English muffin made with marinated ham, brasa roasted pork shoulder, bacon, fried egg, smoked mozzarella, gringo mustard, pickles and mayo. It is served with a choice of salad or patatas bravas. 

And, for the entire month, The Pint is celebrating Oktoberfest with a slew of Bavarian-inspired festivities and menu items, from flammkuchen to beef goulash.

Music and live entertainment

Priority tickets for Aladdin, which returns to Toronto in February 2024, go on sale on October 4. The same night, Poppy Revenge princess SZA takes the stage at Scotiabank Arena.

The city of Toronto dubbed October 11 “I Am Library People Day”. In a partnership with Balzac’s, every drip coffee sold on October 11th will include a $1 donation to the Toronto Public Library. It also unveiled the The Book Sanctuary, which aims to challenge censorship and celebrate the freedom to explore diverse perspectives through literature.

Those who missed his June show at Budweiser Stage will have the opportunity to check out Irish crooner Dermot Kennedy at London’s Budweiser Gardens on October 14.

K-Pop sensation Eric Nam will perform his A House on a Hill tour at History on October 16.

Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Pitbull take to Scotiabank Arena on October 17 and 18 as a part of The Trilogy Tour, and each Latin superstar is bound to perform hits.

Pop-punk giants Blink-182 release their highly anticipated new album One More Time… on October 20. They teased the release with a four-minute YouTube documentary that spans their entire career. Similarly, Canadian music legend Sam Roberts Band releases his latest album, The Adventures of Ben Blank, on the same day.

On October 21, Afroglobal Television presents The 2023 Excellence Awards. “The sixteen recipients of each year are role models for youth in the Crossover Mentorship Program,” according to the release, and tickets cost $120 to attend the gala at the Meridian Centre.

LØLØ and The Summer Set take pop-punk revivalism to History on October 24. The Summer Set is the headliner and is back from a musical hiatus. They reached peak popularity in the 2010s with tracks like “Chelsea” and “Lightning in a Bottle.”

Holt Renfrew partnered with lifestyle brand arcana to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Holt Renfrew’s H Project and its Fashion the Future campaign. The immersive pop-up, which is reflective of their commitment to experiential travel, is located on the third floor of the Holt Renfrew Bloor Street and runs until October 29. An exclusive arcana x Holt Renfrew package, which includes a two-night stay at the Muskoka property and food journey by Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson of Restaurant Pearl Morissette, is available only by visiting the pop-up in person to acquire a code to access further details at findarcana.com

If spooky season is your thing, Zombie Apocalypse returns to Toronto for the month of October. “An early-stage anti-aging serum in production has been shown to severely alter the physiology of research subjects. Government and city emergency services have refused to help lock down the facility, claiming the company is perpetrating a hoax,” reads the website. “Biolux Labs is opening its doors to all members of the press to report the aftermath of recent experiments within the facility.”