The first ever Festival of Bizarre Toronto History took place April 3–9, 2023.

Here's the full schedule from that year's event!



MONDAY APRIL 3




A little more than 100 years ago, a celebrated theatre mogul sold off his empire, deposited a cheque for a million dollars, and then vanished off the face of the earth. We'll kick off The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History by searching for clues into one of the city's greatest mysteries with two of the leading experts on the case.

Katie Daubs is a journalist with The Toronto Star and the author ofThe Missing Millionaire, a finalist for The Toronto Book Award in 2020. Geordie Telfer is the creator of the Hogtown Empire podcast and the author of Hogtown Empire: The Disappearance of Ambrose Small.

— 8pm on Zoom —



TUESDAY APRIL 4




An infamous news story began making the rounds in Victorian Toronto, the tale of a woman sold into slavery by her new husband. It became one of the best-known pieces of local lore, even inspired a movie in the 1990s. But there's one major problem with story of Mary Mink. It wasn't true at all.

We'll explore the strange myth with Natasha Henry-Dixon (Assistant Professor of African Canadian History at York University and president of the Ontario Black History Society) and Guylaine Petrin (a librarian and author of the paper "The Myth of Mary Mink: Representation of Black Women in Toronto in the Nineteenth Century").

— 8pm on Zoom —



WEDNESDAY APRIL 5




In the winter of 1985, the Canadian government took aim at Jamaican patty vendors. The owners were threatened with massive fines if they kept calling their patties "patties" — an absurd campaign that would become known as The Patty Wars. The vendors fought back, led by the Kensington Patty Palace's Michael Davidson, fighting for a comprise that is still celebrated in Toronto every year with own very own Jamaican Patty Day.

I'm incredibly excited to have Davidson joining us to talk about his own memories of the patty wars — along with Chris Strikes, the director of the wonderful documentary that has helped popularize the story, Patty Vs. Patty, which is nominated for Best Short Documentary at this year's Canadian Screen Awards!

— 8pm on Zoom —




THURSDAY APRIL 6




A panel of local history experts shares the stories behind some of the city's weirdest photos of all-time — from skeletons to beer to diving horses. Jamie Bradburn is the creator of the weekly Toronto history quiz that appears in The Toronto Star as well as a former contributor to Torontoist's beloved Historicist column, and a regular contributor to TVO. Victor D. Caratun is the creator of Toronto Past, one of the most popular sources for old Toronto photos on social media.

— 8pm on Zoom —



FRIDAY APRIL 7




A true tale of sex, violence, corruption and clowns. The strangest riot in Toronto history broke out in the summer of 1855, sparked by a brawl at a King Street brothel. When some rowdy clowns picked a fight with a battle-hardened crew of firefighters, they would quickly learn they'd made a terrible mistake. The circus performers found themselves facing off against Toronto's powerful Orange Order in a bloody clash that revealed the fault lines that once violently divided our city.

The talk will be presented by Adam Bunch, author of The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love, the host of the Canadiana documentary series, and the creator of the Festival of Bizarre Toronto History.

— 8pm on Zoom —




SATURDAY APRIL 8




There are strange secrets hidden among the gravestones of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. We'll spend the Saturday afternoon of the festival roaming among them with one of the city's most riveting tour guides. We'll dig up tales about everything from the prime minister who spoke with the dead to grisly murders and infamous disasters in a fascinating walk led by Chantal Morris, creator of the wildly popular Toronto Cemetery Tours.

— 2pm —




SUNDAY APRIL 9

Queen Street is one of our city's most iconic thoroughfares, and over the centuries it's been home to some truly odd tales. We'll bring the festival to a close with a walking tour dedicated to hunting down those strange stories, from the folk music legend who claimed his wife was possessed by a demon, to the subterranean relics of a bygone age. And what better way to end the week than by visiting a spectacular mural dedicated to some of Toronto's most recent bizarre history.

The tour will be led by Jason Kucherawy (president of the Tourist Guide Association of Toronto and owner of Tour Guys, Canada's leading walking tour company) and Adam Bunch (author of The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love, and creator of the festival).

— 2pm —



Zoom links and all other details will be sent to ticket holders shortly before the festival begins. See you then!