Just For Laughs Toronto returns with something new: a three-day block party on Front Street

It's no joke. Just For Laughs is back in Toronto after a two-year break, and on opening weekend, Berczy Park will be the place to be. Locals know it as that place with the dog fountain, and starting Friday evening, JFL will be taking over the site for a three-day street party that features more than just stand-up, with highlights including a classic hip-hop showcase hosted by Russell Peters, performances from Drag Race stars Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change and a dance party brought to you by Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Craig Robinson and his band The Nasty Delicious. Best of all, the shows don't cost a thing.

It's an all new component of JFL Toronto, which launched in 2012 as JFL 42, and beyond the obvious allure of giving the city a metric tonne of free entertainment, organizers are hoping the party will double as a festival hub.

Where's the party?

JFL's official venues are scattered all over Toronto, but the Street Festival stage is mere blocks from Union Station — and closer still to Meridian Hall and the Saint Lawrence Centre, two buildings that'll be hosting the weekend's Fan Expo-style ComedyCon during the daytime. 

For the diehards attending the con's sessions, the outdoor stage serves as a (fully licensed) meeting spot to recharge and refuel while watching a show you don't have to pay for. Bringing the Street Festival to ComedyCon's doorstep was a strategic decision, says Oz Weaver, festival producer for JFL Toronto.

Still, Weaver anticipates the Street Festival will serve as a meeting point for anyone and everyone, not just the comedy nerds who need a coffee break between panels. "Not everyone's familiar with the festival, and not everyone's familiar with stand-up comedy," says Weaver. But organizers are anticipating 75,000 visitors to the outdoor stage, and if they can draw those numbers, the action on Front Street could help JFL tap into brand new audiences.  

What's on?

Between Sept. 23 to 25, all of Front Street East between Yonge and Church will be shut down to clear room for the stage, which will be set up near the Flatiron Building. That's 130,000 square feet of party space, and on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, shows will be running as early as 1 p.m.

There's comedy on deck, as you might imagine. Sunday at 7 p.m., for example, you can catch a stand-up showcase that's dedicated to emerging Canadian talent. But you're more likely to find comedians doing music: as previously mentioned, Craig Robinson headlines Sunday with his party band The Nasty Delicious, and Russell Peters will be DJ-ing a Saturday night show (Old School Mixtape Live) that's stacked with throwback guests including Flavor Flav, Crystal Waters and Big Daddy Kane. 

Saturday afternoon, the outdoor stage will be keeping things family friendly; a performance from podcast stars the Story Pirates kicks off the day. Drag is the major draw on Friday night; Toronto's Tynomi Banks presents a bill of Canadian queens at 7 p.m. before Drag Race stars Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change take the stage at 9.

And in between everything, there's plenty of music which may or may not make you laugh: live acts and DJs fill out the schedule. Featured performers include local favourite DJ Bambii (Friday) and Juno-nominated soul singer Tanika Charles (Saturday).

"Some of our venues go to 1 o'clock in the morning, and that's a lot of comedy," laughs Weaver. "Some people need a break from nonstop stand-up."

Why throw a street party at a comedy festival?

Outdoor comedy shows proliferated in Toronto during the lockdowns, but the idea of taking JFL to the street was already in the works pre-pandemic, says Weaver. Marking its 10th anniversary this year, JFL Toronto isn't as massive as the OG festival in Montreal, but it's the biggest comedy fest in the city, featuring more than 90 acts including star headliners such as Amy Schumer, Trevor Noah and John Mulaney. (Funny story: that Mulaney show has been rescheduled four times since September 2019. He's expected to play Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, fingers crossed.) 

Weaver says the Street Festival is part of JFL's plans to expand the Toronto event. Free outdoor programming has been a feature of Montreal's festival for years, but according to Weaver, JFL Toronto's Street Festival wasn't patterned after that model. There's some overlap between the two cities' programming, though. A few of Toronto's Street Festival acts have played the outdoor stage in Montreal before: Craig Robinson and the Nasty Delicious, Russell Peters' Old School Mixtape Live, Josh Adam Meyers and the Goddamn Comedy Jam. But Weaver says the Toronto line-up was tailored with a local crowd in mind. To them, that means putting on a show that's inclusive to all ages and backgrounds, while making local and Canadian talent the focus. "When we have Toronto looking at us, we want the stage to be looking back at Toronto and for people to recognize their faces and their communities on the stage," says Weaver.

"Part of the festival is discovery. It's discovering new artists, discovering new comedy. It's discovering different parts of the city." Says Weaver with a laugh: "maybe you haven't been down to the weird dog fountain park before."

Just For Laughs Toronto Street Festival. Sept. 23-25. Front St. E and Berczy Park, Toronto. toronto.hahaha.com