55-Foot Christmas Tree Lights Up Toronto as The Distillery Winter Village, presented by Quince, Opens for 2026

Toronto's world-famous Christmas market returns with new attractions, special performances and holiday experiences through January 3, 2027

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Distillery Winter Village, presented by Quince, officially opened its 2026 season on November 12 with the lighting of its iconic 16.8-metre (55-foot) Christmas tree. Thousands gathered in Toronto's Distillery Historic District to join Santa in the countdown as the towering silver fir, adorned with more than 80,000 white lights and hundreds of custom ornaments inspired by Quince's holiday world of cashmere and gingerbread, was illuminated as a flurry of snow fell, creating a magical winter scene.

The tree lighting ceremony was followed by a performance from JUNO Award-winning Canadian singer Holly Cole. Now in its 17th season, The Distillery Winter Village runs through January 3, 2027, welcoming global visitors for seven weeks of holiday entertainment, shopping, food and seasonal experiences.

All profits from opening night ticket sales support The Distillery Winter Village's local charity partners: The Anishnawbe Health Foundation, Soulpepper Theatre, and the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund. Watch a replay of the countdown of the Christmas tree lighting ceremony on YouTube.

"There's something really special about opening night, as the city comes together for the countdown and the Christmas tree lights up for the first time," said Rik Ocvirk, Vice President, The Distillery Restaurants Corp. and Director, Experiences & Events, The Distillery Historic District. "This year's tree is particularly beautiful, and our partners at Quince have helped us create something truly unique with all the wonderful details that visitors will enjoy seeing up close. After months of planning and preparation, it's incredibly rewarding to see The Distillery Winter Village come to life and welcome everyone back for another holiday season."

Canada's Most Photographed Christmas Tree

This year's Christmas tree is adorned with 80,000 white lights and 750 ornaments, featuring a family of whimsical 12-inch gingerbread characters dressed in miniature Quince cashmere sweaters, hats and scarves, 120 oversized custom-painted ornaments in matching Quince cashmere sweater colours with decorative icing details, and custom snowflake ornaments.

At the base of the tree, three Quince gingerbread village vignettes come to life with animatronics in glass-fronted window displays. Gingerbread characters skate, ski, snowboard down a hill and ride a gondola, while gingerbread airplanes fly overhead. Large gingerbread houses complete the scenes, framed by a gingerbread-textured surround with three-dimensional icing details.

Lanterns inspired by those found throughout The Distillery Historic District add a warm glow, tying the installation to its heritage surroundings. A custom-built circular platform surrounds the tree and includes a 3.6-metre (12-foot) performance stage. In total, more than 1,000 hours were dedicated to fabricating, detailing and decorating this year's Christmas Tree.

Key Highlights for 2026

The 2026 Distillery Winter Village transforms Toronto's 13-acre pedestrian-only heritage district into a global holiday destination, expecting to attract a million visitors, and features live performances, immersive experiences, shopping, and more than 60 food and retail vendors and outdoor bars. The site is decorated with one million Christmas lights, tens of thousands of ornaments, and 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of fresh evergreen boughs.

This year's highlights include:

• NEW: The Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Photo Experience: The Distillery's cobblestone corridor transforms into a Hogwarts-inspired setting, where guests can snap a photo alongside the Hogwarts Express and a Platform 9¾-inspired luggage trolley, or choose their Hogwarts House and pose at an interactive selfie booth featuring custom House-themed photo frames. The experience celebrates the highly anticipated HBO Original series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, streaming December 25, only on Crave.

• NEW: The Immersive Nutcracker: Enter through the towering castle door on Gristmill Lane for this 360-degree holiday experience at The Fermenting Cellar, featuring floor-to-ceiling digital projections, larger-than-life Mouse King and The Nutcracker characters, festive photo ops, exclusive story-inspired food and drinks, and interactive games. Separate admission is required.

• Santa's Village at Soulpepper Theatre: A European Christmas department store-themed setting inspired by Soulpepper's production of Parfumerie, featuring Santa and his elves, a vintage-inspired letter-writing station, specialty hot chocolates and sweet treats. Storytime with the Elves takes place daily in the atrium.

• Caitie and Tobee from Super Simple are back for a one-time special performance on Sunday, November 15 at 3:00 p.m. under the tree. They'll kick off their Countdown to Christmas tour with a high-energy, interactive performance from one of the world's most beloved children's brands. Free to attend.

• Live festive performances: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (November 22), Opera Atelier (November 29), Canadian Opera Company (December 4), Mirvish Productions (December 13), Myriad Ensemble (December 17) and Kente Claus (Christmas Eve) featuring steelpan drums. The McGregor Carollers perform daily through Christmas Eve. All performances are included with admission.

• The Quince Cashmere Cabin: An inviting gingerbread-inspired cabin offering a curated selection of Quince's signature cashmere accessories, including beanies, knit caps, gloves and scarves, alongside holiday-scented candles and other seasonal surprises. Visitors can purchase select holiday gifts from the cabin's walk-up retail window, and capture a festive photo from the dedicated photo moment.

• NEW: Visit Costa Rica's Chocolate Waterfall: A taste of the tropics comes to Gristmill Lane with a flowing chocolate waterfall inspired by Costa Rica's lush landscapes and cacao heritage, framed by tropical foliage, wildlife décor, and festive lights. Visitors can sample chocolate-drizzled pineapple and banana, snap a holiday photo and step through an augmented reality portal to explore Costa Rica's natural wonders.

• Chef's Lane Returns: Following a successful debut last year, Chef's Lane returns for 2026 with four new cabins, four acclaimed chefs and four one-of-a-kind, holiday-inspired dishes created exclusively for the Distillery Winter Village. This year's experience has a fresh new look. The four cabins are turned inward to create an intimate, speakeasy-style laneway, complete with overhead lighting and peek-through windows that invite guests to discover what's (and who's) cooking inside. Featured chefs include: Michael Angeloni, Afrim Pristine, Taylor Wells and Arush Vardhan Singh.

• New food vendors: Prince St. Pizza, Carousel Bakery, Sweet Crumble, Potato Bar, Peacock Bakehouse and Sando Man! join returning favourites including Stick Shift Robata's A5 Wagyu Sando, Cluny's torched s'mores hot chocolate (and new Biscoff hot chocolate), Scooped by Demetres' Monkey Bread and Spirit of York's Yorkie Burrito. Other options include Japan Taco, WuBaEats bao buns, poutine, pierogies, empanadas, roasted chestnuts, Swiss raclette, BBQ from Grinch's Grill, doughnuts, crème brûléed crêpes, and Basque cheesecake – and so much more.

• NEW: The Canuck Tavern: A love letter to the Great White North, this outdoor bar on the Archeo Patio celebrates Canadian pride with hockey, cottage-country charm and iconic Canadian landscapes. Enjoy Muskoka chairs around the fire, s'mores, hockey on the big screen, Canadian beer and spirits, and photo ops including a canoe against a hand-painted, Group of Seven-inspired mural, two oversized gondola chairs, a hockey penalty box and a giant topiary moose. Tributes to famous Canadians including Terry Fox, Roberta Bondar and Michael J. Fox, plus a message board where visitors can share what they love about Canada, round out the experience.

• NEW: Silent Nite Disco: The Cluny Tunnel features mirror balls, starburst lighting, giant disco ball-covered snow people and silent (headphone) DJ nights on the heated patio, alongside Parisian-style mousse au chocolat in cherry, espresso or Belgian chocolate flavours.

• Outdoor drinks: The Naughty or Nice Bar returns to the Pure Spirits Courtyard with a refreshed look, 50,000 white-and-blue lights, 300 hand-sewn icicles, and a long communal table. New on Trinity Street, Merry Matcha offers alcohol-free drinks in flavours including coconut, strawberry rose, lavender, ubé and vanilla.

• Holiday shopping: Support local and find unique gifts for everyone on your list at seasonal vendor cabins and more than 90 permanent businesses offering handmade jewellery, gourmet treats, home décor, original art, and self-care services. Ninety per cent of the permanent shops are Canadian-owned, and 30 per cent of merchandise is made on-site at The Distillery District by local makers. New this year, The Cooperage Marketplace brings together seven independent, founder-operated Canadian businesses, while the recently launched Maplee Market showcases local brands and independent makers.

• Holiday photo ops: The Christmas Tree, Countdown to Christmas Clock, Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer, Alley Press' vintage-style newspaper photo booth, Giant Snowpeople, LOVE, FAMILY, JOY and PEACE marquee signs, The Heart of Christmas, and The Quince Gingerbread Family interactive photo installation.

Tickets and Planning Your Visit

The Distillery Winter Village runs daily from Thursday, November 12, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, and is closed Christmas Day.

Tickets are required during peak periods, including:

• Opening Night;
• Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays after 4:00 p.m.;
• Thursdays in December after 4:00 p.m.; and,
• Daily after 4:00 p.m. from December 14-31.

Admission is free all day Monday to Wednesday through December 13, 2026, and every day before 4:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $16, plus HST and service charge, with General Admission, Flex and Express ticket options available. Kids aged nine and under always enter free and do not require a ticket.

For the complete ticket calendar, ticket options and everything visitors need to plan their trip including how to get here, visit TheDistilleryWinterVillage.com.

ABOUT THE DISTILLERY WINTER VILLAGE

The Distillery Winter Village is Toronto's original outdoor Christmas market, set within The Distillery Historic District. Recognized among the best Christmas markets in the world, it welcomes more than one million visitors each year from across Canada and around the world. For seven weeks each winter, the pedestrian-only neighbourhood transforms into a festive destination featuring its famous centrepiece Christmas tree, seasonal vendor cabins, holiday performances and themed food and beverage experiences. The event employs more than 700 seasonal workers and raises funds for local charities.

For more information and tickets, visit TheDistilleryWinterVillage.com.

ABOUT QUINCE

Quince is a manufacturer-to-consumer platform offering a curated assortment of the world's best-made essentials, from cashmere and linen to fine jewelry and furniture, across more than 100 categories. By connecting shoppers directly to the manufacturing partners who make each product, Quince prices its assortment 50 to 70 percent below comparable market prices without compromising on quality, backed by a 365-day return policy and a 4.7 average customer rating across millions of reviews. Founded in January 2019 by three co-founders and headquartered in San Francisco, Quince closed its Series E in March 2026 at a $10.1 billion valuation and is one of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Explore the full Canadian experience at Quince.ca, or download the Quince app on the App Store and the Google Play Store, with free shipping, free 365-day returns, and all prices in CAD including duties.

Media Resources, including images: TheDistilleryWinterVillage.com/media-resources

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SOURCE The Distillery Historic District