Yonge-Dundas Square

great place to hang out, catch a free concert, watch some ball hockey, pick up concert tickets, take a city tour, see a protest, watch a free movie.
indeed, something for everyone at the square, considered the center of Toronto,
truly is the heart and soul of Toronto

From the crowds of people to the drummers banging the hell out of bikers and break dancers head spinning in any temperature to religious preachers Yonge and Dundas is the heart of Toronto

This place is one the reasons I love Toronto so much, there is always some kind of event going on here. Of course among my favorites are all the Christmas themed events here, but the concerts, and free movie nights are always nice. I work in Marketing so I appreciate all the colourful ads I feel is really makes this place seem a little more alive. Plus some of these ads are really creative.
There is no short list of events happening here, there are also quite a bit of street performers and busker going on a regular basis. All this activity makes this square really come alive! I love all the summer activities that happen here like the music concerts or the outdoor movies. Then during the winter time my favorite thins is the Christmas choirs that come perform here, Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love to explore what this great city has to offer.
While the Dundas Square can be quite touristy during the summer month and it can get really full of people, it still a nice place to visit. My favorite time to come here is during the winter as the night time starts earlier so the bright light stay on longer. Just remember that there is always traffic and underground parking is a must.

a haiku about yonge and dundas
transcendental zeal;
remedy melancholy:
jesus /​chipotle

Lovely square with free wi-​fi and lots of musical concerts! Today they were launching some kind of news channel and giving away free sunglasses — they were pretty cool by the way. It is located very close to a Yonge subway and not very crowed during summer time — to my surprise.

I like this place, it reminded me of Times Square in NYC, except it’s much smaller and not overcrowding with tourists left and right. It’s very nice, with the billboards and signs, and can be peaceful. I come here and people watch, children playing in the fountains, folks skateboarding, singing, performing, etc. And there’s plenty of room to sit and relax, take it all in. Definitely a must do for anyone visiting Toronto!

I’ll admit that the loud and attention grabbing billboards aren’t my most favorite thing in the world. But it seems to fit the atmosphere of this large square though, which has become a bit of a central gathering point in the heart of the downtown Toronto.
What is cool about is that no matter what time of year it is, there is always something happening on the weekends here — whether snow, rain, sleet or shine.
The only downside to the square is that I find it a bit of a dead space during the weekdays. They try to run events, but I usually find it pretty quiet during the week days.
The TO tix booth is here, if you’re looking «discounted» performing arts tickets.

Back in the day this was essentially our go to place for times of truancy. Today it’s not anything like it was when we were young (er) and (less) foolish.
This open space is for me best described as the poor man’s Time’s Square. On a commercialized level you have your larger than life bill boards with special designs some unique to the area. They change all the time right? In this big and open space you have a more open area than Times Sq though IMO. It’s not as tight or verticle and more sunny than shady.
The YD Square is your south east corner of Yonge and Dundas. City TV is visible from the near Victoria street and Dundas area. The live studio has been in this area for years now since moving from the building at Queen and John. The open area is a place for concerts for the public or smaller events where food is cooked.
There are some tickets to venues being sold closer to the Dundas northern part of the square mirroring the somewhat TKTS stand in Times Square. There are however not any photo panderers like in Times Square I’ve seen. There are no Wolverine or Spider-​man or Batman superheros. There are no Silver Man or Naked Cowboys playing guitar seeking gratuities for photos being taken.
Yonge and Dundas Square for the most part is just a big open concrete piece of prime real estate. Only a few times have I seen something of significance going on here but then again I don’t go to the city very often.
It’s nice to have an open space in the city but some green would have been nice… today it’s still a poor man’s Times Square and there’s even a theater or two nearby.
Anything that’s big and needs a large city square is at Nathan Phillips Square in front of city hall instead of this place.
Still this place has a lot of memories for me but mostly before it was what it is now when the coin op arcades were still on Yonge and the corner was that jean store.
YDQ has changed so much just like 42^nd street in NYC but it is much more cleaner and touristy now than before because Yonge and Dundas is a very lively part of town.

Like Time Square but much less exciting.
There will be tons of events held in the square (vast majority will be free) especially during the summer.
Located right across from the Eaton Centre. Movie theatres, shopping, dining all available. Nothing unique though as everything nearby will be big company chains.

Definitely Toronto’s lesser version of Times Square. One of the places in which you will see hordes of people and traffic. As per Times Square this brings out the quacks of the city. Whether it’s someone drumming on plastic pails or religious freaks trying to preach their word you see it all and then some here! During summer there are many events planned and corporate promotional events however not much of it interests me. You may think it’s awesome of cool but I just believe it’s a busy intersection!

Hmm, what to say about Yonge and Dundas?
Is it «Ain’t no love in the heart of the city» or is it «Electric Avenue»?
I don’t mind the square. I work fairly close to here so I usually go by on my commute. So far I’ve been the recipient of free coffee, free poutine and seen all kinds of weird and interesting spectacles.
I went to see Ludacris and some other fathers of hip-​hop. As a concert venue it is okay, but the acoustics are of course bouncy and o hate the layout of the stage.
The other common use for the Square is as a corporate advertising venue. At least once a week, some large brand will set up here and handout whatever product they are trying to sample. My favourite example from the summer was the BMO picnic in the city where they brought in fake grass and free ice cream. What is very annoying is the notices saying that if you enter the square you are giving your consent to be filmed. Can’t wait to see myself grabbing free things and chortling on film.
The actual layout of the square is a bit confusing. Sandwiched by the ticket booth on the left and the Toronto information on the right and with the stage in am awkward triangle point at the end of the square, the square really doesn’t allow public access the way that Nathan Philips square at cityhall does.
It is Garish and big city like so if you want to awe visitors (not from NY or London) it might be the place to go.

Yonge and Dundas Square is filled with crazies. Everywhere.
I like:
— The events space
— The TOTIX booth — it’s not as great as TKTS in New York, but there are still some deals to be had here
— Cheap restaurants — Salad King is just north. It’s great. Paramount is just to the south.
— Proximity to theatres, such as the Mirvish theatre
— The patios up above — go up to the top level of the building on the NE corner. Get on the patio of one of those restaurants for a great view! Beware — you might have to wait a while.
Watch out for the following:
— The Jesus guy who will scream and scare the crap out of you as you’re walking past
— The guys who want to sell you their CDs, which may or may not be blank.
— The black history guys who will call you racist if you don’t give them money.
There is a parking lot on Victoria street, just to the east of here. It’s reasonably priced considering where it is.

There was a gigantic xboxOne in the square for the past three days but get this… IT WASN’T EVEN REAL!
Well, a girl can dream.

It’s kind of like a Times Square wannabe, but it’s a good effort. Busy, tons of big billboards with flashing lights and giant screens, an all way pedestrian crosswalk, including diagonal crossing, a water fountain that the kids seem to like, a ticket booth for discount tickets of events around the city, a subway stop, a big mall and movie theater, etc etc. All in one intersection, not bad.
The actual square itself is just a big open er, square, full of tables and chairs for people to sit on and stuff (actually the more I think about it, it’s more like a polygon). There’s room for a stage, where they have live performances and other events like movie nights, and there are always special events going on here. It almost always has people in and out and seems like a popular spot to check out for tourists as well.

People from Toronto told me how I needed to check out Dundas Square because it was their version of Time Square…
I was confused because they said they wanted me to check it out and I’d have fun. Not run away, screaming «I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE» and suffer from PTSD.
But after I calmed down and got to experience it, I assure you Dundas Square is nothing like Times Square. And that’s a good thing.
You can actually walk around with a smile in your face while not walking into tourists. Yes I know I was a tourist here but I don’t do touristy things as a tourist.
The two times I came here I saw some fun events. An old school hip hop battle was the first. The second was some break dancing contest.
In the end it was alright and something to check out. Nothing amazing.

Went with several friends for the free outdoor movie hosted at Dundas Square on Tuesday nights. The movie playing was The Goonies. I had never seen this movie before, so I had a great time being the «only one» who apparently that had never seen this classic. The night was not hot or cold. We all wore pants and a light sweater. We also stopped off at McDonald’s and got some snacks, plus a couple of bags of chips. The crowd was not rowdy, and everyone stayed pretty quiet throughout the film. I highly recommend checking out one of their movies. I am shattered that I will be away on vacation on the night they plan to play The Godfather. I have never seen The Godfather, and this would have been a cool venue to watch it in.

I used to like Yonge-​Dundas square.
Now it’s just a sad imitation of Times Square. Lots of lame and flashy billboards, a few religious fanatics with loud speakers, and the occasional street performer are all you’re likely to see.
I absolutely HATE the all way pedestrian crossing. It slows traffic down so much. Not just cars, all vehicles. The streetcar takes at least an extra 3 – 4 minutes going through there. Do we need to copy Tokyo? It all reeks of desperation.
Except for the occasional festival /​free concert, Yonge-​Dundas square is a poor representation of the city.

The Time Square of Toronto.
There’s always something going on here. Shopping. Free concerts. Sexy Toronto firefighters standing in front of their firetruck posing for pictures with anyone passing by.
Sat on the steps once and discovered that the square has free wifi. Water fountain spurts for kids to run around in. Plenty of subway/​streetcar/​bus stops.

Came here to see Matthew Good about a month ago… and let me tell you it was Effin packed!
All of the Matt Good Fans of Toronto united in one place, one square… hot and humid weather, sticky!
But since I’v been a fan since the 90’s, I can’t just not come see them here. Once they started playing it was awesome, I came with my 2 bro’s and a friend, and managed not to get lost in the crowd.
I know this was only one event held at Yonge-​Dundas square… out of hundreds more. Especially in the summer, there’s always something going down, here in the Toronto Version of Times square.

If you don’t know what to do and you’re in Toronto, this is the place to be. There are always crazy people trying to convert you to some extremist sect, performers trying to earn a few bucks, homeless people asking for change. And that man who calls you «sister» and says he’s raising money for Black History Month — all year long.
And now they’ve introduced those sad little fountains. Those always provide some minor amusement. Tourists walking around taking pictures of something I see everyday.
It’s no Time Square. And if you come here with a Time Square attitude, you will be disappointed. There are times of the night (Winter at 4am) when you can walk around and there will be no one here. And that’s kind of exciting in it’s own way.