The 41^st edition of the Toronto International Festival of Authors kicks off in just a few days. With over 200 free virtual events and activities to experience over the Festival’s 11-day run, we’ve created this handy guide to help you navigate and make the most of #FestofAuthors20. Here are our insider recommendations:

1) Register in Advance

Get ready to attend the 41st Festival edition from the comfort of your own home. Start by signing up on our website to create your FREE account. If you already have a Harbourfront Centre account, use that to log in.

2) Create your Digital Itinerary

Find your events and activities in the Festival Calendar or by browsing the full Event Listing or Participant Listing. When you see an event you’d like to watch, add it to your personal Itinerary by clicking the yellow button to register. Your registered events will appear on your personal Itinerary page. Most events will be available to view for up to 72 hours after they launch, so feel free to double up on overlapping events.

3) Keep an Eye on your Email

All Festival event reminders and notices will be communicated to you through email, so please be sure to add us to your safe senders list (enews@festivalofauthors.ca). Otherwise, these alerts might go to your spam folder.

We will also be emailing you an event reminder notice one day prior to each registered event. Although most events will be streamed directly on the TIFA website, some select events will require a special link to view them on an external platform. If an event requires a special link, we will indicate this on the event detail page, and we will email you the link one day prior to the event.

4) Tune in On Time – Or not!

We will make our best efforts to start all events on time, so if you wish to experience an event at its launch time, please give yourself enough time to log in to the website and click your way to the event video stream (from your Itinerary page) before the event’s scheduled start time, so you don’t miss a thing. If you can’t make an event when it launches, have no fear, most events will also be available for viewing for up to 72 hours after they launch, so they can be enjoyed at your convenience. Exceptions to this rule will be indicated on the event details page.

5) Join us Daily

In addition to daily author talks and interviews, this year, we’re also proud to present a series of special Performances happening each day of the Festival. Each evening will offer a dose of creative storytelling expressed through theatre, music, film or dance. A series of Critical Conversations, covering the hot topic social and political events of the day.

6) Listen to a Podcast

Take a break from your screen during the Festival and plug in to a new original podcast. TIFA has commissioned several new limited edition podcast series this year, including Any Night of the Week: A Walking History of Toronto Music, produced by indie musician and writer Jonny Dovercourt; and Write in the Neighbourhood: Audio Walking Tour, featuring Toronto authors discussing the local neighbourhoods that inspired their writing. After they launch, podcasts will stay live on the website for the duration of the Festival.

7) Invite the Entire Family

The new TIFA KIDS! Weekend will take place October 31 – November 1, with special events and activities catered towards young audiences and the children’s publishing community. Don’t miss these family-friendly events, which include readings by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards winners, a panel discussion between the nominees of the 2020 Governor General Literary Awards for Young People’s Literature, and much more.

8) Experience a New Language

Several Festival events this year will take place in languages other than English. Tune in to experience storytelling in Bengali, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

9) Follow Us on Social Media

Interact with us on social media for the full Festival experience!

Follow @FestofAuthors on:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Don’t forget to use #FestofAuthors20 on social media to join the conversation.

10) Buy a Book

No Festival experience is complete without the addition of a new book (or more!) to your bookshelf. TIFA’s official Bookseller, the UofT Bookstore, is ready to take your online orders, and is offering free shipping on domestic orders of over C$100. All purchases will include a free TIFA bookmark (while supplies last). There is also a limited selection of signed copies. Support the writers participating in this year’s Festival with a visit to the virtual book store.

For more details and Festival support, please visit our FAQ page.

We look forward to giving you a warm, virtual welcome to #FestofAuthors20!