The 42^nd edition of the Toronto International Festival of Authors is almost here! If you have browsed the 200+ events with Canadian and international authors, artists and performers, but aren’t sure how to make the most of it, you have come to the right place.

Here are some tips and tricks to make your virtual visit at the Festival a fantastic one:

1) Register, register, register

Once you have created a TIFA account, it’s time to register for as many Festival events as you would like! Whether it’s attending the first event of the day, the last one, or each one in between, be sure to add the events to your personal itinerary by clicking the yellow ‘Sign up/in to register for this event’ button on each page. Unless it’s a Humber Masterclass or an event taking place on Zoom, you can enjoy the reading, conversation or performance for 72 hours after it launches, so don’t worry about any overlapping events.

2) Share the news

Once you’ve signed up for events, share the news with friends and family! Whether it’s your favourite author or a panel discussion on a shared interest, let them know so they can join in on the conversation. If you share the news on social media, be sure to follow and tag us using:

Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @FestofAuthors
Hashtag: #FestofAuthors21 and #TIFAKids

3) Keep an eye on your email

Once you have signed up an event, TIFA will provide all updates and reminders to you via email. Be sure to add us to your safe senders list (enews@festivalofauthors.ca and support@festivalofauthors.ca) to avoid missing important information about your events. If you haven’t received anything, be sure to check your spam folder.

Your event reminder emails will provide a direct link to your TIFA Account page, where you select the day’s events from your personal itinerary. If an event will be taking place on Zoom or another platform, we will indicate this on the event page, and email you the direct link prior to the event.

4) Tune in live or watch on your own time

With most of the events being available to watch for 72 hours, you can tune in at the scheduled time or enjoy at your convenience. No matter how you watch, be sure to log in and access the event through your personal itinerary in your TIFA Account.

Humber Masterclasses and events taking place on Zoom will only be available to watch live, so be sure to check the event description for those details.

5) Have some family fun

With over 30 TIFA Kids events taking place from October 21–31, you can settle in together and enjoy readings, activities and conversations with the creators of today’s leading books for young people. There are events for all ages that explore stories of love, quests, friendship and family. You can browse #TIFAkids events here.

6) Learn from the pros

Humber Masterclasses are back this year, and whether you are a new writer or just looking to pick up new techniques from world-class authors, there are sessions every day of the Festival for you to check out. Pick your favourite or attend all 11 classes with instructors like recent #ScotiabankGillerPrize shortlisted authors Omar El Akkad and Jordan Tannahill. Classes are $56 to join. Browse the classes here.

7) Tune in daily for recurring mini-series

In addition to exciting author talks and interviews each day, there are also daily performances, Can You Hear Me Now? commission readings and Critical Conversations. Authors, artists and performers will be sharing their talents each day, and then each night, hear from the experts in a wide range of fields as they discuss important social and political events during the Critical Conversation series.

8) Experience a new language

During the Festival this year, 14 events will take place in languages other than English. Tune in to experience storytelling in Bengali, French, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil and more. English captions will also be provided.

9) Explore special offers

Support local businesses with special offers from Raven Rising, The Green Jar, The Westin Harbour Castle Toronto and UofT Bookstore. The promotional offers will be available from October 19–31, 2021, here.

10) Buy the books

Whether you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or a physical copy for reading, TIFA has you covered. Our official Booksellers are UofT Bookstore and Rakuten Kobo, so you can read the Festival titles however you wish. You can purchase the books directly from each event page, or feel free to browse UofT Bookstore and Kobo online.

UofT Bookstore is offering 15% off all TIFA Festival titles and free shipping on domestic orders of over C$100.

Need more guidance?

Visit the Festival FAQ page here or email our customer support team at support@festivalofauthors.ca.

Check out the full schedule of #FestofAuthors21 events here.