Everything You Need to Know about Motive 2025
MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival is just around the corner and we've been preparing to make sure audiences and authors have a great time at our new location at Victoria University at the University of Toronto! With criminally good conversations, fan-favourite screenings, expert-led masterclasses and hands-on workshops, there will be lots to see and do.
To help with the information overload, we have put together a guide with everything you need to make the most of the weekend.
Passes
We have four types of passes to choose from and we're sure that one is right for you!
• Friday Pass: $20 Regular | $15 Under 25
• Saturday Pass: $35 Regular| $20 Under 25
• Sunday Pass: $35 Regular | $20 Under 25
• 3-Day Festival Pass: $75 Regular | $45 Under 25
Passes are required to attend author conversations and presentations, but are not required for events indicated as FREE on the schedule. Masterclasses require separate registration. Browse the full schedule here.
Masterclasses
MOTIVE’s Creative Writing Masterclasses offer the opportunity to learn how to craft compelling stories and bring captivating characters to life through hands-on lessons from acclaimed authors and industry experts. This is a 90-minute masterclass. All writing levels are welcome.
These workshops require separate registration. View the full list of Masterclasses here.
Free Events
University of Toronto Workshops
University of Toronto is back again offering free forensic science workshops and lectures! The workshops are incredibly popular and require registration to attend. You can book your spot here.
• The Answer at your Fingertips: Ridge Patterns in Criminal Investigation: June 28 at 11 AM & 2:30 PM
• University of Toronto Forensic Anthropology Workshop: June 29 at 11 AM
• Right Down to the Bone: The Identity of Jane Doe: June 30 at 2 PM
Outdoor Events
Join us in the outdoor quad for a variety of conversations and panels on the inner workings of book writing, the publishing industry, and the dark history of Toronto! Toronto Crime Tours will be back on Saturday and Sunday telling all the chilling tales they heard and experienced during their over 30 years as Toronto detectives. The Crime Writers of Canada (CWC), a national non-profit organization for Canadian crime and mystery writers, will also be holding panels and have an information tent. Check the schedule for all the events happening in "Victoria University in the University of Toronto" at the bottom of the schedule here.
Special Events
Join us Saturday night for A Murder Most Proper: An Interactive Murder Mystery in partnership with BarTeam Theatre complete with live music and a bar! Step back in time to 1930s England where the only thing more scandalous than a sudden death could be the impropriety of it all.
This event is included in the Saturday and 3-Day Festival Passes.
See the Author, Buy the Book!
The Festival bookstore, operated by the University of Toronto Bookstore, will be located off the main lobby of Victoria College in Room 115. You can browse the full Motive 2025 reading list here.
Bookstore Hours:
Friday 5:30 PM - 9 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM - 9 PM
Sunday 10:30 AM - 6 PM
Book signings will take place in the Victoria College lobby following each event. Events in the Isabel Bader Theatre will have remote book sales and signings in the lobby of the theatre.
Getting to Victoria University at the University of Toronto
Festival weekend will be a busy time on and around the University of Toronto campus. If you’re driving or using transit to get to Victoria College, we strongly encourage you to plan your travel in advance and allow extra time to navigate potential delays or congestion.
Subway Directions
From Museum Station
• When you arrive at Museum Station, follow the ROM signs
• Exit at Queen's Park and continue up the stairs.
• At the top of the stairs, turn left and keep left at the fork.
• Cross at the pedestrian crosswalk.
• Keep left and continue walking straight
• Keep left and continue up the ramp/stairs to Victoria College!
From Bay Station
• When you arrive at Bay Station follow signs to Bay Street, Bellair Street.
• Continue up the stairs and make a right at the top.
• Walk south on Bay Street, crossing Bloor Street and continue south one block to Charles Street.
• Turn right and walk west, until you reach the Isabel Bader Theatre on your left.
• Cross the street and walk down the side street to the right of the main entrance of the theatre.
• Keep walking then turn left to be at an entrance to Victoria College!
Share your MOTIVE moments with us!
From your book hauls to photos of meeting your favourite authors, we want to see it all! Share your pictures and Festival stories with us on social media:
Don’t forget to use #MotiveTO in your posts.
Browse the full schedule of MOTIVE events, screenings and conversations, here.