A magical concert stage that travels by rail may soon be bringing free holiday cheer right to your neighbourhood.
For the past 27 years, the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Holiday Train has been a beloved tradition, and one of Toronto’s most unique signs that the festive season has truly begun.
Watch as this travelling light show, decorated with thousands of brilliant lights, chugs into the city. Spanning around 1000 feet in length, 14 rail cars will be festively transformed with illuminated holiday motifs and designs. A specially designed train car will then transform into a live performance stage, ready to host a free concert for all who gather at each stop.
The main event is a free, 30-minute concert featuring a mix of holiday classics and original tunes. This year, Toronto’s stop on November 29 will be headlined by Canadian country artists Jade Eagleson and Teigen Gayse. The one-of-a-kind show is performed right from a glowing train car, and caters to attendees of all ages.
The concert is also completely free, but while you won’t pay a penny for a ticket, the event’s mission is to support local communities. Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or cash donations to support local food banks – a small contribution for an unforgettable evening. These will be collected before the show ends, when the boxcar door will close and continue on to the next train stop on its journey.
The CPKC Holiday Train will stop at 750 Runnymede Rd. on November 29, with the show scheduled to begin around 8:30 p.m. You can find the train’s full schedule on the CPKC website.
Besides Toronto, you can also catch the train in nearby cities like Oshawa, Vaughan, Milton, Hamilton, and Cambridge.