Many Torontonians are ditching the dimly lit nightlife, and opting to party in the sunshine – even throughout the winter. Partying in the city is experiencing a renaissance, and this emerging trend is flipping the script on when the fun really begins.
What does your typical night in the city look like? Perhaps a rave along Queen Street West, somewhere with sticky floors and drinks flowing until 2 a.m., while the CN Tower and skyline provide an illuminating backdrop to the occasion. Well, Toronto event planners have said scratch that, and instead ask, what if the party doesn’t have to wait until the evening?
Toronto is quietly (or rather, loudly) ushering in a new kind of celebration, and it’s happening while the sun is still out and about. Enter the day party, the city’s latest obsession that’s turning brunches into bashments and afternoon meet-ups into full-on ragers.
Now, the concept of day parties isn’t new. In fact, places like The Drake Hotel, Cabana Pool Bar, and several rooftop bars across the city have already hopped on the trend years prior. But what is catching attention are the amount of parties popping up far before summer. Toronto winters can feel long, and the fact of the matter is that Torontonians want to party, and are ready to get out and dance no matter what the thermometer reads.
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Oscar Lao is one of three masterminds behind Ace Golf Bar & Lounge, an indoor virtual golf lounge where you can practice your swing, sip on hand-crafted cocktails and dine on Asian-fusion tapas.
Inspired by morning events put on by the Los Angeles-based event AM.RADIO, as well as the monthly Coffee Party right here in the city, Lao was sure that Torontonians were due for a daytime soiree towards the end of a frosty winter. And thus, the Coffee and Dim Sum Party was born.
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The Leslieville restaurant hosted the premier event on Mar. 15, where electronic music fused with free delicious coffee and dim sum, courtesy of local businesses, like Lee’s Dumpling House, Phoenix Bakery, and De Mello Coffee.
Lao says he was delightfully surprised to see Torontonians come out in droves before noon.
“As soon as the doors opened, there were like 50 people… which was very surprising for us, because it’s 11 a.m., on a Saturday. You just don’t anticipate that everyone’s going to show up right at the same time,” he said in an interview with Now Toronto.
The restauranteur says day parties offer something different than the typical nightclub experience, which he describes as often “taxing” and “exhausting.”
“A lot of the cultural shift nowadays is understanding and being aware of some of the repercussions of drinking too much and partying too much. And I think everybody’s starting to become a little bit more aware of the health trade-offs that you have to have in order to consecutively go out every night, Friday, Saturday, maybe Sunday evening,” Lao explained.
With daytime events becoming more popularized, does that mean that nightlife is dying? Lao says that’s far from happening.
“I think that experience will always be there for people who enjoy it. And I think the day party is just another offering for a different type of audience… The craving for daytime partying and daytime socializing is definitely there, but I think both experiences can exist without destroying the other.”
Lao says he and his co-owner, Sabrina Benoit, were left buzzing after the party, and are already thinking about how to make the next one bigger and better. If you missed the Coffee and Dim Sum Party this time around, Lao says to keep your eyes peeled for the next one in May, which will also coincide with Asian Heritage Month.
“After having done this, we really enjoy working with people who look like us, people who sound like us, people who have shared heritage like us. And we really want to bring a little bit more awareness and a little bit more love to the eastern Chinatown and the places that are slowly starting to see less traffic because they’re not as accessible, or they’re just not as popular,” he said.
On King Street West, Somebody Anybody is the latest day party to take advantage of the sunlight in the city earlier this week.
Taking over Lavelle’s rooftop on Mar. 23, the event offered luxurious brunch staples, like chicken and waffles, yuzu avocado toast and cinnamon bun pancakes, to the soundtrack of classic R&B hits.
Spearheaded by Rohan Peart, Brandon Fenton, and Matthew Oshunrinde since 2023, the party’s simple name is a part of the bigger message it wishes to convey; created by somebody and meant for anybody (especially lovers of R&B music) to enjoy.
“We found that the city was missing something that was just genuine and honest,” Peart said to Now Toronto.
“You have someone who’s 25-28 and you have someone who is maybe in their 40s, and they can all mesh well together, because they all are R&B lovers, they’re all music lovers, they all love brunch and they all want to go home by 8 p.m.”
Fenton echoed a similar sentiment.
“People go to brunch all the time, but I feel like there’s not a lot of places in the city where you can go to brunch and have good music.”
Oshunrinde says what separates day parties from the nightlife is the energy, where parties during the day don’t leave you feeling as drained compared to heading home after 2 a.m.
“I think the idea of going out and partying during the day… it’s more about fun,” Fenton emphasized.
“It’s like a different blast of endorphins just go off when you’re going out and having mimosas during the day with your friends. And I can’t stress this enough that people can still literally go home and be fine for work the next day.”
Peart also points out that an early afternoon start time gives partygoers more time to explore what “special” things the city has to offer, something that wouldn’t be as exciting after hours.
“There are a lot of things happening in Toronto, and I think going out during the day allows you to see that,” he said.
“Whether you stay for the entire time or you leave early, it still allows you to explore the city and do those things… you get to see all those different pockets of the city; the artwork, the coffee shops, bagel shops, and you just get to dive into it.”
Somebody Anybody has a number of day parties coming up in the city within the coming months, and plans to expand to Calgary and Montreal, as well as beyond borders in Jamaica, Miami, and Washington D.C. later this year.
As for the future of day parties in Toronto? Peart says they’re here to stay, and predicts Torontonians will see many more popping up as the city heats up.
“Day parties have always been around… But I just think that you’re going to start seeing a lot more,” he said.
“I think the same,” Fenton added. “There’s gonna be a lot more different types of day parties, brunches, coffee parties, and a whole bunch of stuff like that.”
