(Starting Location: Osler Street & Cariboo Avenue)
The Winter Solstice is in danger!
A 24-hour Shopathon is turning night into day, and the longest night of the year is running out of darkness. Join a rag-tag team of Toronto raccoons on an outdoor holiday musical adventure to turn off the lights, save the Solstice, and get some much-needed winter rest.
Set along the Junction’s West Toronto Railpath, A Raccoon Solstice is a family-friendly winter spectacle filled with original songs and a travelling live band. Despite their differences, our unlikely heroes must come together (along with your help!) to outsmart the Shopathoners and restore peace, rest, and balance just in time for Solstice night.
Produced alongside Common Boots Theatre, A Raccoon Solstice marks the exciting return of a beloved Toronto tradition of outdoor winter theatre, bringing families together to bundle up, follow the story through an iconic city landscape, and experience real winter magic.
TICKETS Choose your performance below Tuesday, December 8 at 5 PM All tickets $20
Please note: This is a preview performance. The production will be fully staged for an audience, with the creative team continuing to make final adjustments before Opening Night on December 9.
For tickets to performances from December 9–20, close this section and open the “Performances · Dec. 9–20” option below.
Performances at 5 PM Dec. 9–13 & 15–20
Group bookings are available now, including holiday and staff party bookings. Contact [email protected] to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions What to Expect
An outdoor musical adventure: Follow the performers and a travelling live band along the West Toronto Railpath, stopping at different locations as the story unfolds.
Up to 75 minutes outdoors: The performance takes place entirely outside in winter weather. Please dress warmly, with layers, a winter coat, hat, gloves, and warm footwear with good grip.
Approximately 800 metres of walking or rolling: The route travels from Osler Street to Wallace Avenue, with stops along the way. It finishes at a different location from where it begins; returning to the starting point adds to your total travel distance.
Winter conditions: The route may include uneven, wet, snowy, or icy surfaces, depending on the weather.
A shared public space: Expect cyclists, runners, pedestrians, and dogs along the Railpath. Please make space for others to pass. Public art, graffiti, and other messaging along the route may include adult language.
About the Railpath
The West Toronto Railpath is a public, city-managed trail stretching 2.1 kilometres (approximately 6,890 feet) from Cariboo Avenue to Dundas Street West at Sterling Road.
A Raccoon Solstice follows a section of the Railpath from Osler Street to Wallace Avenue, with stops along the way as the story unfolds.
We’re sharing this public space with the everyday life of the city. The route may include public art, graffiti, and other messaging, including some adult language. You are welcome to take in your surroundings in whatever way feels comfortable for you.
The Railpath remains open to cyclists, runners, pedestrians, and people walking their dogs during the performance. We ask audiences to gently make space for others to pass.
How to Get There
The performance begins at Osler Street near Cariboo Avenue, just north of Dupont Street.
By TTC
26 Dupont bus, travelling west: Get off at Dupont Street at Osler Street, then walk north on Osler Street to Cariboo Avenue.
26 Dupont bus, travelling east: Get off at Dupont Street at Edwin Avenue East Side, then head west to Osler Street and north to Cariboo Avenue.
From Dundas West Station: Take the 40 Junction–Dundas West bus to Dundas Street West at Humberside Avenue, then walk east along Humberside Avenue to the Railpath and follow it north to the Cariboo Avenue entrance.
Check TTC service updates before travelling.
Planning Your Return
The performance finishes at Wallace Avenue, approximately 800 metres south of the starting point. If you park near Osler Street, allow time to return to your vehicle after the show.
Parking
Allow extra time to find parking. There are plenty of hourly spots for free on side streets nearby. There is a paid parking lot at 1655 Dupont St. Check all posted signs for payment requirements, time limits, and permit restrictions. You can search for parking using the Green P parking map.
Outdoor Conditions
A Raccoon Solstice is an outdoor promenade performance that takes place in winter weather. Please dress warmly and wear footwear suitable for walking outdoors. The performance moves along the West Toronto Railpath and may include uneven, wet, snowy, or icy surfaces depending on conditions.
Weather & Cancellations
A Raccoon Solstice takes place outdoors in winter weather. Performances generally go ahead in cold temperatures and snow, so please dress warmly and wear suitable winter footwear.
Performances will be cancelled if wind chill reaches –28°C or below, an Extreme Cold Warning is in effect, or other conditions make it unsafe to proceed. These may include freezing rain, icy surfaces that cannot be made safe, heavy rain, lightning, high winds, or unsafe air quality. We may cancel at warmer temperatures if conditions along the route are unsafe.
Ticket holders will be notified of cancellations by email. We may also delay, pause, or stop a performance if conditions worsen.
Accessibility
The route is fully accessible subject to weather conditions.
If you have any access needs, including mobility considerations, or if someone in your party will be using a wheelchair or other mobility device, please let us know at [email protected] when booking so we can help plan the best possible experience.
CAST Alexandra Simpson Beagle Creator / Designer / Beagle
Alexandra Simpson is the Co-Artistic Director of Common Boots Theatre and an award-winning interdisciplinary theatre artist, mask and puppet designer, and activist. She is passionate about comedy and imagination to explore complex and intersectional stories. Alexandra has co-created many original works including Finding Home, nominated for 5 Dora Awards, winning Outstanding New Play in the TYA Division, 2023 (Theatre Direct); Pest Me Pet Me (Undercurrents Festival, 2023), and Slow As Snails (Royal Ontario Museum 2025).
@alexan.makes Photo: Dahlia Katz Morgan Brie Johnson Sojo Creator / Designer / Sojo
Morgan Brie Johnson is an award-winning playwright, performer, researcher, and theatre creator. She lives in Tkaronto where she is Co-Artistic Director of Common Boots Theatre. For the past decade, she has been creating and performing under Animacy Theatre Collective, a physical theatre collective dedicated to strange, ecological, and feminist storytelling. She holds a PhD in Environmental Studies from York University.
Derek Kwan is a theatre performer/creator working at the intersection of various forms including opera, clown, and puppetry. His performing career has taken him across Canada and around the globe, including performing in French in Montreal, to the Stratford Festival, singing with the Canadian Opera Company, and touring a puppet show for children in Quebec.
Helen Belay (she/her) is a graduate of the UofA’s BFA Acting. You might have seen her in: Bootycandy (Obsidian/Buddies in Bad Times); Ransacking Troy, Anne of Green Gables (Stratford Festival); Perfect on Paper, White Taffeta Silk (TIFT); Come Home: The Legend of Daddy Hall (Tarragon); Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (Mirvish/Neptune); The 39 Steps (County Stage Company); Heaven (NAC); King Lear, Queen Goneril (Soulpepper). She would like to thank the team and her loved ones!
@helubee Photo: Kaylin Muzika Jennifer Villaverde Anya
Jennifer is a 2nd-generation Filipino-Canadian originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Selected theatre credits: The Dog and The Angel (Common Boots); The Tao of the World, The Hobbit, Death of a Salesman, Anne of Green Gables, Forgiveness, Get That Hope, Les Belles-Soeurs, King Lear, Much Ado (Stratford Festival); Wedding at Aulis, Animal Farm, Alligator Pie, As You Like It, The Threepenny Opera (Soulpepper). Upcoming: 9 to 5 (Grand Theatre) and Anne of Green Gables (Stratford Festival).
Julianna Olave is a multidisciplinary queer Colombian-Canadian theatre artist and recent graduate of York University’s BFA in Acting and Performance. Julianna’s work is inspired by magic realism, culture, spirituality, and killjoy feminism. Eager to deepen her artistry, Julianna seeks opportunities to collaborate with queer and BIPOC artists and strives to challenge hegemonic norms. También quiero agradecer, mi familia, los Olave Medina, que me han apoyado siempre. Los amo
@Juliannaolave John Millard Musician Music Director / Musician
John Millard has been active in Canadian theatre and music for 40 years. He has worked as a composer and performer with Theatre Columbus, Bad New Days, Art of Time Ensemble, Volcano, Soulpepper Theatre, National Arts Centre, Shaw Festival. He has recorded six albums and toured Canada and Europe with his bands The Polka Dogs and John Millard and Happy Day. A recent collaboration with Tomson Highway and Martha Ross will be at the NAC in 2027.
My name is Germaine Liu. I enjoy working and playing through various modalities. I compose, make improvised music, write/sing/play songs, play with percussion and found objects, make sound art and installations with my partner Mark Zurawinski, and other pals, and enjoy a kind of making that is connected to the five senses. My work indulges in the permeability between touch/movement/listening and their relationship to topography and circumstances.
Photo: Mark Zurawinski; Location: “24hr ATM Lotto” Gallery for Sophia Bartholomew’s “The wind that lives everywhere”
Matti Pulkki
Accordionist Matti Pulkki is a sought-after collaborator in opera, theatre, and interdisciplinary productions. He is also known for his imaginative explorations in contemporary and experimental music. Regardless of the genre or context, Pulkki aims to captivate audiences with performances that showcase the full expressive range and versatility of the accordion.
Special Appearances by: Smile Serenaders from Smile Theatre Carmel Ketchabaw Louis Cassidy CREATIVE Lisa Marie DiLiberto Director / Dramaturgy
Lisa Marie took the helm of Theatre Direct as Executive Artistic Director in 2019. She is also the founder and lead advisor for Theatre Direct’s national initiative Balancing Act Canada. Lisa Marie is the founding Artistic Director of FIXT POINT, where she led the creation and production of The Tale of a Town – Canada. Lisa Marie holds an MA from York University where she is currently a PhD candidate pursuing research in Performance Ethnography.
Photo: Matthew Blackett Creator / Designer Music Director Trevor Schwellnus Lighting Designer
Trevor is a Scenographer, designing sets, lights, and video for performances with independent groups. One of his chief obsessions is the intersection of design, dramaturgy, and cross-cultural art-making, as well as sustainable design practices. He is the Artistic Producer of Aluna Theatre.
@plastictaxi Photo: Trevor Schwellnus Dramaturgy Brian Postalian Producer
Brian Postalian is a Toronto-based theatre director, producer, educator, and facilitator whose work spans devised performance, contemporary theatre, and interdisciplinary collaboration. He is currently Artistic Producer at Theatre Direct and has worked with organizations including SummerWorks, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, O.Dela Arts, and Theatre Passe Muraille. Brian holds an MFA in Directing from the University of British Columbia and is interested in creating ambitious, collaborative, and socially engaged performance.
Canada-based composer/musician Sabine Ndalamba is always on a quest to establish the musical heartbeat of a compelling story. An enthusiastic collaborator across mediums, her creations continue to find many homes from stage to screen.
Music Created in Collaboration with: Sabine Ndalamba
PRODUCTION Laura Baxter Stage Manager
Laura has stage managed for theatres around Toronto and across the country, and is thrilled to return to her roots of outdoor winter theatre. Laura is a part of Treaty 13. Her winter theatre experience includes: The Story (2009), A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol (2010) (Caravan Farm Theatre), The Story (2011,2012,2017), Tails From the City (2015) (Common Boots). Thank you to my wife Shawn and our child Amari for your unconditional love and support.
Photo: Laura Baxter Sebastian Marziali Production Manager
Sebastian Marziali is an award-winning Uruguayan-Canadian performer, designer, and creator based in T’karonto. With their collective Other Hearts they create works that exist between theatre, performance art, and installation with a focus on new creative methodologies for access. Recipient of the 2024 Jack King Award from Associated Designers of Canada & 2026 Pauline McGibbon Award finalist.
@sebastian.marziali Annasofie 诗慧 Jakobsen Associate Production Manager
Annasofie 诗慧 Jakobsen is a production and stage manager based in Toronto. She is so excited to be working with Theatre Direct and Common Boots again! She hopes you bundled up and enjoy Raccoon Solstice as much as she did working on it!!
@annasofie.jakk Photo: Sara Ono Will Innes Sound Technician
Will is an all around self-taught media guy who is excited to brave the cold again this year to make sure you all can hear our adventurous raccoons!
@peachjuicecreative Photo: Sam Polzin Photography Alexa Laliberté Cart Crew / Production Support
Alexa Laliberté is a recent graduate of the Acting & Performance program at York University. During her time at York, Alexa took to the stage in performances such as Threadless (playGround, 2025), Raccacloon (Hamilton Fringe, 2025), Much Ado About Nothing (York University, 2025) and Wander (Devised Theatre Festival, 2026). This Summer, she wrote and directed a play that was brought to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Alexa cannot wait to help bring this whimsical story to life!
@alexa_laliberte Paul-Daniel Torres Canessa
Paul-Daniel Torres is a director, writer, actor, and community worker, born in the heart of Toronto. His parents were Ecuadorean immigrants, and his upbringing shines through in his visually and sonically eclectic style, inspired by the multicultural mosaic of Toronto and the Latine diaspora.
@pauldanieltorres Photo: Paula Ner Dormiendo
Meet at Osler Street near Cariboo Avenue, just north of Dupont Street, as specified by the current co-producer directions. The Common Boots summary names the nearby Dupont/Osler junction. This outdoor promenade finishes at Wallace Avenue. Allow time to return to the start. The December 8 preview is $20; pricing for other performances is shown by the organizer.
The published maximum runtime is 75 minutes.
Choose a date
Dec17Thursday, December 17, 2026, Thursday5:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.Selected date
The route is fully accessible subject to weather conditions.
If you have any access needs, including mobility considerations, or if someone in your party will be using a wheelchair or other mobility device, please let us know at [email protected] when booking so we can help plan the best possible experience.
What to Expect
An outdoor musical adventure: Follow the performers and a travelling live band along the West Toronto Railpath, stopping at different locations as the story unfolds.
Up to 75 minutes outdoors: The performance takes place entirely outside in winter weather. Please dress warmly, with layers, a winter coat, hat, gloves, and warm footwear with good grip.
Approximately 800 metres of walking or rolling: The route travels from Osler Street to Wallace Avenue, with stops along the way. It finishes at a different location from where it begins; returning to the starting point adds to your total travel distance.
Winter conditions: The route may include uneven, wet, snowy, or icy surfaces, depending on the weather.
A shared public space: Expect cyclists, runners, pedestrians, and dogs along the Railpath. Please make space for others to pass. Public art, graffiti, and other messaging along the route may include adult language.