Big Branch Festival Kick-Off Concert
at Small World Music, Shaw St. Toronto
Wednesday September 9, 2026
Every year we kick off our Big Branch Festival with a sit-down listening concert in Toronto. It's a chance to hear our international performers up close and personal!
This year, from France, we have:
Bargainatt, La Malène, Duo Cam&Léon
Monday Dances
Dancing weekly in Toronto
8pm-10:30ish on Mondays
Drop-in, no advance tickets
Suggested $10-20 donation for dancers, jammers, and listeners
From 7-8pm, join the Tune Learning Session!
In summer 2026, we dance every Monday on the covered, open-air back porch of the High Park Nature Centre at 375 Colborne Lodge Dr, Toronto
We dance to live music every week! No partner necessary - a welcoming environment where you can learn the dances on the dance floor.
The music is led by a jam leader every week, featuring a repertoire of traditional / folk dance tunes from western Europe (France / Belgium / Great Britain / Scandinavia etc.).
Want to get to know the music? Learn tunes ahead of time by checking out the repertoire lists posted by jam leaders on our Facebook Group Page, or bring your acoustic instrument and learn the melodies by ear in the session. Prefer a more focused learning environment? Join the Tune Learning Session at 7pm!
*Note: we run nearly every Monday throughout the year! In the occasional case of cancellation, we'll post updates on our Instagram and Facebook.
We need dancers and musicians to make Monday nights happen! Sign up to become a jam leader or floor manager:
Bigger Bals
We sometimes throw bigger dances on a weekend night at venues around Toronto! These are fun, energetic events with live Balfolk bands from around Ontario and Quebec. Tickets usually sell out in advance for these dances, so we recommend getting yours when it's announced!
Next Bal:
Friday June 12 2026
with Boing Boing Zoom Zoom and Duo Lila
Owls Club, 847 Dovercourt Rd Toronto
Schedule:
7pm Doors open
7:30-8pm Intro to Balfolk dance workshop
8-11pm Dancing to live music
Tickets: sliding scale $25-35
2026 Past Dates
Mar 14 Edge of Spring Bal: Medusa Trio
2025
Feb 22 Winter Bal: Hypnosis Negative
Apr 26 Spring Bal: Nathan Smith & Kyle Kirkpatrick
Dec 13 Yule Bal: Tangi Ropars, Muffin Hat Music, Elise Boeur & Emilyn Stam
2024
Feb 17 Valentines Bal: Elise Boeur & Adam Iredale-Gray
Mar 22 Equinox Bal: Emilyn Stam & Alison Gowan
April 20 Fest-noz: KAVAZ
May 18 Spring Bal: Medusa
June 22 Fest-noz: Skolvan (France)
Oct 26 Bascule (France) + Vinta (Ontario)
Dec 14 Yule Bal
We need dancers and musicians to make Monday nights happen! Sign up to become a jam leader or floor manager:
Tune Learning Session AKA Slow Jam
Hosted by fiddler Cassie Norton with occasional guest teachers, the Tune Learning Session AKA Slow Jam is a welcoming pay-what-you-can weekly workshop open to all people who are interested in playing balfolk music, but are either completely new to it, or find our dance jams a little too fast to pick up the tunes. We will learn all tunes by ear, very slowly, first singing and then playing.
Come learn new tunes, and build confidence to join the jams! Open to all instruments, including voice.
Monday evenings 7-8pm (before the dance), see above for locations!