Several of Toronto's most popular festivals have faced shake-ups in recent months, posing questions about their future.
From Just For Laughs cancelling its 2024 festivals in Toronto and Montreal to multiple programmers with the popular Hot Docs Festival quitting ahead of this year's event, a lot is happening with the city's arts scene.
Other beloved festivals in Toronto have also shown signs of struggle, include the Fringe Festival and Toronto's International Film Festival which see huge crowds every year.
So what does the 2024 festival scene in Toronto look like, and could this year be the beginning of the end for some of these major events?
Here's what we know about the health of the city's festival scene and what you can expect this year and beyond.
Hot Docs Festival
Toronto's Hot Docs Festival is North America's largest documentary festival and it's currently gearing up for its 31st edition amid shake-ups with the festival's staff.
Ten of the festival's programming staff left their positions in March after rumours suggested a toxic work environment.
The claims popped up on a Reddit thread started by someone who said they had been a Hot Docs employee for "many, many years."
The person wrote about how Hot Docs began as a "wonderful" documentary organization led by a "passionate group of folks" and said it was a "joy to work there despite high stress levels and low pay."
The post then suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the festival hard and things have only gotten worse with a high turnover rate and staff leaving "unhappy and angry with the organization." The Redditor also says that the hiring of an "American president" also brought on a lot of change at Hot Docs and it all culminated with a group of staff leaving the organization in solidarity.
"These programmers are some of the most dedicated in the industry, and are so invested of the future of these filmmakers, so whatever happened here..you can be sure it is *bad.* I hope that if Hot Docs makes it through this, that it will be a wake-up call," the post reads.
In a statement to The Globe and Mail, the group of 10 employees wrote that they left after the "once welcoming programming environment" turned into a "toxic" one and said they "were expected to work in an ever-changing, chaotic, unprofessional and discriminatory environment.”
The claims made by staff aren't the only issues facing the organization, as it's also dealing with financial instability.
In an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning, Hot Docs president Marie Nelson said 2024 could be the last for Hot Docs if it doesn't get more funding support from the government. Nelson told CBC the organization was "still recovering" from the losses it was hit with during the pandemic.
In a statement to Narcity, Hot Docs confirmed their artistic director, Hussain Currimbhoy, also left on March 20 due to "personal reasons" and said he was "fundamental in programming this year's festival."
"Regrettably, some members of the programming team have decided not to participate in this year’s Festival. We thank them for their contributions. We look forward to celebrating this year’s films with our audiences and bringing them together with filmmakers to share their important stories," the statement also read.
Following Currimbhoy's departure, Hot Docs explained that festival director Heather Haynes was now the lead of the programming department in preparations for this year’s event.
On March 26, Hot Docs released its schedule saying 168 documentaries from 64 countries would be showcased in the 2024 edition from April 25 to May 5.
Just For Laughs
In early March, Just For Laughs announced it was cancelling its 2024 events in both Toronto and Montreal.
The comedy festival was supposed to take place in September in Toronto, but it was cancelled due to "restructuring," as stated in a Global News report.
In a press release, Groupe Juste pour rire inc. said it was also filing for bankruptcy protection.
"Unfortunately, the 2024 edition of the Just for Laughs / Juste pour rire festival will not take place, at least not at the same time and in the same form as it customarily has," the company said.
"Once the restructuring is completed, we hope that the festival will take place in 2025."
The company added that they have faced several challenges over the past few years, including the pandemic and a "radically changed media industry."
Toronto Fringe Festival
The Toronto Fringe Festival will be running on a smaller scale in 2024.
According to a Toronto Star report, this year's festival will see a "nearly one-quarter reduction in programming" compared to 2023 with 77 productions instead of 100.
The reduction is due to a "loss of financial support" from a provincial grants fund and low attendance numbers, as per the Toronto Star report.
The festival announced a new executive director, Rachel Kennedy, in January. She told the Star staff are feeling "energized" for this year's event.
She added that "generous donations" and the Fringe's contingency fund enabled staff to "stabilize and make up for any projected deficit."
The 36th Toronto Fringe Festival will run from July 3 to 14, 2024.
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a large-scale event that happens every year in the city to showcase new films. It's unlikely that the festival is going anywhere, but there is a possibility it could be scaled back depending on what happens with finding a new lead sponsor.
In August 2023, after a nearly 30-year partnership, Bell Media announced it would no longer be the festival's lead sponsor following that year's event.
Both Bell and TIFF released statements following the news.
"We decided that the end of 2023 would be the right time to step back from our partnership with TIFF and opted not to renew our sponsorship in order to invest in other opportunities that are core to our business," Bell said in 2023 as per a CP24 report.
TIFF confirmed the decision to end the partnership was mutual.
"We extend our sincere gratitude to Bell for their unwavering support, dedication and collaborative spirit and look forward to working with them in new ways," TIFF communications VP Judy Lung told CP24.
There has been no word on who the new lead sponsor will be as we inch closer to the 2024 festival in September.
TIFF typically begins announcing the event line-up closer in late June and throughout the summer.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Angela Kinsey. Right: A photo of Jenna Fischer's breakfast.
A photo of downtown Toronto posted by Angela Kinsey.
A photo of downtown Toronto shared by Angela Kinsey.
A photo from Toronto's waterfront shared by Angela Kinsey. 
A photo of Jenna Fischer getting ready for Just For Laughs in Toronto. 