From the songwriter rooms of Queen West to the folk clubs of Kensington Market, Toronto has always been a city that puts musicians close to their audience. But you don't need a venue, a ticket queue or a late streetcar home to experience it. A house concert brings the music to you - an intimate, unforgettable evening with a handpicked musician playing just for you and your guests, in your own living room, condo or backyard. Discover brilliant Toronto and Ontario artists before they're playing the big stages.
Find artists in TorontoToronto's songwriter tradition started in small rooms too. The Yorkville coffeehouses of the 1960s gave early stages to Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, and Massey Hall has been the room every Canadian artist wants to play ever since. Today the energy sits further west and south: Queen West and Parkdale for indie and rock, Kensington Market for everything from jazz to Latin, and a live scene that reflects one of the most multicultural cities anywhere - which means the range of music available to you is genuinely unusual.
House concerts have quietly become part of that. Toronto's Victorian semis and downtown condos both work better than you would expect, audiences are used to listening properly, and for touring artists a Toronto living room is often a warmer room than a half-full club on a Tuesday. Hosts across the Annex, Leslieville and the east end run them regularly, sometimes as a one-off, sometimes as a small ongoing series.
A living room concert is exactly what it sounds like: a professional musician plays a full set in a private home, for an audience the host has invited. You will see the same thing called a house concert, a house show or - because of where we started - a SofaConcert. They all mean the same evening.
There is no stage, no ticket desk and no support act. A typical concert in Toronto runs 60 to 90 minutes, often split into two sets with a break, in front of anywhere from 15 to 50 guests. Most take place in a Victorian semi, a downtown condo or a back deck. The artist brings whatever they need; you provide the room and the people.
Everything you need to plan, folded into the order you'll actually do it.
Pick a date and a room - thirty people fit a living room more easily than you'd think. Then browse the artist list for a singer-songwriter, duo or band.
Send as many free inquiries as you like. Each artist replies with a non-binding offer, so you can weigh up a few before choosing. Settle the scope in writing in the booking system - that written record is what the contract is based on.
Confirming creates the contract and reserves your date. You deposit the fee plus the booking fee, which is held in trust and only released to the artist after the concert. You then get their contact details to sort out the last bits.
Browse Toronto and Ontario acts, send free inquiries and book the one that fits your evening.
A few of the acts playing around Toronto.
List your space for free and touring artists apply to play your living room. You pick whoever you like the sound of, and you're never obliged to say yes - here is what hosting involves.
You would be joining people all over Europe who open their doors a few times a year and have turned their living room into somebody's favourite venue.
Some of the most recent spaces to join.
The choice can feel overwhelming. Don't worry - we'll help you.
Tell us the details of your concert and any particular wishes, and we'll do the rest.