FAQs

  • After a multi-year hiatus, Toronto Burlesque Festival triumphantly returns to the stage October 3-6, 2024.

  • We’re excited to partner with a legendary venue El Mocambo, located at 464 Spadina Ave. (at College St. and Spadina Ave.) in downtown Toronto. 

    On public transit, El Mocambo is accessible by both the 510 Spadina and 506 Carlton streetcars. The closest subway stops are Spadina or Queen’s Park.

    Municipal Parking lots are located at 20 St. Andrew St., 35 Bellevue Ave., 40 Larch St. and more on the Green P website. Limited street parking may also be available.


    Taxis and rideshares can pull up in front of the venue, however there is no designated stopping area. Make sure to look out for cyclists when getting out of a stopped vehicle, as Spadina Ave. has dedicated bike lanes.

  • TBF is under new management.  We are now a volunteer-run, registered non-profit corporation. Our festival is currently being led by a team of six interim board members. Our interim Festival Director and Board President is Ivory. You can read more about her, and our entire board here.

  • El Mocambo is physically accessible for both performers and audience members. There is barrier-free access from the street level and an elevator which allows access to all levels of the venue. The stage is 24 x 14 feet, and has 4 steps up and a handrail. To make the stage accessible, we have access to a lift for those who need one. 


    El Mocambo has four levels which will be in use throughout the festival     - the main floor (Starlight Lounge), second floor (the main space, Under The Neon Palms) and third floor (Mezzanine VIP area, which overlooks the main space), and the basement, where we’ll have our main green room. There are buttons for automated entry on all interior and exterior doors, and elevator access throughout as needed.

    All shows will take place on the second floor in the mainspace. The Starlight Lounge will host the opening night VIP Cocktail Reception & photography retrospective on Thursday, October 3rd. It will also host our vendor marketplace on Friday, October 4th and Saturday, October 5th, as well as our pre-show, high tea brunch on Sunday, October 6th. The Starlight Lounge will be open throughout the festival shows with cozy seating options for those wishing to have a bit of a quieter experience or take a breather from the mainstage festivities. Ample screens within the Starlight Lounge will be simulcasting the show going on upstairs so you won’t miss a beat!

    From the entry to the second floor of the venue (performance main space), there is one flight of stairs and elevator access. All stairwells have handrails. The VIP area in the Mezzanine on the third floor has an additional set of stairs and elevator access.

    There are accessible washrooms on each level of the venue. For performers - there are additional washrooms in the basement (which is also our main green room area) can be reached by one flight of stairs down, or an elevator ride.

    All washrooms will be gender-neutral throughout the festival with amenities (stall, urinals, accessible stalls, mixed, or single stall) listed on signage.

    The festival will provide a mix of standing room and priority accessible seating for those who need it. If you require reserved seating or require any other accessibility-related accommodations, please email us. 

    El Mocambo has a brand new HVAC system which cycles air every 90 seconds. We also have additional HEPA filters in backstage areas. Our festival is a mask-friendly event and free N95 masks are available at the door.

    Live streaming will be available for all festival shows this year. 

    We are also pleased to offer ASL interpretation services at all our shows throughout the festival. 

    Read more about our accessibility policies and initiatives.

  • Join our mailing list to find out when tickets go on sale in July.

  • We are pleased to welcome four amazing headliners for this year’s festival: Chola Magnolia (San Antonio), Joy Rider along with her duet partner Kozmic Skater - (collectively known as Kozmic Joy) (Montreal), living burlesque legend Ka’ena (Hawaii / New York), and our hometown hero, Zyra Lee Vanity (Toronto / Montreal).

  • Applications are closed for the year.

    Applications for the 2025 festival will open after this year’s festival. Sign up for our mailing list to stay in the loop.

  • There is no specific dress-code for our festival. However, many burlesque audience members like to get dressed up to attend. Some audience members go full old Hollywood glam or vintage inspired looks–any other version of your very best theatrical, campy, and expressive style. Other audience members like to show up in their own interpretations of burlesque style. Feel free to dress to impress, but wear whatever makes you feel confident and good in your skin!

  • Direct tipping in drag and burlesque is something that has become more prevalent in recent years. However, festival shows are a bit different. These acts often have tight choreography that may be disrupted by tipping mid-act. TBF also has a strict policy which does not allow performers or audience members to touch each other without express consent. If you wish to tip the performer, please wait until the end of the act and place your tip on the stage then. Our helpful stage kittens will pick it up for the performer. We will also have QR codes around the venue so you can tip all of the performers. Those tips will be evenly distributed between everyone performing that show.

  • Volunteers are the lifeblood of any successful performing arts festival. Volunteer and stage kitten applications are now open.

    We will also be hiring for several different positions in the coming months. If you’re interested in other roles, please get in touch and let us know in what capacity you are interested in being involved.

  • Contact us via email.


  • Amazing! Please contact Tara Sachs.