Saturday, September 12 is the third day of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s arguably the best day yet to actually experience TIFF as a regular festivalgoer rather than just a red-carpet spectator. The opening-weekend crush is in full swing, Festival Street is at its busiest, and two of the festival’s starriest galas are landing back-to-back at night. Here’s how to make the most of it.
What to Do on Day Three
Start your day away from the theatres. Saturday mornings in Toronto pair naturally with the Toronto Flower Market and the Kensington Market flea stalls before the festival crowds thicken downtown. By early afternoon, head toward King Street West, where TIFF’s Festival Street remains in full swing — a free, car-free stretch packed with art installations, live music, food vendors, and outdoor screenings of past TIFF People’s Choice Award winners. In Yorkville, the Rogers Red Carpet experience is also still running, offering photo ops, interactive games, and its own giveaways (Rogers is handing out more than 5,000 prizes through its Beyond the Seat Red Carpet Experience). Both are open to the public with no ticket required, and both make an easy afternoon before the evening’s premieres.
Films to Watch
I Play Rocky — Peter Farrelly’s awards-season hopeful premieres at 6 p.m. at the Princess of Wales Theatre, dramatizing the making of the original 1976 Rocky. Anthony Ippolito plays Sylvester Stallone in the dual role of screenwriter and star, with a stacked supporting cast including AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, Stephan James, Jay Duplass, Tracy Letts, and Matt Dillon. Given Farrelly’s Oscar history and the built-in nostalgia of the subject, this is shaping up to be one of the day’s hottest tickets.
Misty Green — Later that night, at 9:30 p.m. at Roy Thomson Hall, Chris Rock unveils his new comedy-drama as writer, director, and star. Rock plays opposite Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, and Topher Grace in a story centred on the life of an award-winning actress. With that cast and Rock behind the camera, expect one of the loudest post-screening buzz cycles of the weekend.
If you’d rather chase something already generating word of mouth from earlier in the festival, day three is also a good time to catch up on titles you missed — Fjord, Being Heumann, Clarissa, and The Assassin(s) are all likely to have repeat public screenings as the festival’s opening weekend winds down.
Where to Get Tickets
- Single tickets: On sale to the general public now at tiff.net — this has been the case since single tickets opened on August 31. Popular Galas and Special Presentations (like I Play Rocky and Misty Green) tend to sell out fastest, so book as early in the day as possible.
- Rush tickets: If a screening shows sold out online, TIFF’s rush line is your best backup — arrive well ahead of the scheduled screening time and join the line at the venue for any last-minute releases.
- TIFF Members: Festival members get priority access and earlier booking windows; worth considering if you plan to make this an annual habit.
- Full schedule: The complete, day-by-day lineup — with showtimes and venues — is posted at tiff.net/schedule.
Who’s Coming to the Premieres
Day three’s red carpets belong largely to the I Play Rocky and Misty Green casts. Expect Anthony Ippolito, AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, Stephan James, Jay Duplass, Tracy Letts, and Matt Dillon at the Princess of Wales for the former, and Chris Rock, Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, and Topher Grace at Roy Thomson Hall for the latter. With TIFF having released a guest list of nearly 800 attendees for this year’s festival, there’s also a strong chance of overlap from stars still in town from earlier premieres — including several from Fjord, Clarissa, and Faith — showing up around the festival’s venues and parties throughout the day.
TIFF 2026 runs through September 20 across Toronto, with Festival Street and the Rogers Red Carpet open to the public through the weekend.
The post TIFF 2026 Day Three: What to Do, What to Watch, Where to Get Tickets, and Who’s Coming first appeared on Movie Reviews. TV Coverage. Trailers. Film Festivals..