2026 Season Pre-Show Events
There’s more to discover at GFT this summer than what happens on stage. Alongside our mainstage productions of Brontë: The World Without and Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, Guild Festival Theatre is offering a lineup of pre-show and special events designed to make your visit even more memorable.
Whether you join us for a guided nature walk, a lecture, live music, a craft night, or a post-show conversation, these events offer new ways to experience Guild Park & Gardens and connect with the stories, artists, and community around each production.
Check the calendar below to see what’s coming up and start planning your perfect summer visit to GFT. Some events are free and by RSVP, and others require a ticket. See the listings below for more information!
All of these events are also part of the GFT Season Passport. Attend events throughout the summer, collect stamps, and earn an exclusive GFT enamel pin. Learn more below or Click here ↓
Please note: If you already have a ticket for Brontë: The World Without and/or Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and would like to switch your date to a show date with an event below, please email patronservices@guildfestivaltheatre.ca.
THE EVENTS
All events take place at The Greek Theatre at Guild Park & Gardens unless otherwise noted.
Prefer seeing them in a calendar? Click the button below to jump to calendar view.
Craft Night: Fan Painting
Come early before the show for a relaxing evening of crafts in the beautiful Guild Park and Gardens! Tonight’s craft will be: Fan painting!
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out the form in the link below.
Book Club: Northanger Abbey
Join us for a four week, guided book club. Bring your book, bring your tea and bring yourself down to the Guild Park and Gardens for weekly discussions about Northanger Abbey.
Dates:
Saturday, August 1st at 6:00 p.m
Sunday, August 9th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 16th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m
Please Note: You must RSVP to all four weeks.
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out this form.
GFTalks: Terry Robinson
The third event in our GFTalks Series features a lecture by Prof. Terry Robinson on gothic Jane Austen and her poetry.
Professor Terry F. Robinson is an author and literary and cultural historian based at the University of Toronto, where she teaches courses on eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century poetry, drama, and prose, including courses on Jane Austen.
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out the form in the link below.
Yoga in the Park
Join us in the park for a rejuvenating 60 minute outdoor yoga class led by instructor Sam Carbone from Modo Yoga!
BOOKING INFO: This event is ticketed. You can get your ticket at the link below.
Summer Music
Come early before the show to enjoy live music in the beautiful Guild Park & Gardens by local young musicians.
BOOKING INFO: No RSVP needed, just join us before the show!
Craft Night: Paper Flower Making
Come early before the show for a relaxing evening of crafts in the beautiful Guild Park and Gardens! Tonight’s craft will be: Paper Flower Making!
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out the form in the link below.
Book Club: Northanger Abbey
Join us for a four week, guided book club. Bring your book, bring your tea and bring yourself down to the Guild Park and Gardens for weekly discussions about Northanger Abbey.
Dates:
Saturday, August 1st at 6:00 p.m
Sunday, August 9th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 16th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m
Please Note: You must RSVP to all four weeks.
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out this form.
Post-Show Talkback
Stay after the show to hear from the cast and director of Northanger Abbey and ask all of your burning questions!
BOOKING INFO: No RSVP needed, just join us after the show!
Book Swap
Bring a book and take a book home! Receive a ticket for each book you bring in that can be exchanged for a new book!
BOOKING INFO: No RSVP needed, just join us before the show!
GFTalks: Dr. Michelle MacArthur
The final pre-show talk in our GFTalks Series features Dr. Michelle MacArthur on the art of adaptation.
Dr. Michelle MacArthur is Associate Professor at the University of Windsor's School of Dramatic Art, where she teaches courses in theatre history, dramatic literature, and performance theory. Her research focuses on three intersecting areas: contemporary Canadian theatre, feminist performance, and theatre criticism. Her writing has appeared in journals including Canadian Theatre Review, Research in Drama Education, Contemporary Theatre Review, and Studies in Musical Theatre. She is co-editor of the academic journal Theatre Research in Canada and of the forthcoming Making Moscovitch: A Feminist Theatre Scrapbook (Playwrights Canada Press, 2026).
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out the form in the link below.
Yoga in the Park
Join us in the park for a rejuvenating 60 minute outdoor yoga class led by instructor Aura Balan from Modo Yoga!
BOOKING INFO: This event is ticketed. You can get your ticket at the link below.
Wine Tasting with Chef & Somm
Enjoy an elegant evening sampling a selection of the finest wine next to the beautiful Greek Stage. Sample five different wines - including white, red and sparkling - with a curated wine seminar by Chef and Somm’s Rebecca Meir. Limited tickets are available for this event! Don’t wait and purchase yours now!
BOOKING INFO: This event is ticketed. You can get your ticket at the link below.
Nature Walk with Friends of Guild Park
A 35-minute guided walking tour of the beautiful grounds of the Guild Park and Gardens, hosted by the Friends of Guild Park.
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out the form in the link below.
Book Club: Northanger Abbey
Join us for a four week, guided book club. Bring your book, bring your tea and bring yourself down to the Guild Park and Gardens for weekly discussions about Northanger Abbey.
Dates:
Saturday, August 1st at 6:00 p.m
Sunday, August 9th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 16th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m
Please Note: You must RSVP to all four weeks.
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out this form.
Big Bron-Tea Party
Join us before the show on Sunday, August 2nd for a Brontë-style afternoon tea. Don your finest tea party attire, pull out your parasols and bring your fans for an unforgettable afternoon in the Park!
Ticket includes:
An assortment of sandwiches, scones, salads and dessert, accompanied by an assortment of the finest loose-leaf teas, all served in stunning vintage tableware. All guests will receive a take-home gift, courtesy of Baked & Brewed. Please contact community@guildfestivaltheatre.ca for allergies and dietary restrictions.
Note: The tea party event is only available for ticket holders of the Sunday, August 2nd performance of Brontë: The World Without
BOOKING INFO: This event is ticketed. You can get your ticket at the link below.
Book Club: Northanger Abbey
Join us for a four week, guided book club. Bring your book, bring your tea and bring yourself down to the Guild Park and Gardens for weekly discussions about Northanger Abbey.
Dates:
Saturday, August 1st at 6:00 p.m
Sunday, August 9th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 16th at 4:00 p.m
Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m
Please Note: You must RSVP to all four weeks.
BOOKING INFO: Please RSVP by filling out the form in the link below.
Calendar View
Introducing the GFT Season Passport
This summer, we’re inviting audiences to make a season of it with the Guild Festival Theatre Season Passport.
Attend 5 events throughout the summer, get your passport punched, and you’ll win a GFT enamel pin! It’s a fun way to explore more of what the season has to offer, from mainstage productions to the extra events and experiences that make a visit to the park even more memorable.
Pick up your passport from the box office and see how much of the season you can experience.