The Toronto International Film Festival takes over the city every September. The dates for TIFF 2027 had not been published when this page was written; the festival usually opens on the Thursday after Labour Day and runs for about eleven days. Its centre of gravity is King Street West, around the TIFF Lightbox, Roy Thomson Hall and the Princess of Wales Theatre, where premieres, press screenings and parties overlap from morning to well after midnight.
Toronto is home ground for Elly8.net: Toronto and the GTA run on the Elly8 fleet and chauffeurs. For TIFF that means a chauffeur who meets you at Pearson or Billy Bishop, an hourly car that works around the day's street closures, and a car waiting after the premiere or the party, at fixed, all-in prices that do not change for festival week.
How do you get around TIFF without getting stuck on King Street?
Book a chauffeured car by the hour and agree each pickup point in advance. Festival street closures around King Street West change from day to day, so the desk works from that day's closure plan and sets drop-offs and pickups on the nearest open corner. Walk the short hops between venues; let the car handle everything else.
During TIFF, parts of King Street West close to traffic, and the roads that stay open carry red-carpet traffic, media vans, rideshare pickups and thousands of film-goers at once. A car that tries to reach a theatre door at 6:45 p.m. for a 7 p.m. premiere will often lose the race to the crowd. A car that drops you on an agreed corner a short walk away, and waits for a text when the screening ends, will not.
That is the whole TIFF method: short walks between neighbouring venues, a known pickup point, and a chauffeur who has driven these streets every September. It works the same for a publicist moving talent between interviews, a buyer chasing screenings and a guest who just wants to arrive at Roy Thomson Hall looking calm.
See Toronto prices and reserve
Arriving for the festival: Pearson and Billy Bishop
Toronto Pearson (YYZ) is about 31 km (19 mi) from downtown, roughly 31 minutes on a clear road; on our routing the TIFF Lightbox is about 30 km (19 mi) away. Afternoon traffic on Highway 427 and the Gardiner can double the time, so give the desk your flight number and let us track the arrival. The chauffeur meets you inside arrivals with a name board, and waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) is on the Toronto Islands, about 3 km (2 mi) from downtown and roughly 8 minutes away. Since 10 March 2026 it has offered US preclearance, according to the airport's preclearance page, so passengers flying to the US clear US customs before leaving Toronto. The airport is closed to the public between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., which matters for an early flight home after a late party.
Fixed airport prices to downtown Toronto, per vehicle and all-in:
| Route | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson (YYZ) to downtown | US$155 | US$205 | US$275 | US$405 |
| Pearson round trip | US$295 | US$390 | US$525 | US$770 |
| Billy Bishop (YTZ) to downtown | US$95 | US$125 | US$170 | US$250 |
| Billy Bishop round trip | US$185 | US$240 | US$325 | US$475 |
A First Class SUV is listed from US$250 for the Pearson leg. For how airport pickups work, see airport transfers and meet and greet.
The TIFF day plan: an hourly car around the festival
Morning. Press and industry screenings start early. The car collects you at the hotel driveway with time to spare, because hotel entrances near King Street West and Front Street fill up with cars from the first screening onwards.
Afternoon. Interviews, junkets and meetings move between hotels, offices and venues. An hourly car takes you door to corner and holds nearby, so a guest can step out of one interview and into the car for the next.
Evening. Premieres, galas and after-parties are the busiest hours of the festival. Your car is staged before the screening ends, and the chauffeur meets you at the agreed pickup point. Our hourly chauffeur service in Toronto is priced from US$110 per hour in a business sedan to US$220 in an Executive Sprinter, three hours minimum.
Packages for longer festival days, per vehicle and all-in:
| Package | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By the hour, as directed (3-hour minimum) | US$110 per hour | US$140 per hour | US$180 per hour | US$220 per hour |
| Evening out & event night (5 hours) | US$550 | US$700 | US$900 | US$1,100 |
| Full-day chauffeur (8 hours) | US$810 | US$1,035 | US$1,325 | US$1,620 |
| Corporate roadshow day (10 hours) | US$990 | US$1,260 | US$1,620 | US$1,980 |
The evening out and event night package suits a premiere followed by a party: one car and chauffeur for five hours, from US$550. The chauffeur follows local rules on drinks in vehicles. Prices include the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet; parking, tolls and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost.
Talent, studios, publicists and production teams
Festival week brings film teams with tight schedules and guests who value discretion. The desk can sign an NDA on request, chauffeurs are briefed only on what they need for the route, and itineraries are shared with the people you name. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security; protective details should be arranged separately.
Studios and agencies often need several cars that move to one schedule: a First Class SUV for the lead, a sedan for the publicist, an Executive Sprinter for the crew and kit. The desk runs them under one reference. Read our approach to film and production transportation, event transportation and group transportation. Distributors and sponsors with year-round travel can open a corporate account for monthly invoicing, and travel agencies can book for clients through travel-agent accounts.
TIFF transport options compared honestly
| Option | Cost | Best for | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Hops between neighbouring King Street West venues | Rain, heels, luggage, tight timings |
| UP Express from Pearson | C$12.35 adult single | Solo travellers with light bags staying near Union Station | Ends at Union; trains run roughly 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. |
| TTC subway and streetcar | TTC fare | Budget trips across downtown | Streetcars and buses slow down in festival traffic |
| Taxi or rideshare | Metered or dynamic pricing | A single short trip off-peak | Gridlock and surge at premiere and party times |
| Elly8 fleet chauffeur | From US$110 per hour, 3-hour minimum | Talent, executives, buyers, guests, groups | Book ahead; festival week books out early |
The UP Express is a good airport option: it runs from Terminal 1 at Pearson to Union Station in about 28 minutes, every 15 minutes, from roughly 5 a.m. until about 1 a.m., and the adult single fare is C$12.35. For one traveller with a carry-on staying near Union, it is often the smartest choice, and we say so plainly. Toronto Pearson's transportation page lists the other ways in and out of the airport.
A chauffeur wins when the trip is not that simple: a guest who must arrive on time and composed, a schedule of three venues in an evening, a crew with equipment, a family with child seats, or a late finish after the trains have stopped. There is no surge on a fixed price. For the general comparisons, see Uber Black vs a chauffeur and black car vs limousine.
The venues and the rest of the week
The festival's best-known stages are the TIFF Lightbox on King Street West, Roy Thomson Hall, where many premieres are held, and the Princess of Wales Theatre a block along King Street. Screenings and events also spread to other cinemas and hotels downtown, so check each ticket's venue the night before and send the list to the desk. Official dates, the programme and venue details are published by TIFF at tiff.net.
Where you stay shapes the day. Hotels in the Entertainment District and on King Street West put you within walking distance of the Lightbox and Roy Thomson Hall, but their driveways sit inside the busiest blocks of the festival. Yorkville and the Financial District are calmer bases, a short drive away, and easier for a car to reach at premiere time. Guests who stay outside downtown, in Mississauga near the airport or at a lakeside hotel, can keep the same plan: the chauffeur collects you at the hotel and returns you after the last event, with the evening built into one reservation.
Many festival guests add a day out of the city. The signature Niagara Falls day trip (10 hours) is priced from US$1,015 in a business sedan to US$2,025 in an Executive Sprinter, and the private city highlights tour starts at US$440. Elly8.net also covers Mississauga, Hamilton, Niagara Falls and Buffalo, and a city-to-city car service connects them. For more on Toronto itself, see our Toronto car service page. Flights and hotels can be booked through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
How booking works
Toronto and the GTA run on the Elly8 fleet and chauffeurs. Vehicles are four model years old or newer, and seven or newer for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley. Elly8.net is a member of LWD, LAI, HWD and VWD: LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
- Enter the pickup and drop-off, with your flight number for airport legs and the venue for each screening.
- Choose the vehicle: business sedan, business SUV, first class sedan or SUV, or Executive Sprinter.
- Press Reserve now on the Toronto price list, or use the web booker for any address not on the list. Confirmation arrives by email.
Festival prices do not change on the price list; availability does. Reserve as soon as you know your September dates, and confirm the festival days with the desk once TIFF publishes them.
Frequently asked questions
When is TIFF 2027?
TIFF had not announced its 2027 dates when this page was written. The festival usually opens on the Thursday after Labour Day and runs for about eleven days in September. You can reserve your car for your planned dates now and adjust them through the desk when the schedule is published.
How much is a car from Pearson to downtown during TIFF?
The price does not change for the festival. Pearson to downtown Toronto is US$155 in a business sedan, US$205 in a business SUV and US$405 in an Executive Sprinter, all-in per vehicle, with flight tracking, meet and greet in arrivals and complimentary waiting after a tracked landing.
Can the chauffeur drop me at the red carpet?
Drop-off points depend on the day's closures and the event's own arrangements. The desk works from the closure plan and, where the event provides a guest drop-off, uses it; otherwise the chauffeur sets you down at the nearest open corner. Tell us the venue and screening time when you book.
Can a car wait during a screening or party?
Yes. Book by the hour from US$110 per hour in a business sedan, three hours minimum, or take the five-hour evening out and event night package from US$550. The chauffeur holds nearby and meets you at the agreed pickup point when you text.
Do you sign NDAs for talent and studio bookings?
Yes, on request. Chauffeurs are briefed only on the route and the names you approve, and itineraries are shared only with the people you specify. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security, so protective details should be arranged separately.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup and it is free. At 72 hours or less the fee is 10%, at 48 hours or less 50%, and at 24 hours or less, or a no-show, 100%. Refunds go to the original card. Screening changes can be handled through the 24/7 desk.
Can you move a film team with equipment?
Yes. An Executive Sprinter carries up to 12 passengers with luggage and costs US$405 from Pearson to downtown and US$220 per hour in town. Larger teams book several vehicles under one reference, and corporate accounts receive one monthly invoice.
Is Billy Bishop a good airport for the festival?
For flights it serves, yes. It is about 3 km (2 mi) from downtown, and US preclearance there means US-bound passengers clear customs in Toronto. Billy Bishop to downtown is US$95 in a business sedan. The airport is closed to the public between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
