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In 1989, the Promotions Committee of the Book and Periodical Council determined that the time had come for Toronto, as Canada’s publishing capital, to join other major publishing centres and host their own large-scale public festival of the written word. Envisioned to celebrate Canadian authors, books and magazines and to advocate for literacy, the Toronto Book and Magazine Fair was incorporated in March 1990 as a non-profit organization and branded the name of the festival as The Word On The Street. The inaugural festival, launched in International Literacy Year, took place on Sunday, September 30, 1990 on Queen Street West in Toronto. Upwards of 30,000 people attended. The overwhelming support provided to Toronto’s festival by the local community, publishing industry leaders, and government officials, demonstrated what could be achieved on a national level.

To facilitate its expansion mandate, the Toronto Book and Magazine Fair Trust was incorporated nationally as The Word On The Street Canada Inc. in 1994 and registered as a charitable organization. In 1995 Vancouver and Halifax established regional festivals. Ottawa and Calgary were added to the network of festivals a few years later and in 2002, Kitchener launched its first festival. Saskatoon held a preview event in 2010 and officially launched in 2011 along with Lethbridge. Currently, licences are held by Halifax, Toronto, Kitchener, Saskatoon, and Lethbridge.

The Word On The Street's network of festivals is enormous in scope and mark it as one of the world’s largest literary celebrations. In 2013, almost 270,000 visitors attended more than 440 programmed events featuring 650 authors, workshop presenters and arts performers. The festivals showcased almost 600 book and magazine exhibitors. Many of those exhibitors were small presses, independent authors and writing associations who benefit enormously from their exposure at the festival. As part of the festival's commitment to literacy, ten percent of the total exhibit space is provided to literacy organizations.

The Word On The Street has received a long list of awards over the years. Most prestigious was its national nomination the Canadian Event Industry Award's “Best Festival” Star Award in 2012.

The Word On The Street’s on-going success has been supported through partnerships established with media and sponsors from private sector organizations. Most important has been the delivery of a FREE festival to participants which would not be possible without the funding support provided by national, regional and municipal governments.

This application is for the “The 35th Anniversary of The Word On The Street Toronto”, taking place September 28 and 29, at Queens Park in Toronto. Programming will include:

(1) A Robert Munsch Activation: Programmed as an interactive celebration of the works of Robert Munsch, this activation will also be produced in partnership with Annick Press and Scholastic Canada;

(2) “Looking Back”: discussions on themes of legacy, nostalgia, reflection, and personal and social histories; and “Looking Forward”, featuring program segments themed around curiosity, community, speculative fiction, emergent ideas, and hope for the future;

(3) Live podcast recordings by leading Canadian book podcasters who will possibly travel to the festival, including Linda Morra (Getting Lit With Linda) and Ariel Bissett (Books Unbound);

(4) Literary Cabaret: authors performing their favourite songs, backed by a live karaoke band;

(5) PAW Patrol at the Festival; featuring a variety of interactive activities and character appearances;

(6) KidStreet & Kids Literature Stage: KidStreet is a staple of WOTS programming and includes storytime readings, singalongs, drawing tutorials, crafts and interactive activities for children and families;

(7) Genre programming (fantasy, romance, horror, and other genre fiction);

(8) Vibrant Voices of Ontario: a dedicated space for Ontario-based writers and publishers showcases a variety of genres and formats, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry;

(9) Festival Marketplace: The Word On The Street’s exhibitor marketplace is the largest of its kind in Canada;

(10) Headliner authors and presenters such as Catherine Hernandez, Zoe Whittall, Sarah Raughley, Kenneth Oppel, Amanda Peters, Drew Hayden Taylor, and M.G. Vassanji;

(11) Wordshop, featuring free in-person workshops for aspiring and established authors and creators, sponsored by The University of Toronto.