Corporate events, product launches, galas and weddings for up to 420 seated guests, or 1,000 at a cocktail reception, can be organized at The Eglinton Grand, a restored 1936 movie theater on Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto. The venue takes one event per day, so the lobby, main room and mezzanine are reserved for a single host.
Seminars and company events
The former cinema now works as a ballroom with a mezzanine above, which lends itself to presentations, launches, company parties and gala dinners. The venue has an updated surround sound system, an HD digital projector, a screen and lighting effects, so slides and video can run without bringing in outside equipment. The marquee sign over the entrance and the movie poster boxes can carry a custom message, a detail that works for a brand launch or a company anniversary. Seated corporate events range from 50 to 420 guests, and a corporate package covers menu and service.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies and receptions are both offered. The mezzanine is designed for cocktail hour, with a curtain that opens onto the ballroom when dinner begins. Guests arrive through the original movie-theater entrance under the marquee, and the interiors follow the Art Deco and Hollywood style of the 1930s. Social events form a third category on the calendar, booked on the same one-event-per-day basis.
Rooms and capacities
Three spaces are listed: the Lobby, the Main Room with its Mezzanine, and the Gallery Room, also called the Theatre Room. The Main Room seats from 50 to 420 guests at tables, and the venue takes up to 1,000 people for a standing reception. Capacities for the Gallery Room on its own are not published. With a single event each day, setup and teardown do not have to fit around another booking.
Catering
Catering is in-house. Menus come from the venue's own kitchen team and are presented as a corporate package and an à la carte menu, so food and service are handled by the venue on the night.
History and setting
The Eglinton Theatre opened on April 15, 1936, with a gala opening. It was planned by Agostino Arrigo Sr., who had arrived from Italy at 15, and was once considered the flagship of the Famous Players cinema chain. In 1937 it received a bronze medal from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for its Art Deco furnishings. The interior keeps rich woods, marble, wainscoting and period furniture, and the building has been restored to its 1936 appearance. It is recognized as a national historic site of Canada, and it was voted Toronto's top event facility in 2018.
Getting there
The address is 400 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario M5N 1A2, in midtown Toronto near Avenue Road. The venue states that it is easy to reach by public transit; check the nearest stop on the Eglinton corridor when planning arrivals.
