Most of the platforms Canadian event-goers actually use let you submit your event for free. The harder question is which ones are worth the ten minutes it takes to fill out their form, and which ones are dormant directories. Here are five that are worth your time, plus a few honourable mentions, with notes on what each one is good and bad at.
1. AdmitONE
Website: admitone.com
AdmitONE is the largest Canadian-owned events marketplace. The site receives over one million monthly visitors browsing for things to do in Canadian cities, and it is run by a Canadian team out of Canadian offices.
Listing is free. Free events stay free for everyone. For paid events, the Community tier charges $0.59 + 1.89% CAD per ticket plus 2.89% payment processing, which is lower than every major American alternative on the same transaction.
How to submit
Create a free organizer account at app.admitone.com, fill in a few details about your event, finish setting up your event page, and click publish. Your event is now live on the AdmitONE event marketplace, which gets 1,000,000 visitors per month. Setup takes a few minutes, and there is no approval queue, so events can be live the same day.
Pros
- Canadian-owned and Canadian-operated. Team, support, payouts, and data are all in Canada, so questions outside US business hours don’t sit overnight.
- Over a million monthly visitors browsing the marketplace. People arrive on the site looking for something to do, which converts differently than social platforms where event listings compete with everything else in a feed.
- Among the lowest fees in Canada on paid tickets. You can either absorb the fee or pass it through to ticket buyers at checkout.
- Full ticketing engine on the free tier, including unlimited ticket types, promo codes, comp tickets, timed entry, embedded checkout, an iOS and Android scanner app, and an organizer profile that lets attendees follow you.
- SEO-optimized event pages, marketing analytics, geographic heatmaps for ticket buyers, and a REST API and webhooks if you want to wire ticketing into your existing stack.
Cons
- Less brand recognition outside Canada than Eventbrite. If you’re trying to attract international tourists, cross-list. AdmitONE doesn’t penalize cross-listing (see Eventbrite below).
2. Eventbrite
Website: eventbrite.ca
The largest event marketplace globally. Free events are free to list. Paid events are also free to list, but Eventbrite takes a per-ticket cut at checkout, currently $1.29 + 3.5% in Canada plus payment processing.
How to submit
Sign up for an organizer account, click “Create Event,” and fill in the event details, ticket types, and a cover image.
Pros
- Large global reach. Eventbrite is one of the few event platforms with significant direct-search traffic, meaning people open the site specifically to find events.
- SEO does most of the work. Event pages routinely rank for “[your event] tickets” and “[your city] [your event type].”
- Mature ticketing tools, including promo codes, multiple ticket tiers, embedded checkout, and a mobile scanner.
Cons
- Fees are noticeably higher than Canadian alternatives, and the platform has been raising them in recent years.
- US-based. Support and operations run on American business hours, and Canadian statutory holidays are not on the platform’s calendar by default.
- Free events tend to get lower placement than paid ones in search and discovery results.
3. Facebook Events
Website: facebook.com/events
Still useful, especially if your audience skews 30 and up, or if you’re targeting specific neighbourhoods, alumni networks, or community groups. Free to use, with no fees on tickets if you handle ticketing elsewhere.
How to submit
From your Facebook page (not your personal profile), open the Events tab and click “Create Event.” Add the basics, attach a cover image at 1200×628, and publish. You can link out to your ticketing page.
Pros
- No platform fees, ever.
- Built-in social proof. Attendees can see who else is going, which can lift conversion on people who are undecided.
- Optional paid boosting if organic reach falls short.
Cons
- Organic reach for events has dropped substantially over the last several years.
- You don’t own the audience. People who RSVP “interested” aren’t your contacts, and you cannot email them.
- Younger audiences (under 25) are increasingly not on Facebook at all.
4. Daily Hive Listed
Website: dailyhive.com/listed
Daily Hive runs a free events directory called Listed across Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. The directory is fine on its own, but the real value is editorial pickup. Their team writes weekly “X things to do in [city] this week” roundups, and listed events are the source pool for those articles.
How to submit
On the Listed page for your city, click “Create Event” and complete the form. There is no submission fee.
Pros
- Editorial pickup. A well-written description and a strong cover image raise your odds of being included in the weekly roundups, which get significant traffic.
- Solid audience in the four major Canadian cities they cover.
- Listing pages are well-designed, which helps click-through.
Cons
- City-only. If you are outside the four covered metros, this is not useful.
- Editorial selection is at their discretion. A listing does not guarantee a feature.
5. To Do Canada
Website: todocanada.ca
A national events directory that has been operating for years. Free submissions and broad category coverage, with a tourist-leaning audience that includes both locals and visitors planning trips.
How to submit
Visit their submission form, fill in the event details and a description, and add at least one image. Approval is usually within a few days.
Pros
- National coverage, which is useful if you are outside the major metros.
- Decent SEO for “things to do in [city]” queries, which catches travel planners.
- Quick approvals and no editorial gatekeeping.
Cons
- Site design and UX feel dated, which dampens click-through.
- Best suited for tourist-friendly events like festivals, attractions, and family activities. Niche or specialized events tend to get less visibility.
Other free options worth submitting to
A few additional places to add to your rotation:
- Google Business Profile. If you have a venue or recurring location, post events directly to your Google profile. They appear in Google Search and Maps, and most event organizers do not use this feature.
- Reddit city subreddits. r/Toronto, r/Vancouver, r/Edmonton, r/MontrealEvents, and similar communities allow event posts within their rules, usually under a self-promotion limit or in a weekly events thread.
- Local tourism boards. Destination Toronto, Tourism Vancouver, Tourism Calgary, Tourisme Montréal, and most other major Canadian cities run free event submission forms tied to their official visitor calendars.
- Your local library, community centre, and BIA. Most run monthly newsletters or bulletin boards and accept community event submissions.
Cross-list across platforms
Listing your event on AdmitONE does not lock you out of Eventbrite, Facebook Events, Daily Hive, or anywhere else on this list. More discovery surfaces tends to mean more tickets sold. AdmitONE does not penalize cross-listing or charge extra for it, and the API and webhooks let you keep ticket inventory in sync across platforms if you are actively managing availability.
The practical recommendation: start with AdmitONE for the Canadian audience and the lower fees, then list on as many other platforms from this list as you have time for. The time you save on Eventbrite’s higher fees can go into a better event description and a stronger cover image.
