Discover Toronto like a star during the celeb-filled Toronto film festival

TORONTO – Outside Hollywood, there are few places in North America as overrun with celebrities as downtown Toronto in September.

You can thank the Toronto International Film Festival for that — each year the prestigious movie marathon explodes in celebrity visitors, from Clooney to Kidman to McConaughey.

As such, it’s prime time for star trackers and film-loving tourists to head to Hogtown, cameras in tow. This year’s fest runs Sept. 5 to 15, but a word to the wise: most A-listers tend to favour the first weekend, when the splashiest premieres and parties take place.

Start with a stop at TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King St. W.), which is ground zero for filmmakers, journalists and fans. It’s also where you’ll find an army of volunteers eager to answer questions.

From there, the options are many. Here’s a look at some of the best places to eat, shop and not so casually bump into famous people if you happen to be in Toronto:

The films:

A surefire way to see a celeb is to score a ticket to their film premiere, where the stars generally sit in the audience and take part in a Q&A afterward.

But A-list galas sell out instantly, so if you land in Toronto without a ticket your best bet is the rush line. All TIFF films, even the star-studded galas, release tickets at the venue box office 10 minutes before the screening. Needless to say, the lower the star wattage the better your odds, but be prepared to wait hours in a rush line regardless.

And all is not lost for those who can’t make it inside — if you can find a good spot along the red carpet you actually have a better chance of face-time with a friendly celeb. Ryan Gosling and George Clooney have proven to be among the friendliest on the carpet, obliging group photo requests and even holding a few babies.

For the budget-conscious film purists, there’s the festival’s Cinematheque program which features restored classics. Tickets are free, and are available at the Lightbox on a first-come, first-served basis two hours before each screening.

Hotel hotspots:

Much of a celeb’s time during the festival is spent holed up in hotel rooms at press conferences and interviews. That makes hotels perfect spots to scout out autographs — you can literally wait for an A-lister to just walk by. Think chi-chi in picking your post: the Ritz-Carlton (181 Wellington St. W.), Four Seasons (60 Yorkville Ave.), Park Hyatt (4 Avenue Rd.) and Shangri-La (188 University Ave.) are all good prospects.

But unless you’re a guest, you can’t just ride the elevators hoping for Ben Affleck to serendipitously hop on. Try lingering outside the front doors as stars leave and arrive, or grab a coffee at the hotel lounge where interviews and celeb powwows occasionally take place. In past years, Jude Law and Jay Baruchel have each held interviews at the Intercontinental’s main floor bar (220 Bloor St. W.), while Ralph Fiennes preferred the Park Hyatt lounge overlooking the lobby.

Nightlife:

Technically TIFF is about the films, but for celeb-watchers it’s really about the after-parties. Where do the celebs unwind after walking the red carpet at their gala movie premieres? The members-only Soho House (192 Adelaide St. W.) offers an elegantly low-key setting. Last year, Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson were there to celebrate “Silver Linings Playbook,” while Keira Knightly and Jude Law swung by for the “Anna Karenina” after-party. Meanwhile, the bikinis-and-balaclavas pulp flick “Spring Breakers” held its shindig at the sleek, chic resto Brassaii (461 King St. W.), where stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens were spotted eating popsicles.

Of course, studio parties are generally private affairs so you may have more luck rubbing shoulders with celebs who prefer to slum it with the locals at low-key hipster haunts. The strip around the intersections of Dundas Street West and Ossington Avenue is one such trendy enclave, bookended by Sweaty Betty’s (13 Ossington Ave.), where Drew Barrymore reportedly imbibed during a previous fest, and the Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Ave.), where Robert Pattinson is said to have lounged.

Food:

Even celebrities need to eat (well, most of them), and several Toronto eateries have a magnetic pull for the rich and famous. Buca (604 King St. W.) has fed the likes of Bill Murray and Megan Fox, Stock in the Trump Hotel (325 Bay St.) has welcomed Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emma Watson, while long-running Italian spot Sotto Sotto (116 Avenue Rd.) has hosted Johnny Depp, Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman. The Yorkville area is also teeming with celeb-friendly restos, with the French-inspired Sassafraz (100 Cumberland St.) serving as a longtime pillar of see-and-be-seen dining, having previously lured in Matt Damon, Michael Douglas and Colin Firth.

As one might expect, these spots are tough on the wallet and there’s no guarantee of spotting a star. Less pricey options for good food near the festival’s Lightbox hub include the bustling Khao San Road (326 Adelaide St. W.) for top-notch Thai, the Burger’s Priest (463 Queen St. W.) for gut-busting burgers (look up their secret menu before ordering), Banh Mi Boys (392 Queen St. W.) for Vietnamese sandwiches and tacos, and the health-conscious Fresh (147 Spadina Ave.), which electronic musician Moby recently tweeted about after a meal there.

Celeb-watching workouts:

Want to sweat off those TIFF cocktail calories and popcorn pounds? Perhaps the chance of seeing a celeb huffing and puffing alongside you will provide motivation.

Several high-end fitness facilities have drawn in famous faces, including the Mayfair Clubs’ Lakeshore location (801 Lake Shore Blvd. E.), where Bill Murray played tennis during a recent festival and John Travolta dropped in several times while shooting 2007’s “Hairspray.” It’s a members-only club, but the company’s website is currently offering a “no-obligation two-visit trial.”

Meanwhile, folk legend Gordon Lightfoot is on the roster of the all-men’s Cambridge Club (100 Richmond St. W., 11th floor), which is part of a group of exclusive gyms that have catered to celebrities and high-profile athletes. Other Cambridge Group of Clubs venues include the Adelaide Club (1 First Canadian Place) and the Toronto Athletic Club (TD South Tower, 79 Wellington St. W., 36th floor). A spokeswoman says trials are available.

And the U.S.-based chain Equinox — a favourite of sculpted stars in New York and Los Angeles —opened its first Canadian location in Toronto (199 Bay St., Commerce Court West) in late April and says it’s already helped famed actors and athletes get their heart rates up. But this is also a members-only club, so you’ll have to use your contacts for access.

If all that fails, perhaps a friendly celeb will stage an impromptu public workout session a la Woody Harrelson circa 2003, when he led a massive yoga class on King’s College Circle.

Shopping with the stars:

And what’s a vacation without at least a little window shopping? For those keen to raid the racks with the rich and famous, luxury department store Holt Renfrew (50 Bloor St. W.) is stacked with designer lines and is a favourite stop for celebrities year-round, especially during the fest.

Holts is on the edge of the tony Yorkville district, which includes Chanel, Burberry and Coach all along Bloor Street, just west of Yonge. The area’s more casual stores, including Roots (100 Bloor St. W.) and Over the Rainbow (101 Yorkville Ave.), lure luminaries too. Yorkville also has the upscale mall Hazelton Lanes (55 Avenue Rd.) with supermarket chain Whole Foods Market (87 Avenue Rd.), where Colin Farrell was spotted when he was in town to film “Total Recall.”

Kensington Market, meanwhile, is more grit than glitter, but the multicultural neighbourhood (bordered by Spadina Avenue and Dundas, Bathurst and College streets) attracts a health-conscious crowd and the occasional hipster star, including Gosling.

— by Canadian Press reporters Victoria Ahearn, Nick Patch and Cassandra Szklarski