Free events in Toronto this week are big. They are massive takeovers of parks, blocks, and neighbourhoods filled with performance, arts, new cultural experiences and traffic-halting noise.

Here are my picks for free events in Toronto this week.

Buskerfest (September 2-5)
Buskers, clowns, acrobats, comedians, daredevils, show offs and weirdos gather at its new venue at Woodbine park for this weekend-long celebration of street performance. 45 acts in all, get ready for some very instagramable moments.

Artfest in the Distillery Disctrict (September 2-5)
From 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. every day this upcoming long weekend, check out painting, photography, sculpture, fine craft and live music spread out over then entire Distillery District. (My secret advice is to escape the crowds for a couple hours and walk around the neighbouring Canary District and Corktown Commons)

Ashkenaz Festival (September 3-5)
"North America's premier festival of global Jewish music and culture with over 200 artists and 80 events from more than a dozen countries showcase the vibrancy and brilliance of Jewish artistic traditions, from traditional styles to cutting-edge, cross-cultural fusion." Check out the official site for more details.

Intersection Day (September 3)
Make the journey to Yonge-Dundas square for this one-day event (2-10 p.m.) for what has been described as "a marathon of sound in the middle of traffic." Toronto kraut inspired trio Absolutely Free collaborate with contemporary classical ensemble Contact for this rare live performance. It'll be worth stopping through to hear something rare and noisy.

TDOT Fest (September 4)
Also at Yonge-Dundas Square, this free nine hour Urban Music Festival, celebrating the talents of signed and unsigned artists from across Canada. This year's lineup features Karl Wolf, Girlicious' Natalie Mejia, Rich Kidd, August Rigo and way more. Check the website for more talent and details.

Did I miss an amazing free event this week? Let us all know about it in the comments.

Photo by Michelangelo Manalang in the blogTO Flickr pool.