Running a frosh week or orientation event in Canada

Dates and timeline

• Each school, faculty and student union sets its own orientation dates. In 2026, for example, U of T Engineering's orientation week ran from August 31 to September 4, and Glendon's from August 30 to September 6. Check the schedule of the school you are targeting.
• Avoid clashing with official orientation events, and ask the school or its student union whether it has rules for events aimed at its students.
• Pick the venue first and ask about its capacity and closing time.
• Publish early and keep tickets aside with holds for student leaders and sponsors.

Ticket tiers and pricing

• Prices on a Packdoor site are all in: the ticket price, Packdoor's fee if buyers pay it, and tax.
• You choose per event who pays Packdoor's fee: buyers (the default) or the organizer.
• You can set up early bird, general admission, VIP and code-only ticket types, each with its own minimum and maximum per order, and offer discount codes.
• A tier can open when another is nearly sold out, so you can release tickets in stages.
• The pricing page has a worked example of what a ticket costs.

Sales tax by province

• The venue's province decides the sales tax.
• Ontario HST 13%; New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island HST 15%; Nova Scotia HST 14%.
• Quebec GST 5% plus QST 9.975%; other provinces and territories GST 5%. For a Quebec event, add your QST number in Settings too, unless you are a small supplier for QST.
• If you sell to buyers in Quebec, your site, event information and refund policy must also be available in French. Text you write yourself is yours to provide in French.
• Saskatchewan also has 6% PST on admissions, only if you are GST-registered and hold a Saskatchewan PST licence. BC and Manitoba charge no provincial tax on admissions.
• Packdoor adds sales tax only if you entered a GST/HST number under Settings, Sales tax and turned on "Charge sales tax on this event" (off by default). If you are not registered, you charge none; tick "The prices I enter include sales tax" if your prices already include tax. Not tax advice: ask an accountant.

Ontario's Ticket Sales Act

• The Ontario Ticket Sales Act, 2017 (S.O. 2017, c. 33, Sched. 3) applies to events in Ontario.
• Before tickets go on sale, publicly disclose how the tickets will be distributed (including any presale) and the event's maximum capacity. Put both in the event description.
• The offer must show the total price and a separately itemized list of fees, service charges and taxes; the total price paid must be shown on the ticket. Packdoor prices are all in.
• Do not claim tickets are scarce or selling fast unless it is true. Not legal advice.

Venues

• Search the venue directory for Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa, compare venues and send a request. The venue finder guide shows how.
• A request books nothing until the venue accepts; an accepted request holds the night.
• Check the venue's licence, capacity and curfew with the venue directly.

Age rules

• The event details have a "Minimum age" field.
• The legal drinking age is 19+ in Ontario and most provinces, 18+ in Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba.
• Buyers bring government photo ID when required; the venue and organizer set entry rules and may refuse entry.
• Many first-year students are under the legal drinking age. State the age limit in the event description, make it clear that photo ID is needed, and consider an all-ages event.

e-Transfer and door sales

• Card payments use Stripe; Packdoor reviews new organizers first, and card sales need card payments set up.
• Buyers can choose Interac e-Transfer at checkout. Tickets are held for 12 to 72 hours, the window you set, and issued when you mark "Payment received"; unpaid orders cancel by themselves, and e-Transfer carries no Packdoor fee.
• The door scanner works offline and handles walk-ins, door sales and guest lists.
• Re-entry is off by default and can be turned on per event.

Questions

• Can I give first-years a lower price? Yes: add a ticket type for them, or share a discount code. See the discount codes guide.
• Can I run an all-ages event? Yes: set the minimum age to match and say so in the event description.
• Does Packdoor add sales tax for me? Only if you entered a GST/HST number in Settings and turned it on for the event.
• Who pays Packdoor's fee? You choose per event: buyers (the default) or you.

Next steps

Pricing and a worked exampleSales tax guideDiscount codesTicket typesToronto venuesMontreal venuesOttawa venuesSign up