Cathy MerrittI went to my sister’s wedding last year, and it was a stunner in nearly every way. Gorgeous venue (it’s one of the spots here), food to die for, and the couple walked straight out of a fairytale.
But the energy? It was completely off. The DJ’s decision to blast hip-hop all night was questionable, and I’m saying this as someone who grew up on Lauryn Hill and Wu-Tang.
To spare you from side-eyeing aunties and a flat dancefloor, we hit Toronto and tracked down DJs who can read the room and drop bangers when it counts. We found the best ones and broke down why they caught our ears.
How much does it cost to hire a DJ in Toronto?
In Toronto, the average cost of hiring a DJ is $140 per hour, with a range of $100 to $200. If you’re booking one for an entire event (7.5–8 hours), expect to pay between $1,300 and $1,500
How We Chose
Maximum Music DJ Service
Address: 4 Mimico Ave, Etobicoke
Contact Details: +1 647-549-6642
Operating Hours: Daily – 24 hours
Planning with Maximum Music is dead smooth; the main contact is Rod McMahon, the founder, so there’s no “one rep to the next” shenanigans. The guy is also fine with phone consults, saving precious time.
Another handy perk is the online planning tool. Clients can use it to organize timelines, manage playlists, or throw in special requests, which can be adjusted up to a week before the event.
Being the preferred vendor of A-tier Calgary and Toronto venues further boosts their appeal. The names include HartHouse and Casa Loma.
They’ve had a few slip-ups, though, like getting names or songs wrong.
And like the last entry, you might find them tough to book. Maximum Music’s schedule is often packed, especially when it comes to their specialty: weddings.
The good news is that you can always ring them up for a no-obligation consult to see which dates are open.
Whole Event Ran Seamlessly
Maximum Music provided DJ services for our wedding this past weekend and they were amazing to work with! Our DJ, Gary, was excellent – he read the room perfectly, kept the dance floor going, and I don’t think there was a single miss all night. Our friends and family complimented the DJ and music multiple times and the whole event ran seamlessly. Rod was also great to work with leading up to the wedding. He was responsive and easy going, and kept us on track with planning. He asked all the necessary questions that we didn’t even know to ask ourselves. They absolutely nailed it – highly recommend!
Siobhan Heffernan, Google Review
Professional, Committed, Reliable
Professional and reliable from start to finish
If I could give more than 5 stars to Maximum Music – I would! Rod was absolutely amazing from beginning to end. He is professional, committed, reliable, and transparent. Rod made every step of the process very clear and sent summaries after each meeting to ensure everyone was on the same page. He always replied to emails promptly and even took one of our meetings from the car once (he was the passenger) as it was the only time we were available. He was honest in providing his advice and even helped us pick some of the songs! We chose Keith as our DJ and emcee and he did an incredible job. He was prepared for any and every situation, to the point where my husband and I were not aware that anything had gone wrong. Keith went above and beyond to make sure our evening ran smoothly and to drown out the music coming from next door. Keith showed up on time and gave himself enough time to set up and kept our itinerary moving as planned. Both Rod and Keith are great at what they do, they care about the customer experience and it is evident that they take pride in their work.
Bryna Y (B.Y), Google Review
Scottify Productions
Address: Queen Beverly Post Office, 260 Queen St W
Contact Details: +1 416-729-1973
Operating Hours: Mon to Sat – 24 hours
Scottify Productions is one of the most stacked picks if we’re talking about inclusions. Beyond the bangers, they can hook your event up with selfie stations, mirror photobooths, red carpets, audio guestbooks, and 360-degree video booths.
Their playlists are quite flexible, too; clients can create a setlist featuring Top 40s, Latin, hip-hop, and ‘80s bops. Scott will even provide suggestions without skipping the must-plays.
Similar to most, however, Scottify’s fame can mean not getting your preferred date. We’d also be thrilled if they added more equipment for special effects, mainly fog machines or confetti cannons.
The redeeming bit is that you can track openings via the website instead of waiting for emails or calling them.
On top of that, their speaker systems are scaled for the venue’s size. That’s sweet if you want to avoid “the music is too soft/loud” comments.
Kept the Dance Floor Packed
We worked with Scott for our wedding at the end of September and we couldn’t have asked for a better DJ! Scott was amazing to work with and access to the online portal was key in making sure our favourite songs were played. He kept the dance floor packed all night long, reading the crowd perfectly and keeping the energy high. Our guests are still talking about how great the music was! We’d highly recommend Scott to anyone looking for an unforgettable party!
Jenna Melrose, Google Review
Worked Closely with Us
We had Scottify Productions as our wedding DJ & emcee, and he absolutely crushed it! We got to be very involved with the music selection, curating our own Spotify playlists for our big day. Scott was very understanding and worked closely with us to bring the vision for our special day to life; he kept the vibe going through every moment of our wedding. One of the main responses after the wedding from our guests was how much they LOVED the music from the ceremony, to the reception, to the dance floor. Not to mention that the photo booth with props was a huge hit, and we would highly recommend including it. We are very grateful to Scott for leading the vibe on our special day, and we would whole-heartedly recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding/event DJ!
Tanner Barwell, Google Review
Nonstop Entertainment Inc
Contact Details: +1 416-419-3241
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Wed – 9 am to 9 pm
- Thu – 9 am to 5 pm
- Fri – 9 am to 9 pm
- Sat – 12 pm to 4:30 pm
- Sun – 1 pm to 5 pm
Spinning since 2017, Nonstop Entertainment has been given props by our interviewees, with many praising the energy that owner Anthony brings to any bash.
See, they host all sorts of functions. Weddings and corporate parties are the main gigs, unsurprisingly, but you can book them for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, debuts, wine-and-cheese events, proms, and many more.
Some clients have moaned about minor goofs, though, mainly names said wrong and a few technical issues.
Nonstop’s library has been criticized as well for being limited in terms of international songs, bad news if your guests are into K-pop or Bollywood tunes.
On the upside, many love the extras, especially the photobooth. The packages also come with special effects (e.g. dry ice and cold sparks) for amping up the vibe.
Even better, they work with other professionals, like planners, venues, videographers, and photographers, so you’ll enjoy that ‘one-stop’ perk.
Great Mix of Music
We had the absolute BEST experience with Anthony at our wedding this past weekend! From start to finish, he kept the energy high and the dance floor packed all night long. He read the crowd perfectly, played a great mix of music for all ages, and made seamless transitions that kept the party going. Not only was the music amazing, but he was also professional, organised, and so easy to work with throughout the planning process. Our guests are still talking about how much fun they had dancing, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better DJ to make our night unforgettable. If you’re looking for someone who will go above and beyond to make your event incredible, Anthony is the one! Highly recommend!
Melissa Da Silva, Google Review
Very Helpful
Anthony was very helpful leading up to our wedding, making sure we had everything we needed. Vince was our DJ, had a great energy, nailed the music and was super helpful on coordinating everything during the event.
Nicholas Aubry, Google Review
DJ Chris Rhythmz Entertainment
Address: 67 Mowat Ave
Contact Details: +1 416-564-7052
Operating Hours: Daily – 24 hours
The award-winning DJ Chris Rhythmz is no rookie to making people vibe and dance. This former nightclub maestro has over 15 years in the game, you know.
Specialty-wise, weddings make up most of his portfolio, though you can book him for other private functions, too. The cool part is that he lets clients call the shots creatively.
Music aside, Chris offers practical hacks on logistics, timeline management, equipment setup, and spatial planning (much like these seasoned planners). The guy can even take snaps of the event.
Better yet, he often beats others on price, and his quotes cost zero.
The main drawback? Manpower. Clients looking to throw mega events might find the larger crews mentioned above a better fit, as Chris’s team is on the smaller end.
Extras like photobooths and video booths aren’t offered either. Renting them from other spots will likely eat up more time and cash.
An Amazing MC
We just had Chris MC and DJ our wedding and we are SO glad we did! We’ve heard nothing but great words from our guests and vendors. Chris arrived early to set up, kept the dance floor buzzing, and listened to every single request we made. He was an amazing MC—well-spoken, full of great energy, and even captured behind-the-scenes footage for social media! We couldn’t have been happier. 100% recommend him to anyone!
Mich Dime, Google Review
Kept the Vibe Fantastic
Exactly who we needed. DJ Chris Rhythmz was the perfect DJ for our wedding. We wanted some control over the songs, so we sent Chris a 40-song playlist and he played every single one while still taking audience requests. He set up creatively in a small space, left plenty of room for the dance floor, and kept the vibe fantastic all night. His pricing was sensible too. Thanks, Chris!
Yannay Khaikin, Google Review
