Night after night, people flock to Japas, an unpretentious Japanese snack bar in Koreatown. Not for the juicy gyoza. Not for the grilled mackerel.
They come for the darts. (And, well, maybe for the juicy gyoza, too.)
Japas is home to two soft-tip dart machines that are constantly in use. And not just by grizzled bar veterans or hardcore league players. While there have always been dartboards in pubs and busy darts leagues across the GTA, darts are becoming a more popular Toronto pastime for a wider range of people, from newbies and newcomers to women and youngsters.
“It’s a relaxed vibe. Drinking a beer, throwing some darts, chatting with friends and eating some delicious gyozas is an amazing way to spend a few hours,” says Kelly Knoop, who regularly plays darts at Japas. It’s the perfect casual activity to connect with friends over.” And that includes new friends: Unlike pool, Knoop says, which can feel like a very isolated sport, darts has a friendly vibe. She often ends up inviting strangers to play with her group, making new pals along the way.
Aran Sanghera got into darts recently after moving to Toronto, and it quickly became his go-to way to unwind and have fun. “I’ve met some great people through it, which has made the experience even better,” he says. “Toronto’s got a great vibe for darts, with a growing community that’s easy to connect with.”
Twelve years ago, it was only Asian customers playing at his bar, according to Japas manager Kim Chou. “Now I have mixed customers playing, and female players have also increased,” he says.
Knoop’s friends picked up the hobby in Asia and brought their love of the game home. One of them, Sean Hebert, now works at a travel company and says, recently, he’s noticed an upswing in darts tourism requests. Previously, clients may have asked for hookups for soccer games. Now, they ask for tickets to darts tournaments. Hebert attributes this to the rise in popularity of darts content online; YouTube and TikTok are filled with tourney triumphs and eye-popping trick shots.
The proliferation of darts worldwide has definitely helped push the sport in the last three to four years, according to Paul Keodprom, a bartender at The Dock Ellis, a popular place to play.
Andy MacDonald is the manager of the Scotland Yard pub, another much-loved darts spot; he says the world of darts is undergoing a significant demographic shift, moving beyond its traditional image as a male-dominated pub pastime. “This evolution is driven by several key factors: the rise of youth prodigies like Luke Littler, and the increasing visibility and success of female players such as Fallon Sherrock and Beau Greaves, who are breaking down gender barriers and creating new role models,” he says. “Darts has definitely started to become a lot more popular with all age groups. It allows for everyone to be able to pick up some darts from the bar, and have some fun.”
Keodprom has also noted his bar’s players getting younger and more diverse. “It used to be much more 50- to 65-year-old pub people, but now we get all ages and genders asking … Darts doesn’t care who you are or where you’re from; the board is the same height and distance everywhere.” The sport might also have benefits for our screen-obsessed times, too. “In an age where focus is fleeting,” Keodprom says, “it requires you to slow down, breathe and concentrate on a singular goal and moment.”
Toronto is a good place to try playing darts simply due to the sheer number of venues and leagues, says Cliff Withey, who runs the Facebook page Toronto Dart Players. “It’s a great social outlet and you get to meet people from all walks of life, as I have in the many years that I’ve been playing darts,” he says. “I believe it’s on the upswing now because I have had a couple of hundred new people join the Toronto Darts Players Facebook page in the past couple of years. Women are definitely joining the different clubs and tournaments, and I have seen their numbers rise over the past few years.”
The city even got its very own dart bar recently. Spin Toronto owner Ryan Fisher was looking for ways to make more profitable use of the space above Spin — perhaps another fun activity bar. He’d once spent an enjoyable evening at one of the many locations of Flight Club, a growing international chain of fancy darts bars. Back in Toronto a few months later, he took a meeting with the then-CEO of Oche, a darts bar brand that was contemplating a Canadian expansion. By the time Fisher circled back to the CEO, they were already fielding other offers. “I’ve learned that the scene is much, much bigger than I had ever thought it was. I speak to people all the time who tell me, ‘I’m in a dart league, weekly boys dart night, had a dart board at home growing up,’” Fisher says. “I think we’re unlocking something that has been brewing under the surface for a while, it seems.”
His outpost, Oche King West, opened in June. “Social gaming brings endless enjoyment to people from anywhere and everywhere. You don’t need to be good at darts, and nobody who casually plays is all that much more likely to win each game,” he says. Even teens have been coming in to play: “The game is really for everyone.” He hopes to expand combination Spin and Oche locations, with the goal of opening 10 locations in five years.
Darts isn’t just exploding in Toronto proper, either. Adam Da Ponte is the president of the Region of Halton Dart League and has noticed residents further afield in the GTA also have a growing interest in playing darts. His league, for example, includes people from 19 to 90 of all genders and all different skill levels. “The diversity and enthusiasm in our community is truly great,” he says. “Darts is more than just a game; it’s a night to connect with others, socialize, meet new people and chat with old friends. Our league has a sense of community that keeps people engaged and coming back each year. Many have even said our league feels like a family.”
That chance to build community — something that can feel tough in this city — is another big bonus to the local darts scene. “I’ve been playing darts since I was a kid, but playing competitively in the city for over 10 years now has introduced me to some of my best friends, people that I love now even without darts,” Keodprom says. “I’ve been to their weddings, to hold their newborns, to watch them grow into being the incredible people they are now, and that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t get together to throw three silly little arrows at a board.”
