WATCH: Toronto celebrates Bill Murray day.
TORONTO – It’s a special occasion for comedy fans in Toronto: Bill Murray Day.
The Toronto International Film Festival is celebrating the wry comic legend with free public screenings of three of his best-loved films: Stripes, Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters.
To wrap it all up, Murray’s latest film St. Vincent will have its world premiere.
The dark comedy casts Murray as a cantankerous coot who strikes up an unlikely friendship with the lonely boy next door. It features an all-star cast headlined by Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd and Terrence Howard.
READ MORE: 10 of the best Bill Murray legends
Murray and the rest of his co-stars are expected to be on hand for the gala premiere, but fans will be on high-alert elsewhere in the city for the Oscar-nominated 63-year-old.
After all, he’s known for surprise impromptu public appearances, dropping in on strangers’ bachelor parties, private karaoke singalongs and house parties.
Just this past weekend he was reportedly ripping tickets for the St. Paul Saints, a Minnesota minor-league baseball franchise.
Fans have been encouraged to arrive for Bill Murray Day in costume, with TIFF dangling free tickets to the premiere screening of St. Vincent at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
The costumes, TIFF notes, don’t have to be derived from one of the three films screening and can be based on any of Murray’s beloved movies, which include Caddyshack, Lost in Translation, Rushmore and What About Bob?
The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sept. 14.
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