WEDNESDAY
8 pm Movie Night @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. Every Wednesday for the month of January, the Garrison will be screening films in their front room. $5 pint special, $3 Mexi-style popcorn, no cover. This week’s screening is The Big Lebowski.
9 pm Groove Thing @ Thoroughbred Food & Drink, 304 Richmond St. W.DJ Caff plays all R&B, new jack swing, hip-hop, soul and future R&B feels inside the brand-new bar/resto, Thoroughbred Food & Drink.
10 pm Liquid Karaoke @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. Colin Bergh, James McDonough, Nadia Belerique, and Jeff Hayward are your hosts. $4 Jameson and $5.50 pints before midnight.
10 pm Home Based @ Weldon Park, 569 College St. A night filled with good hip-hop, good people, and good vibes with DJs Sanga Genesis, James Redi, and special guests. Every Wednesday.
10 pm Natural Wednesdays @ Studio Bar, 824 Dundas St. W. Swirve Music and Babylon Warchild present a new hip-hop series by the heads, for the heads. Featuring a fresh roster of up-and-comers and OGs that changed the game + an in-house 12-round battle league, with the winner taking home a $500 cash prize.
10 pm Smiths Is Dead @ Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas St. W. All your favourite cemetary greats + b-sides, deep cuts, and all the Morrissey tracks you can stomach.
THURSDAY
10 pm Strangelove @ Weldon Park, 569 College St. The return of a Toronto cultural institution. Every Thursday. $5.
10 pm #ThrowbackThursdays @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Every Thursday, come get a taste of tunes from: J-Lo, DMX, Spice Girls, Will Smith, Aqua, Ludacris, Backstreet Boys, Snoop Dogg, S Club 7, Jay-Z, Hanson, Ace of Base, Savage Garden, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, and many more. $5.
10 pm DJ Downunda @ Crawford, 718 College St. Trap, rap, RnB, and bangers! Hosted by Miss Olivia and Kermit. $5 bar rail + $4 shots and jello shooters.
10 pm Fat Laces @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Big Jimmy Mills, the scratch-monster, spins old school hip-hop.
FRIDAY
10 pm Verses: MJ vs. Prince @ Johnny Jackson, 587 College St. Two huge artists are pinned against each other to see who can make the asses shake harder. This month, it’s the King of Pop versus the artist currently known as Prince.
10 pm Dirty Talk @ Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas St. W. Pammm and Diana play galactic italo disco, space synth-pop, and sci-fi dad jams.
10 pm That Time Of The Month @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. W. DJs Alex Molotkow and Chandler Levack bring you the most righteous soul, disco, and R&B by the women that understand! They love to play: L’il Kim, Aaliyah, Diana Ross, Betty Wright, TLC, Etta James, Salt N’ Pepa, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Donna Summer, The Crystals, and anyone else with a song in their heart.
10 pm Famous Players Are Dumb Idiots @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. Superfriends Adam Jackson and Jeff Hayward get real weird in a tiny dark room.
10 pm Canada Thrust @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Hip-hop, house, and party music miscellany from Canada Thrust. $5.
10 pm Fuck It @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. The ladies of Bangs & Blush invite you to another night chocked-full of the best and worst from the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s – only the guiltiest of pleasures will be played! $5.
10 pm BWV @ Sex Laser, 1369 Dundas St. W. Hank and Ted return to Sex Laser for the sexy time music DJ party. This time accompanied by their super cool pal, Spencer Caverly a.k.a. DMNS. $3 drinks before 11 pm.
10 pm Damaged Goods @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. A dance party specializing in Britpop, new wave, post-punk, and synth! Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10 pm Bump N’ Hustle @ The Rivoli (upstairs), 334 Queen St. W. Soul, funk, house, disco, reggae, latin, hip-hop, and boogie tunes with resident DJs Paul E Lopes and Mike Tull. Hosted by Carlos (Hot Stepper). For $5 early bird guestlist (before 11 pm), email hotstep@sympatico.ca; $10 otherwise.
10 pm Huglife @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. Only music made for bumpin’ and grindin’ and huggin’. DJs Sean and Shanly B2B all night. Good vibes, sick visuals, crusty dance floor, chill patio.
10 pm No Sleep ‘Til Brooklynn @ Brooklynn, 1186 Queen St. W. Make new friends. No dress code. No bullshit. Mickey “bottle service” available. Music $5 with guestlist before 11:30 pm, $10 otherwise.
10 pm Get By Friday @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJs Mantis and Hajah Bug spin hip-hop, funk, soul, and reggae vibes on two turntables. All jams all night. $5.
10 pm Puppy Love @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Laid back queer + sex positive dance party. More a peck-on-the-cheek than a full on makeout. A night for people who aren’t into the club scene but want to shake their booty and make new friends. Also: dance floor, board games/truth or dare/spin the bottle, outdoor patio, tons of sex-positive friends to meet, lots of places to sit and talk! $7.
10 pm Love, Mystery & Adventure @ The Yukon, 1592 Queen St. W. Dr. Velvet spins R&B, rock and roll, rockabilly, and long forgotten cool vintage tunes through the ’50s and ’60s.
10 pm Synthesexer @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A wet and drippy, catch my eye-y, shake my body, bite my lip-y, sexy synthy dance party! Expect to hear stuff like Tiga, Annie, Chromeo, M.I.A., Holy Ghost!, Robyn, Daft Punk, Little Dragon, Pet Shop Boys, and more. DJs ARP 2600, Digits, and Little Kicks will be present to sex you up (music-wise). Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10:30 pm Freedom of Choice @ The Monarch Tavern, 12 Clinton St. DJs Johnny, Juice, and Babs throw down the soundtrack to get your drink and dance on. If it’s good, they’ll play it.
11 pm Racks & Bands @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W.Racks & Bands is a monthly party focused on one thing and one thing only: bringing booty back to the Underground. Turn up with resident DJs Johnny Hockin and Vanity Muscles as they motivate the winin’ and grindin’, playing only the hottest in current rap and RnB. $10.
SATURDAY
8 pm DJ Skate Night @ Harbourfont Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. Vintage never sounded this good. DJ Medicineman brings the sounds of ragtime and jazz with a modern twist to the Natrel Rink. Until 11 pm.
10 pm Bring It Back @ Crawford, 718 College St. Old school + a touch of new school with DJ Epik. $5 before 11 pm, more after.
10 pm Business Woman’s Special: Electric Circus Edition @ Round, 152-A Augusta Ave. This Saturday, the street of Augusta will be channelling its best 299 Queen West. WINDOWS OPEN! Dress in your ’90s goodness. With DJs Sammy Royale, Nino Brown, and Diego Armand + a special performance by Cassandra Moore. $6.
10 pm Screech Karaoke @ The Steady, 1051 Bloor St. W. Come as you are and sing anything you want! $4 Screech and Cokes (liquid courage) all night. Video dance party intermissions. Hosted by Nancy Bocock.
10 pm Funk Off @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Get down to music of the funk variety! TNT on the tunes. $5.
10 pm Secret Models @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. One big room, full of bad bitches! DJs Secret Models play hits straight from your high school semi-formal.
10 pm Beam Me Up: Édition Spéciale @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Beam Me Up is back with that monthly dose of diversified disco! This Édition Spéciale sees A Digital Needle and Cyclist run the global disco gamut, bringing that heat to the January cold. Caribbean Funk, Afro-Disco and Mediterranean Chic are the order of the day, with Sovetik Sleaze, Japanese Groove, Brazilian Boogie, and other worldly sounds thrown in for good measure!
10 pm Shake, Rattle & Roll @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Spend the night together with the Bangs & Blush ladies! ’60s pop, soul and rock ‘n’ roll to drink, dance, and get messy to. $5.
10 pm The BRTHDAY PRTY @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Who doesn’t love a birthday party?! Music provided by Styles of Tigers and RVM. Cupcake hour provided by Baken Toronto. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10 pm Bush Beat @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. W. Where ladies meet! With DJs Pony and Shoegayz. $4.50 bar rail before 11:30 pm.
10:30 pm High End @ Mr. Flamingo, 1265 Dundas St. W. (upstairs). DJs Gabe Knox and Geoff Snack play maximal synth, disco, and industrial.
11 pm Shake A Tail @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. ’60s pop, rock, soul, funk, garage, ska, ANYTHING! Always humid. $5.
11 pm Quatro @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Bridging the gap between four different eras and forming a cohesive sonic bond, Conor Cutz and Rouge bring you a night of the best music from times past. From the 1970s to the early 2000s, expect to hear the best of everything from James Brown to Justice, M.J. to Biggie – tracks that defined generations, seamlessly mashed up and reworked by the infamous duo. Aroundmidnight, renowned speed artist Anthony Haley takes the stage and begins performing his craft. Gaining inspiration from the crowd, music and overall feel of the night, Haley will take you on a visual quest creating piece after piece live on stage. $10.
SUNDAY
7 pm Brass Facts Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Test your knowledge and win prizes! Hosted by Famous Kirk Hero. Until 10 pm.
8 pm Seinfeld Trivia Night @ KITCH, 229 Geary Ave. Think you know Seinfeld? Well it’s not a lie if you believe it, and if you can prove you’re the master of your domain, then it’s next stop Pottersville. This is the Famous ORIGINAL Ray’s of monthly Seinfeld trivia, not some knock-off with their own case at the end of the aisle. Come for the trivia, stay for the episode and the JuJy Fruits! Maybe you’ll win a contest.
9:30 pm Karaoke Sundays @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Karaoke, every Sunday night! Hosted by Cajo.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com