August 9th-19th Manifesto @ various locations. Manifesto Festival of Community & Culture takes over downtown Toronto this August with multi-arts events that culminate in a giant FREE concert and community gathering at City Hall, headlined by Chronixx and his band Zinc Fence Redemption (plus many more). See the full schedule here.
August 9th-19th SummerWorks @ various locations. Re-imagine the possibilities of performance with 11 days of theatre, dance, music, and live art. Ticket passes available online.
August 10th-11th Sail-In Cinema @ Sugar Beach, 25 Dockside Dr. Sugar Beach transforms into Toronto’s largest outdoor movie theatre over two nights. Watch Labyrinth (Friday) and Space Jam (Saturday) for free on a two-sided screen set atop a barge in Toronto Harbour–no tickets required. Gates and pre-show activities begin at 5 pm, screenings start at approximately 7:30 pm.
August 10th-12th Waterfront Night Market @ Ontario Place, 955 Lakeshore Blvd. W. Waterfront Night Market makes its move to Ontario Place for the most exciting edition of the Pan-Asian food festival and lifestyle expo! Featuring more than 150 food and artisan vendors, multi-stage entertainment, artisan market, family picnic area, and more. Free admission.
August 10th-12th Taste of the Danforth @ Greektown. Taste of the Danforth celebrates 25 years of great food from local vendors + free entertainment and fun!
August 11th-12th Parkdale Flea @ 1266 Queen St. W. Shop a selection of antiques, vintage, collectables, designer objects, crafts, and more from local artisans and sellers. Save our Scruff will also be on hand Sunday from 1-3 pm with a couple of pups looking for their forever home! Free admission for all, including your furry friends. Runs 11-6 pm both days.
August 11th-12th Sweetery @ David Pecaut Square, 215 King St. W. Canada’s largest sweets festival celebrating local chefs, students, and artists. Runs 12-11 pm Saturday and 12-9 pm Sunday.
WEDNESDAY
7 pm Open Roof Festival: The Green Fog with Liam Russell @ Lower Junction, 158 Sterling Rd. A screening of The Green Fog– Guy Maddin’s found-footage homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo–along with a performance from local singer-songwriter Liam Russell. $15.75 advance tickets available online.
7 pm Music Bingo @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. A FREE weekly event combining the love of music with the traditional bingo format. Each player receives a Music Bingo card which consists of an assortment of songs. Instead of calling out numbers, they play the music! Singing along encouraged.
8 pm Drake Trivia @ The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W. Teams of four or less put their random knowledge to the test as hosts Megan Griffith-Greene and Jeromy Lloyd fire off questions ranging from sporting records and celebrity scandals to geographic discoveries and culinary lingo. $2 to participate. Email host@thedrakehotel.ca or show up early to reserve a spot.
THURSDAY
10 pm Soul, Funk & What? @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Soul and funk that will have you dancing the night away, all spun on 45s. Maximum party time!
10 pm The Throwback @ The Drake Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W. DJ Gramera and Dennis P of SoulSkank take over the Drake Hotel lounge and fill the air with smooth beats and silky saxophone sounds. End the night in a fun groove as they take you through classic music eras in true throwback Thursday fashion.
10 pm DJ Ol’ Nerdy Bastard @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Ol’ Nerdy Bastard plays an eclectic set of tunes from the past and the present, maybe even the future?
10 pm Club House @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. DJs Ace Dillinger, Bliptor, Mìlu, and J. Lai turn The Beaver into a sultry Club House full of fresh new tracks and erotic grooves for your heart to expand to. House, club, house, dance, RnB, and a mystery genre.
10 pm micro.wav @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. A micro rave featuring Sportif (Ottawa, Tanjincy) serving up acid, electro, and breaks at 135 BPM and beyond + two special guests from Montreal playing a flurry of bass n’ breaks. $5.
FRIDAY
8 pm Indie Fridays: The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, Johnson Crook, Texas King @ Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E. Yonge-Dundas Square hosts 10 weeks of performances from Canada’s brightest artists! This week features roots quartet Johnson Crook, London native Texas King, and headliners The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer playing like there’s no tomorrow with their hardy blues tracks. Until 11 pm.
10 pm 90s Video Dance Party @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Join Good Kids for this tribute of some of your favourite classics! ’90s music videos all night selected by DJ Caff, free glowsticks, ’90s-themed drink specials, and a $100 themed costume contest. $10 early bird, $15 advance tickets available online.
10 pm Knockout @ Danforth Sidebar, 161 Danforth Ave. 100% Northern Soul and ’60s reggae on 45s all night long. All killer, no filler!
10 pm Ooh Nana @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. DJ Misty plays ’90s reggae gold and dancehall bangers all night – the classic riddims and then some!
10 pm Fuck It @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. ’90s/00s guilty pleasures dance party with Bangs & Blush! Drake, Hanson, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Missy Elliott, Vengaboys, Bieber, Will Smith, Spice Girls, Eminem, Jay-Z, Disney music, and more. $5 with student ID, $10 without.
10 pm Rock Sucker @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Starboy takes you on a psych, glam, punk, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll journey through the ages!
10 pm Gold Chain @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJs Aoki and Snack will have you dancing all night long to the best hip-hop of today and yesterday. You don’t wanna miss this display of supreme DJing – it’s the gold standard.
10 pm Very Special @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. DJs Big Jacks, Jenno, and special guest Marisha Cruz play rap, R&B, and dancehall (now and ’00s classics).
10 pm Sunset Culture Club @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. All vinyl rare party jams and audio explorations with DJ Morgan Yew.
10 pm Cut Class @ The Rec Room, 255 Bremner Blvd. DJ Fawn Big Canoe plays bangers, dance floor fillers, one hit wonders, and nostalgic guilty pleasures from the late ’90s and early 2000s. Nothing is off the table at Cut Class!
10 pm Beam Me Up Disco @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A disco jam that celebrates the underrated and the obscure of funk, jazz, soul, boogie, rare groove, reggae, gospel, proto-house! It’s an evening of tuneful transcendence, supplied by residents Patchouli Brothers and Cyclist. $10.
11 pm Sucio @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. The dirtiest reggaeton, dancehall, trap, and world rhythms are showcased by DJ Grump and rotating guests with Blxck Ixn on the mic keeping you moving. $10.
SATURDAY
12 pm afrOURban Art Exhibit @ 156 Project Space, 156 Augusta Ave. The afrOURban collective is comprised of people who have made it their calling to document culture, architecture, and urban spaces on the continent. This exhibit will be an exchange of experiences and ideas, about Africa by Africans. Until 8 pm.
12 pm Pigeons & Thread Block Party @ Henderson Brewing, 128-A Sterling Rd. Pigeons & Thread is taking over the Henderson Brewery parking lot for an all day FREE block party to celebrate its fifth year! Featuring local clothing and jewelry vendors, delicious eats, bike tune-ups, free yoga classes, bands, DJs, and more. Until 9 pm.
12 pm Rosé Picnic @ Stanley Barracks, 111 Princes’ Blvd. Enjoy an assortment of rosé wines, food from celebrity chef Mark McEwan and his four restaurants, and unobstructed views of the city skyline and Lake Ontario from the historic Stanley Barracks and Hotel X Toronto. $48.38 tickets available online.
2 pm Electric Island @ Hanlan’s Point Stadium, Toronto Island. Electric Island fully-licensed concert and picnic series returns for its August edition! On the Main Stage: Green Velvet, Shiba San, Detlef B2B Latmun, Sydney Blu, Jonathan Rosa, and Carrera & Tavares. On the Moog Stage: Archie Hamilton, Greg Gow, Addy, Aaron Santos, and Cosmic JD. $54.99 (plus HST) tickets available at Moog Audio, Park Agency Print Shop, and online.
10 pm Chronologic 11 Year Anniversary @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. Chronologic, the dance party through the ages, celebrates 11 years! Pop and anti-pop from since the end of history (i.e. music from 1890 to 2018, played in chronological order). $5 before 11:30 pm, $10 after.
10 pm Party & Bull$hit @ Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Hip-hop and other trill shit with Family Business DJs FBomb and Ry-Fi. $10.
10 pm Reggae In Your Jeggae @ Lucky Shrike, 850 Dundas St. W. A musical expedition and kinetic expression session! DJs James “Small Axe” ACS and Leafy Cheify play the absolute best in classic reggae, rocksteady, rub-a-dub, and rockers.
10 pm Everything Is Love: Beyoncé & Jay-Z Dance Party @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. Celebrate the hottest power couple in the industry! Beyoncé and Jay-Z tracks all night long, plus some other hip-hop faves. $5 advance tickets available online.
10 pm Expansions @ The Rec Room, 255 Bremner Blvd. Beam Me Up DJs Cyclist and The Patchouli Brothers celebrate house music’s creative ascendancy from disco and the impetus to all modern dance music.
10 pm Funk Off @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Chicago’s finest, Tim and Teddy, spinning the best and boldest funk across the decades. $5.
10 pm Worst Behavior @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. This Saturday, be on your worst behavior. Bangs & Blush play past and present bangers all night long from Drake, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Nelly, TLC, Missy Elliott, and more! $5 with student ID, $10 without.
10 pm Synthesexer @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Toronto’s synthesexiest sexy synthy alternative electro dance party with DJs ARP 2600, Digits, and Little Kicks! Expect to hear stuff like: Tiga, Annie, Chromeo, M.I.A., Holy Ghost!, Robyn, Daft Punk, Little Dragon, Pet Shop Boys, and more. $10.
10 pm Saturday Night Jukebox Dance Party @ Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W. DJ Maya brings you an evening of Motown, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, and disco classics.
10 pm Whatever You Like Feat. Sgt Garbage @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. All hits, all night with spicy DJs that’ll really get you moving and shaking. It’s the good stuff – the prom that never was!
10 pm One Leg Up @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. All vinyl, all night dance madness with DJ Precious Brett! Rock, soul, funk, classic pop, and rarities from any decade.
11 pm Racks & Bands @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Jay Jolliffe and guests take you on a rollercoaster ride through the biggest songs in hip-hop and RnB. $10.
SUNDAY
10 am Etsy Team Toronto Summer Market @ The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W. Meet, shop, and discover all the local talent Toronto has to offer! Featuring a curated selection of over 50 of Toronto’s most noteworthy Etsy sellers and crafters. Admission is FREE and the first 50 visitors receive a complimentary swag bag. Until 5 pm.
10 am The Leslieville Flea @ Ashbridge Estate, 1444 Queen St. E. A curated market selling the very best of vintage, salvage, antiques, collectibles, handcrafted goods, and more. Until 5 pm.
12 pm Zine Dream @ Polish Combatants’ Hall, 206 Beverley St. Over 95 exhibitors of self-published books, comics, music, zines, handmade crafts, prints, and much more! PWYC.
4 pm Faerie Grove @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. A day-drinking throwback to disco and unrestrained queerness, with DJ Michael K and guests on the decks. Be fierce. Be glorious. Wear as little as you like. Party goes ’til sunset.
6 pm Christie Pits Film Festival: Before Sunrise @ Christie Pits Park, Bloor St. W. A screening of Richard Linklater’s opening chapter of one of cinema’s beloved trilogies, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Rounding out the evening are the Toronto-set shorts Night Owl and The Foreigner. Films at sundown (8:45 pm); eats and treats from 6 pm onwards featuring El Trompo, Fiesta Farms BBQ, and popcorn. BYOBlanket. Free/PWYC ($10 suggested).
7 pm Brass Facts Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Test your knowledge and win prizes! Hosted by Famous Kirk Hero. Until 10 pm.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com