May 10th-May 31st Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival @ various locations. An annual event with over 1,500 artists and photographers in 200 exhibitions and happenings throughout the month. Check out the CONTACT website for a full list of exhibitions and installations.
May 11th-14th Mystery Bag Pop-Up Shop @ Milk Glass, 1247 Dundas St. W. A curated weekend pop-up event brought to you LAUGH, Atelier Wonder, and blessedpoppy. Come view, try on, and shop the latest spring collections. Exclusive one off pieces and special deals will be available. Open Thursday from 3-11 pm, Friday from 12-9 pm, Saturday from 11-9 pm, and Sunday from 11-6 pm.
May 11th-18th The ReelAbilities Film Festival @ various locations. The Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre presents the second annual ReelAbilities, the first and largest festival of its kind in Canada showcasing disability and Deaf cultures through film. Full film schedule and $15 general admission tickets available here.
May 13th-14th Parkdale Flea @ 1266 Queen St. W. Parkdale Flea is back with some incredible local vendors for a special two-day event coinciding with Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Festival! Antique, vintage, collectables, handmade, jewellery, local artisans, crafts, food and drink, and more. Free entry and dog friendly. Runs 11-6 pm both days.
WEDNESDAY
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 and the winning table gets an $80 Drake gift card (plus bragging rights)! Click here to reserve with OpenTable, or show up early to ensure a spot for your team.
THURSDAY
7:30 pm Seinfeld & The 90s Trivia Night @ The Saucy Pierogi, 1282 Dundas St. W. Show off your Seinfeld knowledge and celebrate all things 90s. Prizes for the top teams, pierogi specials, and 90s music guaranteed!
9 pm Offenderland @ The Great Hall (basement), 1087 Queen St. W. An immersive alternate universe developed by experiential producers Young Offenders for one night only. Music and performances by Shagabond, Ryan Playground, KILMANJARO, Nyssa, Jes Cho, and Julia Dickens. Art and experiences by Diana Lynn VanderMeulen, Karl Skene, Matt Mansion, Sandro Petrillo, Sarah Cannon, and Ted Gudlat. RSVP here.
10 pm Get Lo @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Bangs & Blush bring you the ULTIMATE ’90s til now dance party, GET LO! They’ll be playing all the shit you wanna hear from the ’90s to today.
10 pm Vanishing Point @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. A monthly dance party featuring disco, funk, soul, and rare grooves.
10 pm Zero Dub @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. The English Connection. Dub and punk with DJ Steve Freshfield.
10 pm Multi Mode @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. (Hot) machines and other (cold) methods, to create, manipulate and output (warm) sounds. With sets by Edna King, Sergio SP, Acote, and Short Bloom.
10 pm No Pressure @ Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas St. W. Marjie Francis and Zoë Dodd selecting tracks all night long. Playing new wave, post punk, goth, reggae, rap, disco, synth, glam, punk, etc.
FRIDAY
6 pm Dare to Wear Love Charity Fashion Gala @ The Ritz-Carlton, 183 Wellington St. W. An annual event celebrating the talents and commitment to social justice of Canada’s fashion design community and performing artists, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s new LGBTQ community initiative, which supports urgently needed HIV and AIDS programmes in over 15 African countries.This year’s event will feature unique creations from notable Canadian designers such as DSquared and Stephan Caras. $150 tickets available online (includes entry to cocktail party, fashion show, and after party).
7 pm #FNLROM: Fashion @ Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. Celebrate the fabulous world of fashion at Friday Night Live! Immerse yourself in the ROM’s collections, and meet local fashion designers. $17 tickets available online and at the door.
9 pm Live Brit/Indie-Pop Karaoke @ The Baby G, 1608 Dundas St. W. The Mis-Shapes rock the tunes, YOU rock the mic! Check out the Facebook page for a full list of songs for the night, including “Rebellion (Lies)” by Arcade Fire, “Suffragette City” by David Bowie, “Bohemian Like You” by the Dandy Warhols, “Supersonic” by Oasis, “Last Nite” by The Strokes, and “Bittersweet Symphony” by Verve.
10 pm Backstreet Boys vs. *NSYNC Dance Party @ Studio Bar, 824 Dundas St. W. Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC? It’s a question that has haunted boy band fans for darn near 20 years. This Saturday, YOU decide who the victors are in this ultimate battle for pop supremacy. Appearances by O-Town, New Kids On The Block, 98 Degrees, Blue, Blackstreet, and more. $10 tickets available online and at the door.
10 pm Biggity Boop @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Hip-hop, dancehall, and R&B with your hosts Hoiking, Sims, and Teej Mahal. Jams to make your biggity boop! $5.
10 pm Puppy Love @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Queer + sex positive dance party with DJs Nate Nightcall and Dang Kids on the decks, spinning a mix of pop, house, nostalgia, dance floor classics, and R&B. $5.
10 pm Gin & Phonic @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Soul, reggae, jazz, cumbia, samba, psych, and rock with Mogpaws.
10 pm Body Heat @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. DJ Jamieson and guests stir up a hot mess on the dance floor! Full of surprises, void of cover.
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.
9 pm My Bad @ Stone’s Place, 1255 Queen St. W. DJ Blush is bringing the SHAME to Stones Place with this ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s guilty pleasure dance party! Wham!, Puff Daddy, Shania Twain, Guns N Roses, Hall & Oates, Mariah Carey, Will Smith, Phil Collins, The Go-Gos, The Spice Girls, and more. $5.
10 pm Synthesexer @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Toronto’s synthesexiest sexy synthy alternative electro dance party returns! Expect to hear stuff like: Tiga, Annie, Chromeo, M.I.A., Holy Ghost!, Robyn, Daft Punk, Little Dragon, Pet Shop Boys, and more. DJs Little Kicks, ARP 2600, and Digits will be present to sex you up (music-wise). $10.
10 pm Skank Top: Truly Outrageous @ The Steady, 1051 Bloor St. W. Jem and the Holograms Maximum comes alive for one night only! Featuring drag goddess Allysin Chaynes, Burlesque idol Miss Mitzy Cream, Geoff Stevens as Pizzaz, Skank of Honour (and birthday boy) Michael Burtch, and DJs Miceberg and Michael K on the decks. Fabulous prizes from IDW Publishing (Jem and the Holograms and The Misfits comics). $5 before 11:30 pm, $10 after.
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. Join the Bangs & Blush ladies for a night full of drinking and bad decisions. Drake, Hanson, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Missy Elliott, Venga Boys, Bieber, Will Smith, Spice Girls, Eminem, Jay-Z, Disney music, and more! $5 with student ID, $10 without.
11 pm Lay These Knight @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Famou$ Players play the sweatiest R&B anthems from the ’90s to the ’00s to the ’10s. All your old favourites, new favourites, and soon-to-be-favourites! $10.
SATURDAY
10 am The Horticultural Societies of Parkdale & Toronto’s Plant Fair & Craft Sale @ Roncesvalles United Church, 214 Wright Ave. Amazing garden finds and plants of all kinds + arts and crafts from local artisans; praying mantis eggs; bee nests for solitary, gentle, pollinator bees; the Green Elephant garden flea market; and tasty home baked treats at the Hort Cafe. Until 2 pm.
10 am Toronto Flower Market Season Launch @ CAMH, 1001 Queen St. W. A market that celebrates locally grown flowers, the growers that cultivate them, and the florists that style them. Flowers in season: tulips, daffodils, gerbera, hyacinth, muscari, lilac, and more. Until 3 pm.
10 am Gladstone Flea: Mother’s Day Edition @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Looking for something special to get your mama? Swing by the Gladstone Flea and find original gifts created by local makers for those special mamas and some must-haves for yourselves. Until 4 pm.
11 am Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Festival & Night Market @ Parkdale Village. The fifth annual Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Festival, now with more markets, more music, more food, more shopping, and more fun! From 11-6 pm, enjoy musical and artistic entertainment, free activities, a sidewalk sale along Queen West, and pop-up markets. From 4-10 pm, stop by the Foodora Night Market, where you can enjoy some of Parkdale’s most eclectic food and Chef’s all in one place and under the stars.
12 pm Bellwoods Flea: Mother’s Day Edition @ May, 876 Dundas St. W. Shop locally from Toronto’s best in art, baked goods, beauty care, clothing and fashion accessories, eco friendly, food, handmade, home decor, jewelry, vintage, and more. There will also be a full menu with specials on Vietnamese tapas, arcade machines, retro video games, and a lounge area for you to enjoy something to eat, view your purchases, listen to the tunes, or simply take a load off. Furry friends welcome! Until 6 pm.
10 pm Beam Me Up Disco @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A monthly 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 A Digital Needle and Cyclist. $10.
10 pm One Leg Up @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. An all vinyl dance party featuring all hit songs from any genre and decade! Curated by DJ Precious Brett, you can expect the BEST in funky, soulful, rockin hits from the past 60 years.
10 pm Saturday Night Jukebox Dance Party @ Stone’s Place, 1255 Queen St. W. Meet DJ Blush at Stones Place every Saturday night for the most fun/positive/energetic dance party on the West side of the 6! She plays the best ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s Motown, Stax, classic soul, funk, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, and disco.
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 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, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Nelly, TLC, Missy Elliott, and more! $5 with student ID, $10 without.
10 pm Funk Off @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Get down to music of the funk variety! TNT on the tunes. $5.
10 pm Tiki Disco Saturdays @ Miss Thing’s, 1279 Queen St. W. Post-dinner Saturday night party in the Coconut Room, with special guest DJs to make you MOVE! No cover before midnight.
10 pm Hey Girl Hey @ The Steady, 1051 Bloor St. W. Come dry off from those April showers at your fave queer dance party celebrating the women of hip-hop and R&B! DJ Orange Pekoe spinning your jams + Beardoncé giving you life at the legendary 12:30 floorshow. $5.
10 pm Business Woman’s Special: Cranes in the Sky Edition @ ROUND Venue, 152-A Augusta Ave. Climb on that crane, find your way onto the pulley, take some selfies and rock those two-inch heeled booties. Actually, just seek your adventure at BWS! DJs Sammy Royale and Diego Armand on the decks. $7.
10:30 pm Cuffin’ @ Socialite Bar, 276 Augusta Ave. R&B anthems, album cuts, remixes, and slow jams from all eras. Soundtrack provided by DJ Royale, complimentary cupcakes from Bites! By Ashley. $5 before 11:30 pm, more after.
11 pm Racks & Bands @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Let Jay Jolliffe and Big Jacks take you on a rollercoaster ride through the biggest songs in hip-hop and RnB. $10.
SUNDAY
12 pm Barshop: Vintage & Local Crafts Flea Market @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. The first edition of Barshop kicks off at the Garrison with vintage, craft, and handmade dealers + psych and rock ‘n’ roll tunes by DJ CC Ryder. Vendors: Rosehound Apparel, White Tiger Vintage, Magic Phoenix Vintage, Nouveau Riche Vintage, Ami Spears Vintage, Siberia Vintage, Lisa Terry, Golden Dawn Vintage, Tara Zep, Stacey Vintage, Elissa Mieke, Sweet JuJu Real, Rambo Bambino, Alice Vintage, and Wild Witch Crafts. Bring cash! Until 6 pm.
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