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.
7:30 pm Wavelength Holiday Music x Comedy Fundraiser for Unison Fund @ The Baby G, 1608 Dundas St. W. Holiday music and comedy fundraiser for Unison Benevolent Fund. Featuring music by Jeen, SlowPitchSound, Blimp Rock, and Thalia Zedek Band + comedians Aisha Brown, Marty Topps, and Franco Nguyen. $10 in advance, $15/PWYC at the door.
THURSDAY
5 pm Betty’s Gives Back @ Sweaty Betty’s, 13 Ossington Ave. Help Sweaty Betty’s help the Daily Bread Food Bank and Toronto Humane Society! Bring in a non-perishable food item and receive a raffle ticket for some amazing prizes, including a Sweaty Betty’s gift certificate, Jameson swag, and prize packs from Mill Street Brewery and Woodhouse. The bar will also be donating $2 from every purchase of their $5 drink specials to the Toronto Humane Society. Until close (2 am).
6:45 pm Designing The Movies: Metropolitan @ Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. Quaff, quip and make merry with Whit Stillman’s 1990 debut Metropolitan. Prior to the screening, series host Nathalie Atkinson in conversation with Shinan Govani, The Toronto Star society columnist, author and bon vivant, about the most quotable holiday movie of all time. $12-15 advance tickets available online.
9 pm Boosie Fade Film Club Presents: Paid in Full on 35mm @ TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. 16 years after its premiere, Boosie Fade Film Club presents Charles Stone III’s 2002 film, Paid in Full, on 35mm. $14 tickets available online.
10 pm Saddle Up! Holiday Hoedown Social @ Owl’s Club, 847 Dovercourt Rd. Join Saddle Up! for a festive celebration in the downstairs portion of the Owl’s Club. There won’t be room for dancing, but there will be darts, shuffleboard, snacks, and of course, classic country Christmas songs along with lots of other favourites mixed in. Live performance by The Layrite Boys.
7 pm F*ck Sh*t Up: Trans + Non-Binary Performer Cabaret @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Enjoy performances by Gay Jesus, Halal Bae, Mike Hunt, Rae Spoon, and Sze-Yang as part of the Gladstone’s new Thursday night cabaret series. With hosts Babia Majora and Fluffy Soufflé. Stick around after the cabaret for tunes and more good times. PWYC ($10 suggested, but no one will be turned away).
10 pm Sister Mister @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A queer dance party bringing some much-needed heat, body, and swish to the West End. Every Thursday, they welcome a new DJ (female, male, and beyond the binary) to get you dancing and always blurring gender lines in Toronto’s nightlife universe.
10 pm Back On @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. A weekly Thursday night party playing all the brand-new Top 40 tracks you can handle. Casual dress, casual feeling. $5.
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?
FRIDAY
10 pm Doo Lang @ Lucky Shrike, 850 Dundas St. W. DJ Misty spinning vintage R&B, girl groups, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, and funk!
10 pm Decade: A 1995-2005 Dance Party @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Relive your best life at Clinton’s newest dance party, Decade! Anthems from 1995-2005 all night. $10.
10 pm Sunset Culture Club @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. All vinyl rare party jams and audio explorations with DJ Morgan Yew.
10 pm Freaky Friday @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Get freaky with DJs B BAD and M4RS! Funk, disco, hip-hop, dancehall, reggae, trap, throwbacks, top 40, mashups, RnB, Motown, and more. Free before 11 pm.
10 pm DJ Digital’s Time Machine: Classic Rock Edition @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Come rock out like dad, but better.
10 pm On Earth Presents: Hunter Lombard & Persuasion @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. On Earth’s final party of the year, featuring an evening of accelerated dance music from the crates of Hunter Lombard (Jack Dept., NYC) and Persuasion (Black Opal, MTL).
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
11 am The Bazaar of the Bizarre: Frostbite 2018 @ Pia Bouman School for Ballet and Creative Movement, 6 Noble St. A marketplace for all things, different, interesting, weird, strange, one-of-a-kind, macabre, and whimsical. Showcasing a wide variety of independent artists, designers, and crafters. Until 8 pm.
12 pm Xpace Holiday Zine & Maker Fair @ Xpace Cultural Centre, 2-303 Lansdowne Ave., Unit 2. Emerging artists and designers will be selling zines, comics, prints, t-shirts, tote bags, jewelry, ceramics, crafts, and other handmade multiples! Music by DJ Soft Drink and Rose Ceremony. Until 6 pm.
4 pm Holiday Mixtape Exchange @ The Dupe Shop, 1185 Bloor St. W. Bring a mixtape of your own and trade it for a new one! (If you can’t make a mixtape on your own, bring a playlist on your phone or computer anytime and The Dupe Shop can get you set up.) There will be snacks, plenty of good tapes, and friends new and old. Until 6 pm.
8 pm DJ Skate Nights: La Rumba Buena @ Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay W. La Rumba Buena is a night dedicated to classic Latin sounds inspired by the salsatecas in Cali, Havana, and New York. No frills, pure vibes, and a non-stop dance floor open to anyone who catches the rhythm. Skate and helmet rentals available. Until 11 pm.
10 pm Goddess: Red Carpet Ready @ The Baby G, 1608 Dundas St. W. The paparazzi! The awards! The gowns! Get red carpet ready and let your goddess FREE! Performances by Beardoncé, Fisher Price, and Lady Kunterpunt. $10.
10 pm It’s All Good @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Join DJs General Eclectic and Mike Luke as they take you on a journey from Biggie to Bjork, Nirvana to No Doubt, Destiny’s Child to Daft Punk, TLC to ATCQ, Eminem to En Vogue, Mariah Carey to Massive Attack, Portishead to Pavement, Spice Girls to Stereolab, and much more! $10.
10 pm Saturday Night Jukebox Dance Party @ Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W. Sweat it out to the sweet sounds of the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll and soul music! DJ Blush plays rock, soul, funk, pop, and disco from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.
10 pm Pump Up The Volume @ Remix Lounge, 1305 Dundas St. W. A retro video dance party with DJ Lazarus playing the videos that shaped dance music. You will see videos from the late ’80s to the early 2000s. These are the jams that filled the clubs and raves during the golden age of dance music. $10 before 11 pm, $15 after.
10 pm Get It Together @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Kensington Market’s open format dance party welcoming all genres, all styles and all people. Selections by Mikey McFly. $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! $10.
10 pm Farside Christmas Story @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. DJs Lian and Justin spin funk, dance, and hip-hop for the season.
10 pm Forth: Softcoresoft b2b Anabasine, Hadi @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. Forth delivers the first of many to come small-format, tightly-curated shows. Opening the night, Hadi will be pumping out a DJ set packed with slow dance floor heaters. Expect a lively mix of reggae, breaks, EBM, and acid. $10-15 advance tickets available online.
10 pm I Think I’m Making A Comeback Dance Party @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Shirley Tempo plays Motown, soul, rock, pop, and guilty pleasures to make you dance!
10 pm Jingle All The Way: 90s Dance Party @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. Get into the holiday spirit and dance the night away to all the ’90s tunes you can handle! $5 advance tickets available online.
10:30 pm Divas Only: Starring The Spice Girls @ Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church St. Glad Day and Juicy Moon Productions are celebrating Girl Power by bringing divas from across the decades under one roof with all the glamour, platforms, and high notes you can handle. Special spotlight on The Spice Girls! DJs Aeryn Pfaff and Maggy on the decks + special performances by legendary Queen Bon Bon Bontemps throughout the night. $5 before 11:30 pm, $10 after.
10:30 pm Back In The Day @ Revival, 783 College St. A tribute to ’90s old school hip-hop, R&B, dance, house, reggae, and pop with DJs Wrispect and R2. Email info@themarqueemedia.com for bottle service inquiries and guest list.
11 pm Get Good @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Diggy The DJ plays all your favourite bangers. $10.
SUNDAY
10 am Gladstone Hotel Marketplace: Textile Edition @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. This edition of the Gladstone Hotel Marketplace will showcase a range of handcrafted textile items in various techniques and price points aimed at holiday gift giving.Vendors will present unique artist-made objects, wearables, fashion accessories, and home decor items for sale. Until 4 pm.
10 am The Trinity Bellwoods Flea @ The Great Hall (lower level), 1087 Queen St. W. The Trinity Bellwoods Flea brings you a lineup of handmade, local, art, and vintage vendors and artisans offering a diverse and truly gift-worthy selection of goods. Admission is FREE and four-legged friends are always welcome. Until 5 pm.
10 am Ontario Vintage Market: Indoor Holiday Edition @ Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave. Shop from a selection of vintage design, art, and antiques. Until 5 pm.
11 am Venus Fest Winter Market @ Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. Venus Fest is hosting their first Winter Market, showcasing local businesses run by and supporting women and non-binary folks! Shop local, handcrafted goods for your winter season and solstice time gatherings, and stay for a coffee or a drink. Until 5 pm.
12 pm The Garrison Holiday Flea @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. Shop local vintage and handmade goods from vendors like Black Diamond Vintage, Roundhouse Apparel, Female Treble, Ramble On Silver, Dream Weaver Macrame, and lots more. 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.
9 pm Spaced In @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Join DJ Dremuss and special guest Terry Funk on a fun laid-back cool friendly party atmosphere and rewind to boogie, funk, indie dance, and disco!
10 pm Sinful Sundays Burlesque @ Cherry Cola’s, 200 Bathurst St. Come be entertained at TO’s weekly “temple of tease.” This edition features Aslayna Von Hunt, Maron de Sade, Oliver Easzy, Victoria Vermouth, and host Belle Jumelles. Free entry; tipping encouraged.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com