WEDNESDAY
5 pm Artscape Street Party: Circus @ Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St. Featuring pop-up performances by Zero Gravity Circus and The Circus Academy (imagine aerialists hanging from the rafters, jugglers hurling clubs through the air and stilt walkers weaving through the crowds with the greatest of ease); circus-themed eats from Citizen Catering, Gourmet B1tches, Rose City Kitchen, and Sugar Mamma’s Donuts; a licensed beer garden, and more! Presented by Artscape, a not-for-profit organization that makes space for creativity and transforms communities, in collaboration with the Wychwood Barns Community Association. Until 9 pm.
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. $4 Jack Daniels and Rolling Rocks until 12:30 am.
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 Twisted Thursdays @ Crawford, 718 College St. Hip-hop, RnB, reggae, trap, and old school with DJ Law. $5.
10 pm Fat Laces @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Big Jimmy Mills, the scratch-monster, spins old school hip-hop.
FRIDAY
10 pm Jamz! @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. An anything goes, no bullshit, non-genre, dance ’til you drop, all your friends in one room, party hard, make the floor wet with sweat, shit show! With DJs Slater, Ty, and Mikey. $5.
10 pm X-Feels 2 @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. An X-Files-themed dance party featuring video projections of the show’s highlights and visions of our human-alien hybrid futures. Dress up as Mulder or Scully (or an alien) for a chance to win prizes. DJs BJ (Sarah D’Angelo), Minivanman (Cam Lee), and Dorian Gay will be stirring up a dark conspiracy on the dance floor all night.
10 pm Shindig! Presents: Motown vs. Stax @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Nothing but original Motown and Stax 7” 45 RPM records all night long! Expertly curated by resident Shindig! selectors General Eclectic, Double K (Parkdale Funk), and Splattermonkey. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.
10 pm Savvy Records Release Party @ The Steady, 1051 Bloor St. W. Local underground DJ NTMG warms things up with his bassy basement beats to get your booty movin’. Once the crowd is all hot and bothered things get weird with Beach Jerky. Resident at Baltimore House and their weekly Night Drive parties, this DJ-producer knows what he’s doing. Expect homemade house and techno music, unfinished ideas, and more dirty laundry. And finally, DJ Discrete; celebrating his new release on Savvy Records, this self-made man will remind you why we go out at night with his feature-length set.
10 pm Mighty Real @ Round, 152-A Augusta Ave. Resident DJs John Caffery and The Robotic Kid play classic and nu disco, house, and bass to make you work! Hosted by Tynomi Banks. $5.
10 pm Pop Lobster: The Claw That Rocked The Cradle Edition @ Magpie, 831 Dundas St. W. Celebrate the birth of Rebecca De Mornay through the art of dance! This lobster knows no pop boundaries. They may or may not play some of this: TLC, Pet Shop Boys, Blondie, Talking Heads, Robyn, Destiny’s Child, Nelly, Prince, Britney Spears, Le Tigre, Motown, indie, new wave, disco.
10 pm Nino Brown Presents @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Nino Brown and guests spin hip-hop, dancehall, soca, RnB, soul, and deep, deep grooves.
10 pm F*CK Y*U D!E @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. With DJs Brains4brkfst and Japain. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10 pm No Sleep ‘Til Brooklynn @ Brooklynn, 1186 Queen St. W. Make new friends. No dress code. No bullshit. Mickey “bottle service” available. $5 with guestlist before 11:30 pm, $10 otherwise.
11 pm Elementary @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. DJ/Producers Rynecologist (who mixes cheese with class) and Meech (dubbed as Toronto’s house maestro) join forces for this monthly dance party. $10.
SATURDAY
6 pm Cat Art Show Opening Reception @ Project Gallery, 1109 Queen St. E. Project Gallery is pleased to present, by popular demand, it’s first feline-friendly exhibition, the Cat Art Show. “In addition to being a staple in the home and throughout art history, cats have been immortalized throughout time being associated with mystical, religious and mythological stories and archetypes. Today, internet memes and youtube videos serve as our homage to the cuteness and ferocity of the unique creatures that we celebrate in this contemporary art exhibition.” Until 10 pm. Exhibition runs until September 3rd.
10 pm White Girl @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. End Of Summer Edition. Houston/NYC/LA/Atlanta/Chicago rap with DJs Patrick McGuire, ItsMattLangille, and KDS (Baller’s Eve NYC). Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10 pm Body Interface @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. Grooves + rhythms to move you courtesy of DJs Sebastian Butt, Cameron Lee, and special guest Max Mohenu.
10 pm One Leg Up @ Sex Laser, 1369 Dundas St. W. An all-vinyl sexy dance party featuring strictly hits from any genre and any decade.
10 pm Instant Music @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. DJs LP’s LPs and AyGay play records until the next day. Dark, psych, electric, noise, dance.
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 Fast Times @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. ’80s night with DJs Tweed and Sarah Le Bon! Pop, rock, new wave, punk, funk, electronic, soul, R&B, and everything else ’80s. Free before 10:30 pm, $5 after.
10 pm #CrushTO Slumber Party @ Club 120, 120 Church St. #CrushTO celebrates the end of summer with Toronto’s hottest pyjama party! Wear your favourite onesie, lingerie, pyjama pants, tank tops, bathrobes or whatever you like to sleep in. Sexy teddy bears and warm milk suggested. Costumes encouraged but not required! Queer + sex positive dance party featuring sexier flavours of house music from resident DJ Mothers. $10.
10 pm Panic @ Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St. W. The ultimate retro party! With DJ Lazarus spinning the kind of retro that changed your life: ’80s, ’90s, new wave, classic alternatives, ska, Brit-pop, dance, shoegaze, post-punk, and more. This month’s spotlight is Echo and The Bunnymen. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.
10 pm In Touch @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. All the stuff you need. Party music you can really move to. Get in touch with your party self.
11 pm Shake A Tail @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. ’60s pop, rock, soul, funk, garage, ska, ANYTHING! Always humid. $5.
11 pm Itzsoweezee 4 Year Anniversary @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A feel-good house party atmosphere! DJs Thugli, Soundbwoy, echtwelve, DeMiggs, and ΛV play music to make you dance, smile, and holler. For $5 reduced guestlist and line bypass, email guestlist@itzsoweezee.com (closes at midnight). $10.
SUNDAY
11 am Sunday Mini Mart @ The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W. Every Sunday morning to afternoon, The Drake hosts theTimberlost + friends mini market. Featuring beautiful flowers from Timberlost, with rotating wares ranging from stationary to street art.
12 pm Pedestrian Sundays @ Kensington Market. The streets are yours from noon to 7 pm!
4 pm Sky Yard Sundays @ The Drake Sky Yard, 1150 Queen St. W. Brunch, booze, and a ton of fun in the Sun(day)! Fuel up with a late brunch or refreshing Coronas, and enjoy the sounds of weekly DJs from 4-8 pm.
7:30 pm Bad Movie Night Toronto Presents: “Hard Ticket to Hawaii” @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. The most important thing you need to know about “Hard Ticket to Hawaii” is that it features a deadly snake that has been infected by cancer-infested rats.
8 pm Judy and Igby’s Summer CAMP Talent Show @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. The girls have been whittling their sticks, bird watching, working on their “counselling skills,” and whipping the campy campers into shape allllll summer long. Now it’s time for them to show their stuff in the Drake Underground for their first CAMP on Queen West. Join Judy Virago and Igby Lizzard for an evening of camp cabaret featuring performances from members of the House of Filth and friends. $10.
9 pm LZRQST #4 @ Sex Laser, 1369 Dundas St. W. BWV returns to Sex Laser for another night of house and techno. They play loud music that is good for dancing and other sexualized movements. Come early for $3 drinks.
9:30 pm Mean Girls Quote-A-Thon @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W. Comedian Steph Tolev hosts a raucous screening of the pop culture phenomenon that taught us about The Plastics, freshmen, preps, desperate wannabes, burnouts, sexually active band geeks, and fusion nerds. Shout out your favourite lines and rap along with Kevin G. Hopefully no one writes about you in the Burn Book!
P.S. We know it’s not a Wednesday, but you should probably wear pink. Drink special: $5 Steam Whistle Tall Boys. $9.73 advance tickets available online.
10 pm Last Gasp Dance Party @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Bye, bye August! Hip-hop, Rnb, reggae, party mixes, and slow jams on two turntables.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com