June 13th-17th NXNE @ various locations. An annual 10-day summer festival and conference taking over Toronto with music, panels, parties, installations and more.
June 13th-24th Luminato @ various locations. Each June, Luminato transforms theatres and public spaces across the city, creating a home for artists to play, share and create.
June 15th-16th Nuit Rose Festival & Art Crawl @ various locations. Nuit Rose is back for its fifth annual festival of queer art and performance. Taking the theme of Unbound, the festival features art that crosses borders, both real and imagined.
June 15th-17th Taco Fest @ Ontario Place, 955 Lakeshore Blvd. W. Tacos, guacamole, churros, tequila, hot sauce and everything Mexican! An electric atmosphere showcasing Toronto’s best and most celebrated chefs with an authentic Mexican twist. Runs 11-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11-7 p.m. Sunday. $9.95+ tickets available online.
June 15th-17th Archival Toronto SS18 Pop-Up @ Hide, 789 Dundas St. W. Archival Toronto brings together more than 100 carefully curated archive/vintage pieces from designers they feel have made an impact on how fashion is today. Featuring the works of Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, Raf Simons, Miuccia Prada, Hedi Slimane and many more. RSVP here.
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.
9 pm Deep Freeze Wednesdays @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Embrace the chill! Join DJs Tweed and Babe Decibel in the front room for chill mid- and down-tempo indie tunes. $4.75 drinks.
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 Cheff @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Old school rock ‘n’ roll, post punk, rockabilly and psychedelic blooze explosions!
10 pm Nuit Rose x Tapette Pop-Up Art Party @ Nuit Rose Art Bar, 562 Church St. Tapette, Toronto’s one and only all-French dance party has partnered with the Nuit Rose Art Bar for a one-night-only pop-up dance party experience! DJ Phillippe spins French disco, house and pop gems to kick start your weekend and Pride party marathon. Expect cuties, kissing and baguettes.
FRIDAY
5 pm Night Market 6ix @ Canoe Landing Park, 95 Fort York Blvd. A market celebrating the phenomenal art and food culture of Toronto. Featuring over 50 vendors, live music performances and a DJ two bands, child- and pet-friendly environment, and an open-air beer garden for adults. Until 11 p.m. Admission is free and all event proceeds go towards the Ronald McDonald House Toronto and the George Brown College Foundation.
7 pm Friday Night Live: Colour ROM Proud @ Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. Continue your Pride Month celebrations with an official Pride Toronto dance party at #FNLROM! A night of queer art, expression, music, dancing, food and performance; a night to feel proud and party. $17 (plus tax) tickets available online; limited amount available at the door.
8:30 pm Under the Persian Musical Sky @ Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr. The Aga Khan Museum presents the third captivating show in the collaborative 2018 series from acclaimed Montreal-based group Constantinople. In this special performance, Constantinople teams up with kamancheh master Kayhan Kalhor to offer a tribute to Iran’s vast artistic landscape. $40 advance tickets available online.
9 pm After Dark: Secrets & Vices @ Kensington Hall, 56 Kensington Ave. A wild night of dancing and revelry that’s part adult carnival, part seedy nightclub. Music to move to by Ruby Bantock. Peek into your future with psychic Veronica Crookall (9-11 p.m.). Games to play and prizes to win. $10.
10 pm 80s Mix Tape Dance Party @ Stone’s Place, 1255 Queen St. W. DJ Misty takes you on a trip back to the 1980s in a musical DeLorean of awesomeness. Overload on hairspray, break out the shoulder pads, and get ready to start your weekend off right! $5.
10 pm Yes Yes Y’all @ Nest, 423 College St. Toronto’s baddest queer hip-hop/dancehall/sweat-your-face-off party! $6 before 11:30 p.m., $10 after.
10 pm #THEUNDERGROUND @ The Shop Under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Dance, house, trap, hip-hop, bounce/twerk, RnB, B-sides, mix tapes, dancehall, and everything in between with DJs Lissa Monet and Karim Olen Ash.
10 pm 90s Video Dance Party @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. The biggest ’90s video dance party is back with DJ Greedo on the decks, specialty shots, free glow sticks, and a $100 themed costume contest. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
10 pm Shadows of Motown @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. DJs Well Said, Slater, and Ty play the biggest and best Motown, doo-wop, and booty shakin’ hits. $5.
10 pm Carlton Ranks @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. The ultimate smooth party groove. Hip-hop, dancehall, soul, RnB, reggae–everything you need.
10 pm Girl & Boy 90s Dance Party @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. A pulsating dance party rocking the retro sounds of the 1990s and early 2000s! Hip-hop, R&B, pop and dance music all night. $5 with student ID, $10 without.
10 pm Electrovelo: Synth Pop Dance Party @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. An eclectic mix of synth-pop, Italo disco, mutant disco, electroclash and all things electric for your dancing pleasure. With tunes from DJs Case of Base and Lana Leprich.
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 Collectif Nude Presents: Pawty Time @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Featuring new lineups with Toronto’s best DJs every month + specially curated hosts and photographers, Pawty Time aims to bring together many elements from the arts and music community and to empower them with a stage to do their thing! $10.
SATURDAY
4 pm Sunnyside 20: Episode 003 @ Sunnyside Pavilion & Cafe, 1755 Lake Shore Blvd. W. Sunnyside is back for its 20th season of summer music events under the sun, moon and stars! Their second performer of the season is San Francisco’s ATISH alongside Jonathan Rosa, Richard Brooks, Sean Roman and Nadia Amirmolavy. $30 (plus HST) tickets available online.
7 pm Drunk “Mean Girls”: A Live Read @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. Mean Girls super fans, this one’s for you. Watch 10 of your favourite local plastics breathe sweet, alcoholic life back into the most important film of our generation. And, hey, you can wear pink, even though it ain’t Wednesday. Doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30. $10 minimum, with all proceeds will be donated to the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.
10 pm Chronologic @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. A dance party through the ages. Pop and anti-pop since the end of history (i.e., music from 1890 to 2018, played in chronological order). $5 before 11:30 p.m., $10 after.
10 pm California: An O.C. Inspired 2000s Party @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. California, here we come! Sneaky Dee’s is transforming into The Baitshop and digging deep into Seth Cohen’s music collection to bring you a night full of music from The O.C. plus other 2000s jams. 4 a.m. LAST CALL. $5 advance tickets available online.
10 pm Saturday Night Jukebox Party @ Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W. DJ Blush brings you this super-fun/high-energy party where you’ll shimmy, shake and sweat the night away to all your favourite jukebox hits and classics! ’50s/60s/70s rock ‘n’ roll, soul, Motown, pop, disco and funk.
10 pm DJ Shirley Tempo @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Shirley Tempo plays soul, pop, rock, guilty pleasures, and funky jams to make you dance!
10 pm Duane Harriott @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. Brooklyn-based DJ/producer Duane Harriott makes his first Toronto appearance inside Dundas & Dovercourt’s beloved lower-level dance dwelling. With support from Club Fitness, Karim Olen Ash and Babygirl. Free before midnight, $10 after.
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 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 All Soul’d Out @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Big Jimmy Mills on two turntables spinning old school hip-hop, party jams, dancehall, reggae and RnB.
10 pm It’s All Good @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Join VJ Mike Luke as he travels back to the ’90s, playing everything 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 Bleach @ Remix Lounge, Dundas St. W. Toronto’s first and only all-90s alternative audio and visual experience. Dance to videos from: Nirvana, Blur, Massive Attack, The Cure, Suede, Prodigy, Radiohead, Filter, Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, New Order, Hole, The Cranberries and more. $10 before 11 p.m., $15 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 4Korners and DJ R2. Email info@themarqueemedia.com for bottle service inquiries and guest list.
11 pm Stuck On Stupid @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. DJs Fase and Dougie Boom throw a no-holds-barred, anything-goes, sky’s-the-limit, all-out dance-a-thon! Expect hits and not-so-hits, jams old and new. $10.
SUNDAY
10 am The Trinity Bellwoods Flea: Pride Market @ The Great Hall (lower level), 1087 Queen St. W. In the spirit on June being Toronto’s official Pride month, this edition of the Trinity Bellwoods Flea will be dedicated to supporting LGBTQ artisans, makers and small business owners (in addition to their already LGBTQ-supporting marketplace). Find 60+ of Toronto’s finest under one roof. Four-legged friends welcome! Until 5 pm.
12 pm Mariposa Cruises’ Father’s Day Brunch & Dinner Cruise @ 207 Queen’s Quay, Pier 6. Dad will be treated like a captain for the afternoon or evening with delicious culinary offerings prepared by new executive chef Andrew Capone (formerly of The Drake and Thuet). There will be a selection of beer, wine and speciality cocktails to enjoy while taking in stunning views of Toronto’s harbour, islands and iconic skyline. Tickets for the Brunch Cruise (12-2 pm) are $62.95 + HSC and HST for adults and Dinner Cruise (5:30-8 pm) are $78.95 + HSC and HST.
1 pm Black Owned Summer Market @ Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St. Shop products and services from black-owned businesses while enjoying music, performances and food. All are welcome! Until 8 pm.
3 pm Home @ Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr. A moving performance by AraBest, Moskitto Bar and Frazer Garison Sundown and the Ukwehuwe Connection that explores the diversity of Toronto and the concept of “home.” $25 advance tickets available online.
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.
7 pm Toronto Outdoor Picture Show @ Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd. TOPS opens its 2018 season with a screening of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, an essential film about urban summer life, followed by A Tribe Called Red’s “Indian City” music video. Food and drinks available for sale from Toben Food By Design, The Pop Stand and ChocoSol and Steam Whistle Pilsner beginning at 7 p.m.; film starts at sundown (9:15 pm). BYOBlanket and chairs. Free!
7 pm Brass Facts Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Test your knowledge and win prizes! Hosted by Famous Kirk Hero. Until 10 p.m.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com