December 8th-9th Leslieville Flea Holiday Market @ Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre, 870 Queen St. E. Shop from over 55 vendors selling a curated selection of vintage and handcrafted items, snap a selfie in the old time photo booth, and listen to carols performed by University of Toronto’s Glee Club at the Leslieville Flea Holiday Market. Runs 10-5 pm both days.
December 8th-9th Pink Xmas @ The 519, 519 Church St. A (holiday) queer craft, fashion, art, and literature fair organized by Pink Market in support of The 519. Runs 11-6 pm Saturday and 11-5 pm Sunday. PWYC ($5 suggested).
December 8th-9th Tranzac Holiday Gift Fair @ Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. Now in its second year, the Tranzac Holiday Gift Fair is a great place to find original, handmade gifts by local artists and artisans. Runs 12-6 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.
7 pm BURR! A Boosie Festivus @ Miracle on Queen, 251 Queen St. W. Boosie Fade’s annual holiday party in support of Sistering: A Woman’s Place and Street Health! Hang out, drink some fancy cocktails (regular or non-alcoholic), and listen to music. Until midnight. PWYC.
8 pm Spelling Bae @ Pennie’s, 127 Strachan Ave. You’re one word away from winning cash money, bragging rights, and glory everlasting at this month’s Spelling Bae! Sign-up at 8 pm, Bae at 8:30.
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.
10 pm Post Office @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. Come post up and have some drinks at Handlebar post-work as a couple of post-DJ dudes (Chayne and Daniel) pause-n-play their way through postmodern, post-irony, post-worthy and every kind of post they can come across.
THURSDAY
5 pm Parkdale Holiday Bazaar @ Parkdale Village. Join 96 Tears Vintage and other vintage and retail stores in Parkdale for a holiday bazaar! Each store will have their own sale and snacks with a personalized edition of a bazaar. Full list of participants here. Until 10 pm.
7 pm Pop Culture Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. A trivia night with the emphasis on entertainment (movies, TV, music). This is the payoff for all the television you’ve been watching. Prizes and cheap drinks all night!
8 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.
9 pm Astral Projections @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. A monthly out-of-body experience blending mind-expanding audio/visual delights from local electronic bands and DJs. This edition will feature a live performance by Future Primitive + DJ sets by Iced Misto, General Eclectic, and Hemingway. $8.
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 Electricladyland @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. A queer synthy, sexy dance party, playing all and only electronic ladies! Expect lots of Le Tigre, Erykah Badu, Bjork, Kate Bush, Kelela, Broadcast, Robyn, Madonna, The Knife, Kylie Minogue, M.I.A., Lykke Li, FKA Twigs, Santogold, Grimes, and more.
10 pm Psychedelic Soul Shack @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ D.B. Bux plays damn fine selections of soul, funk, and classic disco all night.
10 pm Black Postcards @ The Embassy, 223 Augusta Ave. DJ Black Dice spinning rare ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and R&B.
FRIDAY
8:30 pm Krampus Ball @ The Opera House, 735 Queen St. E. Halloween will live on through the Christmas season at this seventh annual costume party brought to you by Squid Lid. Costumes encouraged but not mandatory (think ghosts, goblins, Halloween costumes, club kids, candy ravers, dinner party wear, etc). $35 tickets available online.
10 pm Kinky Love @ Super Wonder Gallery, 584 College St. DJs Prince Ness and Rob Judges play the best of funk, rock, new wave, soul, hip-hop, disco, reggae, gold. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10 pm PopRocks @ ROUND Venue, 152-A Augusta Ave. Alterna-pop, indie, retro, synthpop, electronic, and remixes from artists like Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Daft Punk, Arcade Fire, The Cure, Bloc Party, New Order, Ladytron, Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey, Hot Chip, Björk, David Bowie, MGMT, and more. $5.
10 pm Bar Phlie @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. Rapper/producer/DJ More Or Les plays tunes with a hip-hop slant to move you, whether it’s just a head-nod or a full-on shake-a-thon. Expect to hear stuff like A Tribe Called Quest, Dibia$e, J Dilla, Bonobo, TLC, Art of Noise, Roisin Murphy, The Internet, MF DOOM, Bob James, Strange U, and CZARFACE.
10 pm Millennial Falcon @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. A solid 2000s-now party hosted by Yacht Rock DJs Keith and Shandy. All the best bangers of the new millenium! Free before 11 pm.
10 pm Where Does This Disco? @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. Fun, silly, and strange pop transmissions received from an alternate-dimension Earth. Mutant disco, Italo, electronic indie pop, psych-pop, and unusual cover versions selected by DJ Digits.
10 pm Fuck It @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. 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 Lazy Susans @ The Ossington, 63 Ossington Ave. Spinning hip-hop, RnB, soul, rap, trap, and dirty south.
10 pm DJ Granny Pantys @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Rock, psych, post-punk, and oddities with DJ Granny Pantys. Come get weird!
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.
10:30 pm Big Primpin’: Body Heat @ Miss Thing’s, 1279 Queen St. W. Cram in and feel each other’s body heat as DJs Sikh Knowledge and Vaughan spin hip-hop and hot times for LGBTQ people and their guests. For line bypass, email bigprimpin@gmail.com. $7 before 11:30 pm, $10 after.
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.
11 pm Tapette: Édition Paraparapum @ SoSo Food Club, 1166 Dundas St. W. The final Tapette party of 2018! DJ Phillippe spins French disco, house, and Franco-classics (warning: Ginette Reno’s classic “Vive le Vent” will be slayed and played) all night. $10.
SATURDAY
11 am Parkdale Flea Presents: A Holiday Market @ Northern Contemporary Gallery, 1266 Queen St. W. Parkdale Flea is hosting its last holiday market of 2018 (and last market at this location)! The flea will be stocked to the max with a mix of new and known vendors. Until 6 pm.
12 pm Black Owned Holiday Market @ Enercare Centre (Hall C), 100 Princes’ Blvd. Shop products and services from black-owned businesses while enjoying music, performances and food. Donations will go towards funding business development programs to support black youth entrepreneurs. All are welcome! Until 9 pm.
10 pm Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen Dance Party @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy? If you wanna break free, dance all night to all the Queen anthems you can handle + a few other bangers from the era. $5 advance tickets available online.
10 pm Bonk @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. 1980s oddities, underground disco, wave and, synth with Milch and Daniel Benjamin. $5 before midnight, more after.
10 pm Synthesexer @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Toronto’s synthesexiest sexy synthy alternative electro dance party! Expect to hear stuff like: Tiga, Annie, Chromeo, M.I.A., Holy Ghost!, Robyn, Daft Punk, Little Dragon, Pet Shop Boys, and more. $5 before 11 pm, 10 after.
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 Afro Haus @ Revival, 783 College St. Express, release, and GET DOWN to the grooviest, freshest dance music coming out of Sub-Saharan Africa and her diaspora. DJ Sarah Jane Riegler and guest DJ Nina Hwata will be serving up a delicious elixir of Afro House, GQOM, Afrobeats, Soca, Kuduro, Sgubhu, Kwaito, and dancehall. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.
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 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, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Nelly, TLC, Missy Elliott, and more! $5 with student ID, $10 without.
10 pm A Drag Tribute to Animals @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Each month, The Beaver welcomes Fisher Price to pull together a menagerie of ghastly creatures to entertain you and pay tribute to whatever themed nonsense Fisher pulls from her highly caffeinated brain. This edition will feature Nancy Bocock, Imarra, and The FranDiscos. $5 before midnight, $10 after.
10 pm Knockout @ Disgraceland, 965 Bloor St. W. A night of strictly 1960s reggae and northern soul on original 45s.
10 pm DJ Nora Noise’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Takeover @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. The age of total rock ‘n’ roll domination has arrived.
10 pm Swiftmas Dance Party @ Mod Club, 722 College St. Swifties, get ready to shake it off! This dance party will feature enough Taylor Swift to satisfy the most loyal of Swifties. Toss in a Christmas tune or two and you’ve got yourself a banger! $5 advance tickets available online.
10:30 pm Lavender @ Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church St. A party for IBPOC, lesbian, bisexual, pan-sexual, queer women, nonbinary, and trans people. $5 or PWYC (no one will be turned away due to lack of funds).
11 pm Soul Step @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. Soul, disco, and dance music. Cam at the controls all night.
11 pm XtraLRG @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. DJ Big Jacks playing your favourite XtraLRG big tunes all night (rap, R&B, dancehall). $10.
SUNDAY
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.
10 am Bunz Flea @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. The Bunz Flea features BTZ, trade, and cash transactions with local makers. Until 5 pm.
11 am Toronto Art Crawl Christmas Market @ The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W. Looking for truly unique, hand made, one-of-a-kind gifts this holiday season? The 5th annual Christmas Market by Toronto Art Crawl is your one-stop shop destination! 90 artists, two floors of shopping, live music, interactive demos, food, cash bar, face painting, and more. Until 6 pm. $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
4:30 pm Girl Gang Cabarets @ The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave. An unboxed variety show and inclusive safe space to meet, empower, and share stories with all kinds of feminists! Performances will be followed by an open stage lady cabaret (open to comedians, storytellers, poets, musicians, dancers, or anything else you can think of) and jam. $12.
7 pm Brass Facts Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Test your knowledge and win prizes! Hosted by Famous Kirk Hero. Until 10 pm.
10 pm Sinful Sundays Burlesque: UniCrews Showcase @ Cherry Cola’s, 200 Bathurst St. Come be entertained at TO’s weekly “temple of tease.” This edition features Burlesque UniCrews graduates with instructors Rosie Mae and Pastel Supernova. Free entry; tipping encouraged.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com