May 1st-31st Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival @ various locations. The largest photography event in the world is back! CONTACT is an annual event in May featuring over 1,500 Canadian and international artists and photographers exhibiting at more than 175 venues throughout the GTA. Check out the CONTACT website for a full list of exhibitions and installations.

WEDNESDAY

7:30 pm The Carnegie Hall Show @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Travel back in time with three of Toronto’s finest comic minds as they celebrate the ordinary and glamourize the mundane. These acclaimed, award-winning performers look back through the ages to bring you “The Greatest Improvised Scenes Ever Performed” – made up from scratch before your very eyes! Featuring Second City alumni Matt Baram (CityTV’s Seed) and Naomi Snieckus (CBC’s Mr. D.) as well as Chris Gibbs (Winnipeg Comedy Festival) and special guest Michal Grajewski (CBC’s Rick Mercer Report). $18.

8 pm Punk Rock Bingo @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Drink specials, prizes, sporadic performances, and bingo! Hosted by Daddy-O with a performance by Toronto’s punk rock drag queen Jenna Syde. $2 to play with proceeds from bingo card sales going to various organizations in the city. Stick around after bingo for tunes you shouldn’t be listening to, courtesy of DJ Triple-X.

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 Skate Date @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Skate vids and kick ass jams with DJ Humble Kyle.

THURSDAY

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.

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.

10 pm Five Dolla’ Holla’ Hip-Hop Jam @ Studio Bar, 824 Dundas St. W. A night of hip-hop with DJs Medley, Jordi LaForty, Riggadale, and Keen 1 + live performances by Babylon Warchild, D-Sisive, Citizen Jane, Lee Reed & Mother Tareka, Kemi, 2Gats, Mindbender, and more. $5.

FRIDAY

 7pm Friday Night Live: Party of the Century @ Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. ROM Friday Night Live returns with a BANG! Beats: Buck 65; Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee, and Slakah the Beatchild; Shaun Boothe; Tanika Charles; UofT Jazz Music Program; DJs L’Oquez Conor Cutz, Soundbwoy, and FNL House DJs curated by ElectriCITY Events. Eats: Gourmet Gringos, HotBunzz Street Cuizine, Curbside Bliss Cupcakes, City Gourmet, Tita Flips, JK Frites, The Saucy Pierogi, Little Tomato Catering, ME.N.U Food Truck, Randy’s Roti, and Liko’s BBQ. $12 advance tickets available online.

7 pm Spring Pop-Up Party @ Fitzroy Boutique, 944 Queen St. W. Celebrate the launch of Fitzroy Boutique’s spring pop-up and get first dibs on the new collection! Until 10 pm. Pop-up runs until May 31st.

10 pm Girl & Boy 90s Dance Party @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. A pulsating dance party rocking the retro sounds of the 1990s! All your favourite dance, pop, hip-hop, R&B, and so on and so on and so on. $5.

10 pm Leant @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. DJs Big Jacks, Royale, and Bozack Morris play that classic leant shit. $5 before 11:30 pm, more after.

10 pm Bad News @ Smiling Buddha, 961 College St. Rare, out-of-control grooves with your hosts, DJs Neil and Derek. ’60s soul, garage, and rockabilly – all on vinyl. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm Big Primpin’ @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. Hip-hop and hot times for homos, their friends, and admirers. With DJs Craig Dominic, Kevin Ritchie, and Nino Brown. For guestlist, email bigprimpin@gmail.com. $5.

10 pm SoulSkank @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. Funk, soul, reggae, ska, and dancehall in its most raw form! A vinyl-only dance party with DJs Gramera and Double K on the decks + Dennis P on the sax. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm City Love / It’s Not Even Our Birthday @ Crawford, 718 College St. Upstairs, Lacey & Tammy blast out the hottest hip-hop and RnB tracks! Downstairs, party like it’s your birthday with The Gray Twins and DJ Downunda. $5 before 11 pm, more after.

10 pm Punctured Records Presents: On The Uplift @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. A night dedicated to HAPPINESS. Uplifting dance music all night from the underground talents of Demuir (Mikita Skyy), Xavier Gonzalez (Punctured Recordings), and Alvaro Gonzalez (Punctured Recordings).

10 pm Building Blocks @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. DJ General Eclectic and special guest Maylee Todd take you from A to Z of good dance floor music! Funk, soul, reggae, dancehall, disco, hip-hop, Brazilian, Latin, and rock. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm Frkn Wknd @ Savoy, 1166 Queen St. W. DJ Greedo plays the best in current to classic R&B, hip-hop, and dancehall. It’s quite dark in there and the drinks are cheap.

10 pm Good Vibes @ 751 Queen St. W. A night to accompany a blog (coming soon!) that’s only goal is a good time. No bummer songs allowed – only songs we love from across the decades. With DJ Misty Rock n’ Roll.

10 pm Marmalade & Buttahfingaz @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Hip-hop, soul, RnB, rap, trap, south.

11 pm Y2K Millennial Dance Party @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A party devoted to the best jams of the early-to-mid 2000s, brought to you by Good Kids. Guilty pleasures, one hit wonders, chart toppers, and everything in between! Featuring special guest DJ Marco Morales (Chicago). $7 advance tickets available online; $10 at the door.

SATURDAY

9 pm WORN Fashion Journal + Drawn & Quarterly Present: Secondhand Prom @ Adelaide Hall, 250 Adelaide St. W. A celebration of all the proms we wish we had to celebrate the release of The WORN Archive – a veritable treasure trove of articles and editorials that all prove the importance of fashion, whether as a personal, historical, or political object. Prom attire preferred, but not required. $15 advance tickets available at Type Books (883 Queen St. W.); limited $15 tickets available at the door.

10 pm The Struggle @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. The struggle is REAL. DJ Smells Gucci plays rap music.

10 pm Pay Day @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. DJs Isosceles and Stew Innes play hip-hop, RnB, and party jams. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm Beatlemania! @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Toronto’s favourite Beatles dance party is BACK! The ladies of Bangs & Blush play all of your Fab Four favourites all night long alongside loads of ’50s and ’60s rock and pop hits and rarities. $5.

10 pm Lazer Pop @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. DJ Ez Listening plays stuff like Michael Jackson, LCD Soundsystem, Mariah Carey, Anthrax, hipster shit, Daft Punk, Chvrches, Devo, new wave, really new wave, etc.

10 pm With It @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A monthly dance party that pays tribute to mod culture of the 1960s with a night of mod, R&B, soul, ska, and Britpop tunes! With DJs Nico and Magnificent + go-go dancer Mel Appeal. Get with the WITH IT crowd. $5.

10 pm Crushalot @ Sex Laser, 1369 Dundas St. W. Luke Adams and Natalie Simons find a break in their Netflix- and pizza-heavy schedules to play a bunch of songs you didn’t know you wanted to hear.

10 pm Normwhores @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. Gingy and Nautiluss bring you the latest in cultural paradigms and individual choice over an evening of existential techno, anxious house, and insider ghettotech.

10 pm Motown Party @ 751 Queen St. W. Motown, northern soul, and remixes with DJs Caff and Fawn BC upstairs + an all-vinyl set with DJs Brett Millius, Reverend Throwdown, and special guest Splattermonkey downstairs. Video and prizes from Eyesore Cinema! $5 before 11 pm, $10 after. $7 advance tickets available online.

10 pm Chronologic @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. A dance party through the ages! Pop and antipop from since the end of history (i.e. music from 1890 to 2014, played in chronological order). $5.

10 pm Mad City Saturdays @ Savoy, 1166 Queen St. W. DJ Law (Big Ticket, Beat Junkie, Beast Mode) plays nothing but big tunes from the ’90s up. Hip-hop, reggae, R&B, and guilty pleasures all night long.

10 pm Beam Me Up Presents: Kon @ TBA. Inaugurating this season’s guest dee-jay series is the harmonious don that is the incomparable Kon, a Beam Me Up alum who has been enlisted for another soulful set. This visit sees the Bostonian boogie ambassador gracing a smaller stage, launching a new array of intimate, house-party style jams from the Beam Me Up trinity. Opening set by A Digital Needle. Venue to be announced the day before the event. $15 advance tickets available online; more at the door.

10 pm Grill$ @ Crawford, 718 College St. DJs James Redi, Jon Chetty, Sanga Genesis, and Feel Good Smalls spin Motown, funk, disco, hip-hop, and reggae tunes while the George Forman holds it down front and centre with a stack of cheesy slices and a fresh loaf. That’s right – FREE GRILLED CHEESE ON THE DANCE FLOOR! Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm In Touch @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. All hit, dance party freakout! The stuff you really need.

10 pm Tramp @ The Steady, 1051 Bloor St. W. GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS who love GIRLS (and their friends)! Music by DJ Jacqie Jaguar. $5 pints of Hogtown + $4 Tropical Titty Twister shots.

10 pm Born Horne @ Baltic Avenue, 875 Bloor St. W. Post-punk, hip-hop, Britpop, dirty pleasures, new wave, Toronto indie, etc.

10 pm Chordashian @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. DJ set by Chordashian (Brooklyn) with support from Mix Chopin and Kings of the North. $10 advance tickets available online. For guestlist requests, email guestlist@wrongbar.com.

10:30 pm Tapette: Èdition Bonne Fête @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. W. Birthday boi DJ Phil V alongside spécial guest DJ Guillaume Moffet and go-go garçon Currtis Jay. French dance. $5.

11 pm Love Saves The Day @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Maximal disco and maximal house with DJs Produzentin and Jaime Sin.

11 pm Shake A Tail @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. ’60s pop, rock, soul, funk, garage, ska, ANYTHING! Always humid. $5.

11 pm Never Forgive Action@ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A monthly dance party paying tribute to the golden age of hip-hop! DJs Numeric, Ted Dancin’, and Dalia + special guests Mantis and Hajahbug spin classic jams from the sweet spot of 1986 to 1994. $10.

SUNDAY

10 am Flipside DJ & Collectors Record Sale @ The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W. Over 25,000 vinyl records in one room! Until 4 pm.

4 pm Quatro de Mayo @ The Drake Sky Yard, 1150 Queen St. W. Cinco de Mayo is going to be so hot at The Drake Hotel that they’re getting the party started a day early! Featuring a special menu of Mexican favourites – from tacos to Coronas and Paloma cocktails – alongside beats by Quatro DJs.

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