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 200 venues throughout the GTA. Check out the CONTACT website for a full list of exhibitions and installations.

May 2nd-8th Canadian Music Week @ various locations. CMW spans 10 nights of performances, with 1,000 showcasing bands at more than 60 live music venues in downtown Toronto.

May 3rd-7th rock.paper.sistahz Festival @ Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St. As always with rock.paper.sistahz, the element of play is high. Each night of the festival will showcase multiple works at varying stages of development, from early script exploration to workshop iterations to fully realized presentations. $16.95+ advance tickets available online.

May 6th-8th Jane’s Walk @ various locations. Jane’s Walks are free, locally organized walking tours in which people get together to explore, talk about, and celebrate their neighbourhoods!

May 7th-8th Votes for Women (and Other Lies) @ Fringe Creation Lab Studios, 720 Bathurst St., 4th floor. Empty Box Theatre Company presents a devised comedy about the women’s suffrage movement in Toronto. Shows start at 8 pm both nights. To reflect Canada’s current gender wage gap, tickets are $15 for “white guys” and $11.02 for everyone else.

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 Meow Meow: A Queer Social @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. This isn’t a loud dance party. It’s a change of pace, and a chance to converse. Meant for queers to meet, hang, and conspire with other queers (awesome allies are welcome too)!

THURSDAY

12 pm “Voyage into a Sacred Harbour” Opening @ Toronto’s Berenson Fine Art, 212 Avenue Rd. Photographer and former Principal Dancer of The National Ballet of Canada Aleksandar Antonijevic unveils his third original body of work: “Voyage into a Sacred Harbour,” a collection of 20 photographic nude sculptures of dancers. Exhibition runs until June 9 and is free to the public, Tuesday through Saturday from 12-6 pm.

6 pm Cinco de Mayo Fiesta @ Fonda Lola, 942 Queen St. W. Known for their authentic atmosphere, inventive offerings, and delicious fresh margaritas, Fonda Lola will be smashing colourful pinatas all night long, and serving up signature dishes on special like $5 handheld caesar salads, $5 quecas, $5 citrus margaritas, and $5 classic Mexican beers for Cinco de Mayo! Text (647) 706-9105 or click here to make a reservation.

7 pm Pop Culture Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. A new 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 Cinco de Mayo @ The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W. Chef Donnie Masterton returns bringing the flavours of San Miguel de Allende’s newest hot spots: Taco Lab Birdies Burgers. Get into this Cinco De Mayo jam with tequila shakes, inventive Mexican classics, delicious burgers, and DJ Unkfunk spinning vinyl.

10 pm Get Lo @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Bangs & Blush bring you the ULTIMATE ’90s til now dance party, GET LO! They’ll be playing all the shit you wanna hear from the ’90s to today.

11:59 pm Diggy The DJ @ The Drake Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W. Diggy The DJ (Down With Webster) plays all your favourite hip-hop bangers. 4 AM LAST CALL. $10.

FRIDAY

6:30 pm Scotiabank Loved & Local @ Lakeshore Arts, 2422 Lakeshore Blvd. W. Hosted by award-winning actor Rick Roberts, Scotiabank Loved and Local features the works of local, emerging filmmakers. Screenings include The Offer, a quirky story about a door-to-door salesman selling answers to life’s questions in the form of encyclopedias; Zero Recognition, starring Lauren Collins, who decides to brave the world of internet dating and quickly finds her ego and sanity unravelling; and Who Is Hannah?, an unlikely coming of age tale based on the true story of co-writer Claire Stollery’s experience of meeting her biological father. $40 advance tickets available online.

7 pm #FNLROM: Punchline @ Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. Toronto’s most unique social destination, with eclectic eats, drinks, DJs, dancing, live music, and unexpected experiences is back for a new season. $15 tickets available online and at the door.

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

10 pm Saddle Up @ Owl’s Club, 847 Dovercourt Rd. Get that old country feeling in the heart of the city at Saddle Up! It’s a dance party in a legion hall, with legion hall drink prices. Stomp to the sounds of Dolly, Willie, Loretta, and more – they play all the good tunes, and only the best of the bad ones. There will be a coupla line dances, the occasional slow song, and no bro country. $5.

10 pm Yacht Rock @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. A night of dancing to the smoothest music you’ve ever heard in your life. $5 to step aboard.

10 pm Lazy Susans @ The Ossington, 63 Ossington Ave. Spinning hip-hop, RnB, soul, rap, trap, and dirty south.

10 pm Hold Tight @ The Rivoli, 334 Queen St. W. DJ Blush (Brittney Townson) and DJ Misty (Misty McKenzie-Hill) bring this hip-shakin’ dance party to Toronto’s legendary live music and eclectic party space, The Rivoli – and you NEED to be there! Featuring soul, funk, and rock music from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.

10 pm Wedding Night @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A guiltless pleasure jam that spans Phil Collins to Mystikal, Leo Sayer to Biggie, Christopher Cross to Mousse T, Talking Heads to Pete Rock. You may not be getting married, but they’re playing dance music like you just did! Basement soul, dad rock, freak-filled funk, R&B, new-wave, disco, and hip-hop.

10 pm Funk Fantasy @ ROUND, 152-A Augusta Ave. Prepare to be immersed in the sensation that is funk! An opportunity to dance together and celebrate your funky dream. With DJs Loona, Ankle MiX, and Synapps. $10 before 11 pm, $15 after.

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 Wet Trax @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Ain’t no party like a Wet Trax party! With Boy Pussy, Dirty Daddy Don, CGI Asian, and a special performance by Neoprene. Free before midnight, $5 after.

10 pm Glitter Box @ The Steady, 1051 Bloor St. W. Get out of your boring box and come to the GLITTER BOX! Playing all your favourite guilty pleasures from the ’80s, ’90, and ’00s.

10 pm No Chill @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. High-energy hip-hop, trap, reggae, old school, and more with DJs Mike Don’t and Sanga Genesis. $5.

10 pm Racks & Bands @ The Drake Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W. Racks & Bands is a monthly party focused on one thing and one thing only: bringing booty back to the Underground. Turn up with resident DJs Johnny Hockin and Vanity Muscles as they motivate the winin’ and grindin’, playing only the hottest in current rap and RnB. 4 AM LAST CALL. $10.

11:59 pm Lay These Knight @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Lay These Knight, returns for CMW with an actual, honest-to-goodness banger of sweaty R&B anthems from the ’90s to the ’10s. Featuring Kardinal and Combat Jack, with resident DJs Famous Players holding it down before and after. 4 AM LAST CALL. $10.

SATURDAY

10 am Toronto Flower Market @ 1001 Queen St. W. A market that celebrates locally grown flowers, the growers that cultivate them, and the florists that style them. Flowers in season: tulips, daffodils, gerbera, hyacinth, muscari, lilac, and more. Until 3 pm.

10 am “Marvellous Creatures: Animals in Islamic Art” Opening @ The Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr. A richly imaginative exhibition that presents creatures of air, water, fire, and earth in a breathtaking variety of artworks from the 7th to 21st centuries. Featuring manuscripts, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, glass, and metalwork – in addition to sculptures and mixed media works by contemporary Lebanese artist Mohamad-Said Baalbaki – the exhibition proves the enduring fascination with these creatures across many cultures and shares the stories that first brought them to life. Exhibition runs until Sept. 11. Tickets are $15 for students and seniors, and $20 for adults.

9 pm Feast in the East @ Anchored Social Club, 899 Queen St. E. A monthly east-end music, food, and installation series. This month’s edition features a free dinner by Stephanie Fielding and Heather Rule, with music provided by Matrox, Blonde Elvis, Germaphobe, and Castle If. Environs by Alicia Nauta. $10 advance tickets (includes a free dinner) available at Circus Books & Music, Cask Music, Rotate This, and Soundscapes. $12 at the door, $15 with food. All ages.

10 pm With It @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Floorshakers and heartbreakers with DJ Nico and Magnificent! ’60s mod, R&B, reggae, and soul. Go-go stylings by Riff Randell. Presented in collaboration with Fred Perry Toronto and in part by Kops Records and CIUT 89.5 FM. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.

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 Shake, Rattle & Roll @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. The Bangs & Blush ladies roll out

all the hip shakers and baby makers from the ’50s and ’60s for you to drink, dance, and get messy to. $5.

10 pm Lucky Bitches @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. West side’s longest running glam-positive dance party! Party jams and freedom.

10 pm Stones Place Saturday Nights @ Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W. Saturday night party with DJ Blush! Dance all night to the best of ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s rock ‘n’ roll, soul, and pop at one of Toronto’s most legendary dance venues in the city of Toronto. Bring those dancing shoes – you’ll be sure to leave sweaty and smiling. $5.

10 pm PPParty @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Why all the the P? ‘Cuz this party is golden! 24 Karat hits from all decades. $5.

10 pm Big Primpin’ @ Miss Thing’s, 1279 Queen St. W. Hip-hop and hot times for homos, their friends, and admirers. With DJs Nino Brown and Cozmic Cat. For line bypass, email bigprimpin@gmail.com. $5 before 11:30 pm, $7 after.

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

11:59 pm Stay Woke @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A monthly that aims to stay woke to new sounds, cultures, old sounds, and an overall synergy between all of those. Music by Bambii, Chippy Non Stop, Tona, and NDMA. 4 AM LAST CALL. $10.

SUNDAY

10 am & 12 pm Drake Yoga T.O. @ The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W. An all-levels yoga class, set to the sweet beats of our very own home-grown hero, Drake! Led by the dynamic Pop Up Asana T.O., listen to Views from the 6 and channel your inner yogi from 10 am ’til brunch. $10, with proceeds supporting The Raptors Kids Foundation.

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