Until September 26th Total Eclipse: Will Munro @ AGO, 317 Dundas St. W. Artist, community builder, DJ, restaurateur, activist, and party-thrower all describe Will Munro, whose life and work are being celebrated through the AGO’s Toronto Now series. From hand-stitched quilted works on fabric to silkscreens on mirror and sources of inspiration like Paris is Burning and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
August 18th-22nd Bicycle Film Festival @ various locations. A celebration of the bicycle through music, art, and film. Venues include the Royal, Cinecycle, Mascot, and Parts & Labour. $27 for a festival pass. More information and tickets available at www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/toronto.
August 20th-September 6th CNE @ Exhibition Place, Princes’ Blvd. Midway rides, corn dogs, aerial acrobatics, a new Cirque Fantaisiste show… The Ex is back (and sadly, that means summer’s almost over – booo)! Opening day half-price discount at the gate ($8).
THURSDAY
7 pm Going the Distance @ Innis Town Hall, 22 Sussex Ave. Advanced screening of the lovey-dovey film starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. FREE, so arrive early! Pick up an advanced pass from Innis College to guarantee a seat (2 Sussex Ave., Room 107, from 12-4 pm).
10 pm Surf’s Up @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. 60s garage, surf, rockabilly, Lo Fi. $10 pitchers, $3.50 PBR bottles and $6 PBR bottle + bar rail shot combo.
10 pm New Rules @ Embassy, 223 Augusta Ave. Cheap beers, mixed drink specials, and trippy projections. Shoegaze/post-punk/dub/wave/surf/50s & 60s gold/psych/hip-hop. Groooovy!
10 pm Hot Sauce @ La Perla, 783 Queen St. W. The place to be for a shot of good tequila and bad behaviour. Rock, soul, R&B, Motown – and delicious Mexican cuisine!
FRIDAY
6 pm Mod Fridays @ Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas St. W. The right scene for after-work and pre-gig drinks. Mod/soul/R&B/beat/80s revival. There’s also a Star Wars pinball machine.
8 pm Curse These Metal Hands! @ Margret, 2952 Dundas St. W. Brit-pop, old hip-hop, 80s metal, remixes, and mash-ups. Bowie-type dance party! $2.50 PBR from 8-10 pm.
9:45 pm After Dark Film Festival Closing Gala @ Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W. Screening of The Human Centipede, one of the most talked about horror films of the year. $15, includes entry to closing gala. Tickets available at http://torontoafterdark.com/2010/index.php/buy-tickets.
10 pm Hip-Hop Karaoke @ Revival, 783 College St. Round #43 with DJs Numeric, Dalia, Ted Dancin’ + over 600 classic hip-hop songs to perform. $5 before 11 pm.
10 pm Myth Paradise Music @ UNIT, 1198 Queen St. W. Nep & Todd want you to get sweaty and dance to their soul, disco, and house music.
SATURDAY
1 pm Queen West Music Fest @ Trinity Bellwoods Park. Headlined by the Trews and Maestro Fresh Wes, with performances by Queen West musicians Chris Caddell and the Wreckage, The Junction, Lazybones, Grand Analog, and StereoKid. Beer Garden on site. FREE!
7 pm Girl Fight @ Twist Gallery, 1100 Queen St. W. 5 fights including Anna Von Frances vs. Angelique Knights, with fight music provided by DJ Betti Forde. Judged by Richard Lambert, Nasty Nav and Fritz Helder. Steam Whistle flowing and afterparty at the Social downstairs. $15 at the door.
10 pm Threesome @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. 60s rock n’ roll, soul, pop, Motown, 70s rock n’ roll, Brit-rock and mores courtesy of the Bangs&Blush girls. Ryan Gavel and guests + a dedicated dance floor ’til you drop! $3.
10 pm Strictly Business @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. DJs Serious and Numeric spin classic hip-hop bangers from the golden era. Patio open ’til 11 pm.
10 pm Rapture @ Blondie’s, 1378 Queen St. W. DJs Sylvermayne and Paul Revered bring you a sexy melange of soulful dance music and house pleasures. Bring someone to cuddle.
10 pm Bang the Party @ Unit C, 102 Ossington Ave. (back alley). DJs Andycapp, Rod Skimmins, and Mymanhenri play a mix of futureboogie, leftfield house and deconstructive hip-hop. $10 at the door.
SUNDAY
11 am Unlovable Record Sale @ Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas St. W. Drink beer and buy/swap records! Vendors include Play De Record, Kops Records, Frantic City, Hits and Misses, Aaron Keele, Ewan Exall, Bongo Beat, Derek “Grasshopper” Madison, Eric Moe, and more. Runs until 7 pm.
1 pm Toronto Redhead Summit @ Trinity Bellwoods Park, Queen West Gate. If you’re a redhead, a couple of filmmakers would like you to join them and discuss what it’s like to have the world’s rarest hair colour and how it feels to be going extinct. Spill your heart out, you’ll be among friends.
4 pm VHS Sundays @ Toronto Underground Cinema, 186 Spadina Ave. Host Dion Conflict (who boasts one of the largest and most eclectic film collections in Canada) will be screening a long, lost “mystery tape” on the big screen. Cool merchandise, prizes, and VHS tapes for sale. Long live VHS! $2.
10 pm Rock n’ Soul Sunday @ Disgraceland, 965 Bloor St. W. DJ Misty spreads the gospels of rock n’ roll and soul from your favourite preachers of the 50s, 60s, and beyond.