November 28th-December 2nd NORDEN: The Festival of Cool @ Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. NORDEN promises to infuse the dark nights of winter with “hygge” – the Danish word for a feeling of wellness, coziness and contentment. Cure your winter woes by experiencing the rich and spirited Nordic culture through music, visual arts, film, panel talks, a pop-up holiday market, and of course, food.

November 30th-December 2nd Junction Holiday Market @ The Junction. Kickoff the holiday season at the Junction Holiday Market! Indoor markets throughout the neighbourhood, carollers, bonfires at the train platform, and lots more. Runs 4-8 pm Friday, 10-6 pm Saturday, and 10-4 pm Sunday.

November 30th-December 2nd Junction Holiday Flea @ Smash Salvage, 2880 Dundas St. W. Join the Junction Flea for their 2018 Holiday shopping extravaganza. One-stop holiday shopping + great tunes + Indie Ale House = no shopping on Amazon. Open 7-10 pm Friday, 10-6 pm Saturday, and 12-6 pm Sunday.

December 1st-2nd Pixel & Bristle Holiday Design Market @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Toronto’s premiere design and typography market is taking over the Drake Underground and Sky Yard for your holiday shopping pleasure! PLUS, they’ve got the Christmassy tunes (and a functioning bar) to get you in the holiday mood. Until 4 pm.

December 1st-2nd Leslieville Pop-Up Christmas Market @ The Lighthouse Church, 17 Rhodes Ave. Enjoy two days of holiday shopping, soup competitions, music, and more at the fifth annual Leslieville Pop-Up Christmas Market. Opens 10-5 pm both days.

WEDNESDAY

6 pm Mickaelene Thomas Opening and Artist Talk @ Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W. The public opening of Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires, featuring a DJ set by Kwame Younge and DJ Dave Campbell (What It Is!). Thomas makes paintings, collages, photography, video, and installations that draw on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power. Afterwards, join Thomas in a talk about her work. Tickets are required (but free) for the Artist Talk portion.

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. Email host@thedrakehotel.ca or show up early to reserve a spot.

THURSDAY

6:45 pm Fright School: Holiday Horror @ Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St. W. A monthly semi-academic, fully-inclusive, genre-centred panel discussion and screening series brought to you by the people behind Grim Magazine, Anatomy of a Scream, and B*tch Stole My Remote. Just in time for the holiday season, the panel will discuss holiday horror with the help of special guest Alison Lang, followed by a screening of contemporary classic Better Watch Out. $7 advance tickets available online.

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 Tutti Frutti Apocalypse @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Rock ‘n’ roll, punk, power pop, psych surf, and ’80s disco selected by DJ Nora NOise.

10 pm Mo͞ov @ The Embassy, 223 Augusta Ave. Fast music, club, teshno, deconstructed, ballroom, all types of waves, everything all night.

10 pm L’eggs @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. DJ Marilyn Mansion plays housey techno-ish weird stuff.

FRIDAY

7 pm Light Up the Beach @ The Beaches Boardwalk from Leuty Lighthouse to Balmy Beach Club. The Beaches will be transformed into a winter wonderland thanks to this annual light display featuring more than 80,000 LED bulbs lining the boardwalk. Lighting ceremony at 7 pm. Display runs through February 10, 2019.

7:30 pm Ladies of Burlesque Presents: Lola on 35mm @ The Royal Cinema, 608 College St. Ladies of Burlesque brings you one of the most revered films directed by New Germany’s celebrated enfant-terrible R.W. Fassbinder, 1981’s Lola. Pre-show at 7:30 pm, film at 8. $13.19 advance tickets available online.

10 pm Welcome To The Jungle @ Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W. Toronto’s hottest classic rock dance party is back! DJ DangerCat plays AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Guns n’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Pink Floyd, Queen, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and much more. $5.

10 pm Wimmin @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. Wimmin, a queer rock and roll dance party, rides again! With special guest DJ Tender Buttons and DJ Lana “Lesbian Menace” Leprich playing tunes from artists like Patti Smith, X-Ray Spex, PJ Harvey, The Cliks, ESG, Hole, Against Me!, Janis Joplin, Betty Davis, and many, many more.

10 pm Circa ’79 @ Lucky Shrike, 850 Dundas St. W. Hear the enduring sounds of 1979 in your ears now! All your favourites, alongside unknown pleasures. Is it destiny? You’ll be dancing once again.

10 pm Boosie Fade @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. The boys of Boosie Fade (DJ Yung Adult and Jordan Sowunmi) are back with another ceiling-slapping jam featuring the latest and greatest in hip-hop, including artists like: Lil Uzi Vert, Cardi B, Rico Nasty, Lil Baby, Gunna, Kodie Shane, Takeoff, Sheck Wes, and many more. $10.

10 pm One Of Those Nights @ Nachobar, 699 Danforth Ave. DJ Starting From Scratch presents a music lovers’ journey through the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Yacht rock, soft rock, AM classics, classic rock… all your favourites that you used to hear on the radio/8 track/cassette.

10 pm Jamz @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. DJs Slater and Ty mashin’ heavy tunes from the ’90s to the ’00s, including DMX, J-Lo, Britney, Ludacris, Missy, Spice Girls, Mariah, Backstreet Boys, Ashanti, Destiny’s Child, and more. $5 with student ID, $10 without.

10 pm Link Up @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Kid Ka$h spinning the best in top 40, hip-hop, RnB, soca, and reggaeton. Tunes for all headtops.

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 Ruffles @ SoSo Food Club, 1166 Dundas St. W. Sip a mih-ty and warm by the fye. Music by: Young Teesh, Luxury 66, and Kristie Muller.

11 pm Get Good @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Diggy The DJ plays all your favourite bangers. $10.

SATURDAY

9:30 am A Nutcracker Christmas at the Castle Opening @ Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace. Casa Loma is transforming into a winter wonderland just in time for Christmas with a month of signature holiday décor, outdoor light displays, performances, Santa’s Workshop, festive food and drink options, as well as a holiday market. Runs through January 6th. Tickets available online or at the door.

10 am Really Really Free Market @ Campbell Park, 225 Campbell Ave. Everything is free. No money. No swapping. (You don’t have to bring anything, but if you’d like to bring items to give away, do so before 3 pm. Must be clean and in working condition. No big items.) Until 4 pm.

10 pm Muscle Memory @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. Johnny Lopez (Beats United Radio) and Immigrant Muscle on the decks. Vintage sound in effect.

10 pm With It @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. ’60s mod, soul, R&B, R&R, garage, and psych record dance party with DJ Nico + special guest DJ Magnificent. Sponsored by Kops Records and Ben Sherman Canada. $10.

10 pm Bitter Melon @ Yauca’s Lounge, 755 Dovercourt Rd. Bollywood, soca, house, hip-hop, RnB, and dancehall with DJs Alikulapo, Zehra, Briggs, and Hoiking. $5.

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 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 Ready, Steady, GO! @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Brother Wayne plays Motown, soul, ’60s-90s pop and rock, and the occasional guilty pleasure.

10 pm Mixed Bizness @ Lucky Shrike, 850 Dundas St. W. Sugarcub serves up some musical all-sorts/trail mix to get jolly to, while special guest SIMO makes his return with the kind of gusto-fueled grooves to help even the stiffest of stiffly stiffersons get LOOSE!

11 pm Never Forgive Action @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A monthly dance party spinning quality hip-hop and R&B anthems from the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, and beyond. With DJs Numeric and Dalia + host More or Les. $10.

SUNDAY

10 am Eco Lifestyle Market: Holiday Edition @ The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W. The Eco Lifestyle Market returns with a curated collection of 65 of Toronto’s finest local, handcrafted, sustainable, eco-friendly, and wellness goods vendors. Admission is FREE and and four-legged friends are welcome! Until 5 pm.

11 am Fuyu Matsuri Winter Festival @ Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Ct. The eighth annual Fuyu Matsuri returns for a day of Christmas ornament making, gingerbread cookie decorating, interactive games, Christmas shopping in the marketplace (Shotengai), food vendors, a ramune speed drinking contest, cosplay fashion show, and more. Until 4 pm. $5 at the door.

7 pm Brass Facts Trivia @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Test your knowledge and win prizes! Hosted by Famous Kirk Hero. Until 10 pm.

8 pm Nite Comfort @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. The ongoing search for genre-defying, boundary-pushing music, and other hidden gems in the heart of the city. This edition of welcomes Northumbria as they celebrate the release of their new LP, Vinland, along with special guest Subterranea. PWYC.

10 pm Sinful Sundays Burlesque: TRCC Fundraiser @ Cherry Cola’s, 200 Bathurst St. Come be entertained at TO’s weekly “temple of tease.” Host Babia Majora joins up with Sinful Sundays to fundraise for the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape. Featuring performances by Bianca Boom Boom, Dainty Smith, Fluffy Souffle, Imogen Quest, Midnight Wolverine, Roy G Biv, Sweet Delilah, and Zyra Lee Vanity. Free entry; tipping encouraged.

~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com