May 23rd-31st Scotiabank CONTACT Festival @ various locations. The largest photography event in the world, featuring over 200 exhibitions and happenings throughout the month of May. This year, CONTACT expands its scope across Toronto and presents a broad spectrum of physically and conceptually engaging forms of photography.
May 24th-June 3rd Inside Out LGBT Film Festival @ TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. Inside Out while exists to challenge attitudes and change lives through the promotion, production, and exhibition of queer film. See the festival schedule here.
May 26th-27th Doors Open Toronto @ various locations. Explore Toronto for FREE! The 19th annual Doors Open Toronto provides an opportunity to see inside more than 130 of the most architecturally, historically, culturally, and socially significant buildings across the city.
May 26th-27th Lego Exhibit @ Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd. Transit Bricks presents an exhibit of Lego TTC buses and streetcars alongside various other displays at Fort York. Open 10-5 pm both days. Free!
May 26th-27th Beanstock Coffee Festival @ Harbourfront Centre, 245 Queens Quay W. A two-day true festival of coffee featuring 24 roasters each day, multiple machine espresso bar, cold brew, hands-on latte art, cupping and roasting classes, panel discussions, local food, music, and vendors. $25 tickets available online.
May 26th-27th Woofstock @ Woodbine Park, 1695 Queen St. E. North America’s largest festival for dogs is turning 15! Woofstock is a canine celebration like no other: Shopping, games, entertainment, competitions, and all the doggie love you can imagine. Runs 10-6 pm both days. $12 weekend passes available online.
May 26th-27th Pink Market @ Artscape Sandbox, 301 Adelaide W. A queer craft, fashion, art, and literature fair featuring over 30 vendors. Runs 12-6 pm both days. PWYC ($5 suggested).
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 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 and the winning table gets an $80 Drake gift card (plus bragging rights)! Click here to reserve with OpenTable, or show up early to ensure a spot for your team.
9 pm Deep Freeze Wednesdays @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Embrace the chill! Join DJs Tweed and Babe Decibel in the front room for chill mid and downtempo indie tunes. $4.75 drinks.
THURSDAY
10 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.
10 pm Soul, Funk & What? @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Soul and funk that will have you dancing the night away, all spun on 45s. Maximum party time!
10 pm Step 2 This @ Dundas Video, 831 Dundas St. Step 2 This returns with guest selector Johnny Lopez, longtime contributor to Toronto’s underground scene as host of Beats United Radio and an OG on the 1s and 2s, curating vinyl-only sets alongside resident Area 85.
FRIDAY
7 pm Friday Night Live: DinoNite @ Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. Get up close to your favourite dinosaurs and dance among the fossils at #FNL. $17 (plus tax) tickets available online; limited amount available at the door.
9:30 pm NSFW: Not An Office Party @ Remix Lounge, 1305 Dundas St. W. A night of fun and sexy times that will make you forget about the weekday grind. NSFW performances by Coco La Creme, Marcus Territory, The Hudson Bae, Juice Boxx, and Datura Katsura + music selections by DJ 4est. $5 before 10 pm, $10 after.
10 pm Spring Break Dance Party @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. SPRING BREAK! DJ Misty plays some of the best classic party songs from the 1950s to 2000s.
10 pm Boosie Fade 4 Year Anniversary @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Join DJ Yung Adult and Jordan Sowunmi in their champagne celebration, bringing you all the freshest ceiling-slapping bops from artists like: Rae Sremmurd, Cardi B, A$AP Rocky, Rico Nasty, Saweetie, Rich the Kid, Beyoncé, and more. $10.
10 pm Can You Feel It? @ ROUND Venue, 152-A Augusta Ave. Dance the night away to those sweet sounds from the golden era of electronic music! DJs Vee Dour and Reversed Polarity bring you classic tracks from those summers of love through to the dawn of Y2K. $5 before 11:30 pm, $10 after.
10 pm Selections 001 @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. New, old, and obscure house, garage, techno, and disco records from deep within the vaults, selected by Toronto Hustle and Ali Black. $5 before midnight, $10 after.
10 pm High On Sunshine @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. DJs Liêm and Voltaire lead this serious soul, funk, hip-hop, afro, electronic, and breaks dance floor workout.
10 pm Get Buck @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Nino Brown spins hip-hop, soca, RnB, and dancehall. Deep grooves that transcend.
10 pm DJ Moms @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. The Boat’s newest DJ night, playing all genres. $5.
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 pm DJ Teenage Werewolf @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Friday night freak out with DJ Teenage Werewolf! Rock ‘n’ roll, soul, punk rock, and more.
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.
11 pm Get Good @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Diggy The DJ plays all your favourite bangers. $10.
SATURDAY
12 pm Greenwood Stakes @ Woodbine Racetrack, 555 Rexdale Blvd. A fashion-forward, adrenaline-pumping day at the races to kick off the summer season in style! Come in your best derby attire – bespoke seersucker suits, spring dresses, pastels and florals, royal wedding-inspired hats and fascinators – to compete in the Style Stakes Best Dressed competition for a chance to win one of two $500 cash prizes. You’ll also enjoy craft cocktails, a pop-up art gallery, live music, lawn games, delectable food, and more. $75+ tickets available online.
10 pm Chronologic @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. A dance party through the ages. Pop and anti-pop from since the end of history (i.e. music from 1890 to 2018, played in chronological order). $5 before 11:30 pm, $10 after.
10 pm Juicebox @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. DJs Tweed and Babe Decibel spinning the indie, retro, and Britpop you need! You will hear: The Strokes, David Bowie, Pulp, The Stooges, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party, The Human League, Joy Division, Holy Ghost, Glass Candy, and lots more! $10.
10 pm Footprints @ Rivoli, 332 Queen St. W. Toronto’s longest-running open format dance party featuring DJs General Eclectic and Jason Palma playing funk, hip-hop, R&B, soul, disco, house, samba, salsa, afrobeat(s), tropical, reggae, and more! $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.
10 pm F’unreal @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Six great DJs with different styles collide in a sweaty mash-up of fun. $5.
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 Panic @ Remix, 1305 Dundas St. W. The ultimate retro party with DJ Lazarus spinning the kind of retro that changed your life. ’80s, ’90s, new wave, post-punk, classic alternatives, synth pioneers, Britpop, shoegaze, madchester, new romantic, classic industrial, ska, and more. This month’s spotlight is New Order. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.
10 pm Roll + Skank @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ night with the hottest beats around. All the way from the U.K, this is what you’ve been waiting for.
10 pm Tiki Disco Saturdays @ Miss Thing’s, 1279 Queen St. W. Post-dinner Saturday night party in the Coconut Room, with special guest DJs to make you MOVE! No cover before midnight.
10 pm Take A Chance @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. DJ JD spins all-vinyl Euro disco and the sweetest tunes to make you feel good.
10 pm Rock Sucker @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Starboy takes you on a psych, glam, punk, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll journey through the ages!
10 pm PARTYBOOBYTRAP @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. All genres of music c/o Mike Roc, JAYEMKAYEM, and J Soul. Hosted by Freeza Chin.
10:30 pm Hey Girl Hey @ The Baby G, 1608 Bloor St. W. Queer dance party featuring DJ Orange Pekoe playing hip-hop and R&B of yesterday, today, and tomorrow by female artists only + the heart-stopping 12:30 floorshow starring Miss Moço! $10.
11 pm Itzsoweezee @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A feel-good house party atmosphere! DJs Tom Wrecks, DeMiggs, and ΛV play music to make you dance, smile, and holler. For line bypass before midnight, submit names here (right side of the page). $10.
SUNDAY
9 am Christie Pits Art Crawl @ Christie Pits Park, 750 Bloor St. W. Enjoy local art, food, music and more at the eighth annual Christie Pits Art Crawl. Until 4 pm.
10 am Gluten Free Garage @ Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St. Discover the latest, tastiest gluten-free eats, drinks, and more at this pop-up gluten-free market! Featuring 65+ vendors, food trucks, guest speakers, libations, and samples. Until 4 pm. $10 (cash only) at the door, free for kids 12 and under.
10 am The Trinity Bellwoods Flea @ The Great Hall (lower level), 1087 Queen St. W. Join the Trinity Bellwoods Flea for a day of local vendors and artisans, sweet treats, and delicious eats. Featuring the best handmade, locally crafted goods, beauty, home decor, art, and vintage. Four-legged friends welcome! Until 5 pm.
12 pm Pedestrian Sundays @ Kensington Market. Kensington Market’s car-free celebration returns for its 15th season! Featuring live music, games, circus and belly dancing performances, poetry, art, food, and lots more. The streets are yours until 10 pm.
1 pm Closet Raid @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 1214 Queen St. W. Shop the closets of Toronto’s best dressed! Closet Raid will offer a curated collection of gently-worn or like-new clothing from brands like Aritzia, Mackage, Rag + Bone, and more (bring a reusable bag to stash your goods!). Cash or credit only, with ATM on site. Admission is free and they will be accepting clothing donations at the door. Until 5 pm.
3:30 pm Sunday Afternoon Social @ Lodge on Queen, 251 Queen St. W. The final Sunday Afternoon Social of the season. On the second floor: Friendlyness & The Human Rights (10 member live reggae band), Hu-Bear, Jon Spyne, and Ali Black. On the third floor: Sid LeRock (Berlin/Canada), Jamie Kidd, Fabio Palermo, and Mike Gibbs. $21 (plus fees) tickets available online.
4 pm Faerie Grove @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. A day-drinking throwback to disco and unrestrained queerness, with DJ Michael K and guests on the decks. Be fierce. Be glorious. Wear as little as you like. Party goes ’til sunset.
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 Play Something Good @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. Pretty sonic noise pop, quadraphonic post-rock, ghost folk gangsta-hop, ultra starlet trip slop, supa-dupa soundtrack, disko-tronic down slack, soul crush dance punk, mega distortion dream funk, no wave mood drive, alt-wizard slow drive, old school cult classic, and glam rock voodoo magic with DJ Droideka.
~ For event submissions, email Caitlyn Holroyd at caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com
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