April 26th-29th FAT: Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week @ 99 Sudbury. An annual multi-arts event features 200 national and international fashion designers, visual artists, bands and performers. Runway shows, live performances, music, photography exhibits, video screenings and installation exhibits all celebrating the leaders in a wide range of art forms. www.alternativefashionweek.com/main.php 

April 27th-30th Sample Sale @ 355 King St. W. Spring/summer sample sale for women, men and children featuring clothing, footwear and accessories from brands Miss Sixty, Energie, Twenty8Twelve, Prvcy Jeans and many more. Sale runs Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Cash only, all sales final.  

April 28th-May 8th Hot Docs @ various locations. North America’s largest documentary festival, presenting over 200 films from more than 43 countries. www.hotdocs.ca 

April 29th-May 1st The Chosen Ones Two Year Anniversary @ 107 Shaw Gallery, 107 Shaw St. The Chosen Ones celebrates their two year anniversary and final sale weekend at 107 Shaw Gallery (stay tuned for their new home announcement in June). Expect a DJ playing awesome music for girls, free bubbly drinks and free cakes in the form of cups for their Friday night throw down from 6-9 pm, and their vintage sale Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. April’s Chosen Ones are Francis Allen, Muttonhead, CHOSEN, Chelsea Hotel Vintage, Silver Falls, 69 Vintage and more.  

April 29th-May 1st Beach Studio Tour @ various locations. A self-guided tour to see and buy original art and hand-made designs from 25 local artists at 13 studios in the Beaches. Runs Friday from 6 to 9 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. http://beachstudiotour.ca 

May 1st-31st Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival @ various locations. Annual photography festival with over 1000 local, national and international artists exhibiting at more than 200 venues. This year’s theme of Figure & Ground focuses on our relationship to the environment, looking at how photography alters perception, informs knowledge and uncovers meaning. www.scotiabankcontactphoto.com 

WEDNESDAY 

6:30 pm Shopping Party @ Shopgirls Gallery Boutique, 1342 Queen St. W. Join Shopgirls and Rock-it Promotions for a cocktail and a beautiful selection of spring/summer apparel, accessories and home decor, with 20% off everything in the store! RSVP to michelle@rockitpromo.com or (416) 656-0707 ext. 103. Until 8:30 pm.  

10 pm Heaven’s Gate @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. Minimal, obscure, 80’s, weirdness. Cheap booze! 

10 pm MixTape Swap @ The Avro, 750 Queen St. E. 1) Make a playlist. 2) Burn it to a CD. 3) Make some nice cover art for bonus points. 4) SWAP! DJ Damn Aykroyd provides the music alongside extra spicy visuals to accompany your caesars and pickled eggs.  

THURSDAY 

6 pm Ooh Là Là Illustration Show @ Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. 40 talented illustrators, 40 portfolios, a thousand ideas, all united! Meet a concentration of talented Quebec illustrators deploying their charm and unique style. Until 9:30 pm.  

8 pm The Parkdale Comedy Experiment @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Comedians Sara Hennessey, Conor Holler, Steph Kaliner, Matt Folliot and James Hartnett, with improv by National Theatre of the World. $3.  

9:30 pm Box Social @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. The end of an era: Box Social celebrates its last night at 751! Motown, soul, rockabilly, doo wop, bubblegum, punk and rock n’ roll with DJs Misty and Tina Sixx. 

10 pm Rag @ Margret, 2952 Dundas St. W. Launch of a new once-a-month party! Girl rock anthems from female-fronted bands and musicians like Bikini Kill, Patti Smith, Hole, L7, the Runaways and many more with DJ 4es.  

10 pm Camp 4 Turns One @ Camp 4, 1173 Dundas St. W. Baby Camp 4 turns one with special guests Little Girls at 10 pm followed by Switched On with DJs Jaime Sin and Pam playing 90’s indie rock and pop. Yummy sangria and good times all night long.  

FRIDAY 

6:30 pm Burner: The Music Issue Party @ 68 Scollard Ave., Unit 301. Free wine! Live music! Awesome art! Tasty treats! Complimentary House Wine Co provided by Speck Bros., musical performance by Fitness and artwork by The Music Issue contributors. The event is free but you must be on the guestlist to get in (space is limited). RSVP by Thursday to rsvp@burnermag.com. 

7 pm Carril Bici Opening Reception @ Le Gallery, 1183 Dundas St. W. Featuring a combination of photography and found objects, Carril Bici enthusiastically celebrates the spirit of DIY innovation and Cuban expressions of the bicycle. Until 10 pm. 

8 pm Steam Whistle Unsigned #18 @ Steam Whistle Brewery, 255 Bremner Ave. Performances by locals The Darcys, Wildlife and Freedom or Death, with special guest DJs and Unsigned alumni Make Your Exit. $5 at the door, with all proceeds from ticket sales going back to the community through the Artists’ Health Center Foundation. 

10 pm Dance Armstrong @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Songs that make you want to dance like you’ve won. And won big. Anything and everything from Gorillaz to Bowie, Hot Chip to Jay-Z, Paul Simon to The Stone Roses, The Beatles to Postal Service to Digable Planets and probably Hall & Oates. Only the most victorious of songs! $5. 

10 pm No Control @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. Punk, post punk and new wave circa 1975 to 1985 upstairs and Bad Taste (NY hip-hop) downstairs. Prizes and visual stimulation courtesy of Eyesore Cinema. 

10 pm Greasy Soul Funk Dance Party @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. DJ Ali Babba spins old soul and funk while five-piece band YUKA performs their original dance and funk music.  

10 pm Manjah Music @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Mantis and Hajah Bug spin hip-hop, funk, soul and reggae vibes on two turntables with very special guests. All jams all night. 

10 pm Melting Pot @ Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave. Feel good dance party with DJs Nasty Nav, Ali Black, Isosceles and Pooyan! $5.  

SATURDAY 

10 am Drake Spring Market @ The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W. Antiques, handmade jewellery and cards, flowers and plants, furniture, artist prints and so much more! Think hotel auction meets good old-fashioned garage sale as the corner of Queen and Beaconsfield transforms into a colourful spring market. Until 4 pm. http://www.thedrakehotel.ca/market 

10 am Spring Wedding Show @ The Drake Hotel Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W. Indie party-planning meets traditional couture with paper goods, gowns, cakes, accessories and talented designers and photographers on hand to make your special day extra unique. $10. 

10 am Toronto Etsy Street Team Spring Craft Show @ The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W. Featuring 20 tables of TESTy members selling homemade wares including jewellery, fine art, paper craft, soap, fashion and more. Until 4 pm.  

11 am Uber-SWAP @ Queen East Presb. Church, 947 Queen St. E. Expect a serious volume of gently used, vintage and some new clothing, accessories and footwear to rummage through and take home. Bring at least one grocery bag of clothing, accessories and/or shoes (no damaged or dirty items) and then share the swap love! If possible, drop off your swap stash by Friday at Nathalie-Roze & Co. (1015 Queen St. E.). All leftover items will be donated to Double-Take, the Yonge Street Mission’s thrift shop, and a portion of the admission fee and all sales of new goods in the I Heart Japan section will be donated to the Red Cross Japan Relief Fund. $5 in advance or $7 at the door + your stash.  

10 pm Burn Baby Burn: TAIZA @ Margret, 2952 Dundas St. W. Super Galactic Inter Galactic SpaceDisco Inferno Dance Partangles. An all-vinyl cavalcade of big hits and hockey fights that will surely pamperize your ear canals and appeal to your corneas. Inter-mingle, dingle and dangle while getting snapped by our very own Becca Lemire!  

10 pm Lick A Shot @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. A night of millennium-era party rap and R&B (you know, stuff like Missy, Aaliyah, Mannie Fresh and Juelz Santana) with DJs Geoff Snack and Andrew Roti. 

10 pm Bangers & Mash @ College Street Bar, 574 College St. Your favourite retro tunes, mashed-up, remixed and banged out for your dancing pleasure! 

10 pm Amigo, Amiga @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. Music to stimulate your aural pleasure centres and ignite imaginative voyages. 

10 pm The Parkdale Soul Revue @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Dance hits from the best of the sweet soul 60’s and 70’s with DJs Mark Pesci and Kristal Kent. Drink specials until 11:30 pm. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.  

10 pm Muscle & Heat Astral Projection DJ Set @ UNIT, 1198 Queen St. W. Channel your astral selves to UNIT for the dewiest of dance records. Disco/various.  

10 pm Stay Fly @ Crawford, 718 College St. Bangin’ hip-hop, cool ass R&B, 60’s/70’s soul classics and some dutty reggae chunes in the basement with DJs Safari647 and Yo Brotherford. Drink specials include $4 Jager and tequila shots, $5 PBR pints and tall cans of Amsterdam Blonde, $7 mug + shot, $10 big ol’ Heinekens and $13 pitchers.  

10 pm Shake, Rattle & Roll @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. 60’s pop and rock n’ roll + Motown + soul with lady DJ duo Bangs & Blush. $5. 

10 pm Vanishing Point @ Camp 4, 1173 Dundas St. W. Oddball weirdo beats and new indie delights! New wave, protopunk, rando Brazilian beats, am radio weirdness/fluttery, buttery pop, disco/not disco, new releases. 

10:30 pm Tapette @ Naco, 1665 Dundas St. W. A celebration known as l’homosexualité dans la chanson française, inspired by the history of songs about being gay in French music, where people will dance like a bunch of gays who just finished a shift at the brick factory in Paris. 

11 pm Lipstick, Cherry @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Frenchtouch, electrohouse, italo, nudisco, punkfunk and new wave with special guest DJs Electric Youth and resident Pammm. Visuals by The Blacklight Association of Canada. $10, or $5 with Facebook RSVP. 

SUNDAY

10 am 99 Art Market @ 99 Sudbury. Local independent artists and designers come together to showcase their wares and sell them to the public. Original art pieces, yummy eats and refreshing treats (mimosas + caesars, yes please). Until 4 pm.  

7 pm Movies In The Mess Hall @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A tribute to the iconic Elizabeth Taylor and her contribution to cinema with the 1968 British film Boom! Hosted by David Balzer and Derek Aubichon. $5 or $15 with dinner (“Sea Monster” – charred octopus, chickpeas + salsa verde with Soiled Reputation greens, EVOO and 9 year-old balsamic + a bittersweet chocolate biscotti).