November 24th-December 4th OneofaKind Christmas Show & Sale @ Direct Energy Centre (Exhibition Place), 100 Princes Blvd. The perfect place to find unique gifts for the holidays! $12online, $14 at the door.
December 2nd-3rd Designer Sample Sale @ Twist Gallery, 1100 Queen St. W. Holiday Pop-Up featuring women’s wear, menswear, jewelry, outerwear, accessories and home decor. Designers include David Dixon, Thien Le, My Wild, Marika Brose, Aime M. Project, Jewellery by Karen, and more. Cash, credit and interac accepted. Sale runs Friday from noon-7 pm and Saturday from 10-6 pm.
December 2nd-4th Drake General Store Winter Warehouse Sale @ Drake General Store Warehouse, 442 Dufferin St., Unit 5. Drake General Store and C2 Apparel have two rooms filled with steals and deals! Sale runs Friday from 2-8 pm, Saturday from 10-4 pm and Sunday from 12-4 pm.
December 2nd-18th Toronto Christmas Market @ The Distillery District, 55 Mill St. This free annual event captures all of the tradition, heritage and charm of a European Christmas Market. Hundreds of unique and local handcrafted products, specialty beer and mulled wine gardens, carolers and more.
December 2nd-31st Fitzroy Boutique Holiday Pop-Up Shop @ BYOB Bar & Cocktail Emporium, 972 Queen St. W. Unique and affordable women’s clothing and accessory lines, with everything priced under $200. The Holiday Pop–Up Shop will showcase a carefully curated selection of exclusive and not widely available lines for the holiday season.
WEDNESDAY
8:30 am 17th Annual CBC Charity Craft Sale @ CBC, 250 Front St. W. Over 60 vendors selling handmade items including baking, sewing, knitting, jewelry, holiday decor and body care. In honour of World HIV/AIDS Day, the craft sale will support Unicef, with all proceeds from vendor fees and day of donations going directly to Child Survival around the world, which includes HIV testing and prevention in Africa and other nations for mothers, babies and children. Until 5:30 pm.
11:30 am Meet the Old Spice Guy @ Toronto Eaton Centre (Trinity Way in front of Sears), 220 Yonge St. Meet the man your man could smell like! Isaiah Mustafa, better known as the Old Spice Guy, will be greeting his fans, taking photos and giving away some Old Spice products. Until 1:30 pm.
10 pm Fantasia @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. DJ Unicorn Porn (uh, best DJ name ever?) plays post-punk, proto punk, future funk and other sounds.
THURSDAY
5:30 pm Holiday Trunk Sale @ Robber, 863 Queen St. W. Celebrate the holidays with Robber! Opening night party features deals on Diepo FW11 + major deals on holiday clothing and gift items from other labels including Lover, Filippa K, Steven Alan and more, free beer, delicious treats courtesy of Megan Wapple Designs, holiday and non-holiday music, and woodblock gift prints by Ben Szoller. Sale continues until December 4th.
6:30 pm Word AIDS Day Screening: “We Were Here” @ Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. A screening of the recently Oscar shortlisted documentary “We Were Here,” a reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco, and how the city’s inhabitants dealt with that unprecedented calamity. Following the screening, a special candlelight vigil will be held with a walk through Roncesvalles Village in honour of those we’ve lost, and who continue to fight this disease.
7 pm SpeakEasy’s Holiday Sale @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Holiday cocktails, a few good tunes and handcrafted holiday gifts! Featuring the work of 40 local artists, ranging from quirky one-off ceramics to handmade soap, jewellery and hand-painted Christmas cards. Until 11 pm.
7:30 pm “The Muse” Opening Reception @ The Mascot, 1267 Queen St. W. Newfoundland artist Dave Sheppard uses the “spark of enlightenment” metaphor to incorporate lightbulbs into the bodies of fish and place candles into the claws of crabs. His paintings are meant to express his reverence and fascination with sea life itself. Until 11 pm.
10 pm Fubar Party @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. Featuring Deaner’s band, Night Seeker, and special guests Monster Truck. $15 advance tickets available at Rotate This, Soundscapes and online.
FRIDAY
7 pm “Absurd Realities” Opening Reception @ Forgetus Collective, 163 Sterling Rd., Unit 29. “Montreal-based artist Sophie Edell works by painting and drawing over large-scale photographic prints that are either found or by photographer David J. Romero. Edell’s interventions create an alternate reality that questions whether the camera or our own eyes are always reliable sources for our perceptions of the world.” Until 11 pm. Gallery open Saturdays and Sundays.
10 pm Soul Block Party @ Crawford, 718 College St. Two floors of Motown, stax, and oldies R&B and soul with DJs Fase and Splattermonkey. $5 before midnight, more after.
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 Whatevs @ 751 (basement), 751 Queen St. W. A 90’s hip-hop and gangsta rap party with DJ Steve Rock playing all your golden era favourites. Loose morals + $10 mini pitchers of bar rail in effect.
10 pm The Cold Sweat @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. A big blast of vintage soul and funk on vinyl. DJs Double K and Gremara + sax player Dennis P serve up a proper culinary feast for your ears!
10 pm Digital Needle @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A disco party in which DJs Johnee and Dylan lay it down and get you up.
10 pm 2nd Annual Modernboys Moderngirls Rock n’ Roll Party @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. Featuring special performances by members of The Balconies, Make Your Exit, Janes Party, Bahamas, Hands & Teeth, HotKid, Mad Ones, Quiet Cool, Sandman Viper Command, Dinosaur Bones and Little Brian & the Oat Cereals + DJ Reverend Throwdown. Best dressed 50’s prizes! $8.
10 pm Scissors @ Bar Neon, 1226 Bloor St. W. A dance floor-boozy-queer lady rager! PinkMafia will be popping by with a T.Pain microphone for you to sing with…like T.Pain…to house music…and win his new CD.
10 pm So Black & White @ UNIT, 1198 Queen St. W. DJs Oliver Davis and Koray Özel play a fine selection of soul, funk, hip-hop, house, broken beat, afro, etc.
10 pm Girl & Boy 90s Dance Party @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. RnB, hip-hop, pop and 90’s dance music from North America and Europe. Only one rule: no Pearl Jam. Free before 11 pm with student ID, $5 otherwise.
10 pm Pop Lobster: HOt HOt Holiday Edition @ Magpie, 831 Dundas St. W. The Pop Lobster ladies have the musical gifts you’re asking for! This lobster knows no pop boundaries, playing everything from Destiny’s Child to Abba to Of Montreal to Donna Summer to Britney.
10 pm Sugar Bush @ Naco Gallery, 1665 Dundas St. W. DJ Home Rekha plays you those ass-shaking, scream-a-long, grinding, foot-stomping tunes, which she eloquently describes as, “Uh, like, stuff with girls involved, I guess. That you can dance or, you know, get busy to. Tina Turner to PJ Harvey to Karen O, whatever.”
11 pm I Love 90’s: Merry Grunge-mas @ Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St. W. Host Loriann PunkRockCupcake and DJ Bingo ring in the holidays with the best 90’s grunge music! Click “attend” on Facebook for guestlist, otherwise it’s $5.
11 pm Never Forgive Action @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Classic hip-hop and R&B with residents DJ Numeric and Ted Dancin’, special guest DJ Dalia and host More or Les. $10.
SATURDAY
11 am Kid Icarus Presents: A Handmade Holiday @ St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, 103 Bellevue Ave. A one day gift show where Torontonians have the opportunity to buy directly from local creators of high-quality handcrafted goods such as paper products, poster art, soft toys, children’s clothes, knitwear, jewellery and more. Mystery loot bags at the door and raffles throughout the day. Until 6 pm. $2 general admission or $5 with a mystery loot bag (while they last).
5 pm WTF Is A Korean Taco Anyways? @ JangBang, 430.5 College St. $8 taco samplers until they run out! The Korean Taco is a fusion creation that has taken California, Portland, Austin, Seattle and New York City by storm, by putting Korean inspiration (and recipes!) into a tortilla.
8 pm DJ Skate Night @ Harbourfront Centre (Natrel Rink), 235 Queen’s Quay W. The first of the season! Toronto’s top DJs spin fresh grooves while you glide – this week featuring DJs Fuzion Freeze of Promise, a Toronto-based underground music collective responsible for Promise Cherry Beach Sunday Afternoon Soundsystem, Harvest Festival, Kajama Midnight Moon Sailing Cruise, Promise Halloween and Promise New Years Eve.
10 pm Motown Party @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. Motown, northern soul and remixes with DJs Fawn BC and Caff upstairs and an all-vinyl set with DJs Brett Millius and Reverend Throwdown downstairs. $11 pitchers and cheap bar rails all night. $5 before midnight, $10 after.
10 pm Chronologic @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. A dance party through the ages! Pop and antipop from since the end of history (i.e. music from 1890 to 2012, played in chronological order). The Goin’ Steady DJs play the absolute best dance tracks from every era – unexpect the accepted except exceptional exceptions and DANCE! $5.
10 pm Eff Emm Ell @ Crawford, 718 College St. DJs Eff Em Ell, Patrick McGuire, Dread McGriff and PhilipMode play only the gully’est music for you to get your lean on to. Purple sizzurp drink in styrofoam cubs, alcoholic slushies, free jolly ranchers, full snack bar and free giveaways from sponsors Bongzilla.
10 pm Secret Models @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. One big room, full of bad bitches! DJs Secret Models play hits straight from your high school semi-formal.
10 pm Reality Bytes @ Augusta House, 152-A Augusta Ave. All your favourite 90’s dance, hip-hop, electronica and alternative tunes spun by DJs 4est, Lindzrox and Jrox. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.
10 pm Shake, Rattle & Roll @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. A sexy, sweaty dance party thrown by the Bangs & Blush ladies! 60’s pop, soul and rock n’ roll. $5.
10 pm Fine Tuning @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. DJ Davy Love plays R&B, garage, soul, doo-wop and down and dirty rock n’ roll records for your listening, dancing and drinking-along-with pleasure.
11 pm Bang The Party! @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Futureboogie, leftfield house, disconotdisco and tropicalism with resident DJ duo Gang of Two (Andycapp and Rod Skimmins) and special guest Mano Le Tough. $10.
11 pm Shake A Tail @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. A night of dancing to 60’s pop, rock, soul, funk, garage, ska, ANYTHING! Always humid. $5.
SUNDAY
10 am Gingerbread Decorating Party @ Cozy Café, 2075 Danforth Ave. Decorate your own gingerbread house! To reserve a spot, RSVP to cozygingerbread@gmail.com. $25 a house, including home-baked, all natural gingerbread, candies, icing and board.
12 pm Holiday Art Market @ Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St. Shop for unique, handmade gifts from local artists and enjoy homemade cookies and warm drinks in the holiday-themed café. Until 5 pm.
~ Caitlyn Holroyd
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