February 12th-17th Toronto Black Film Festival @ Imagine Cinemas Carlton, 20 Carlton St. The Toronto Black Film Festival brings you the most outstanding and most powerful Black films while creating a space to debate major cultural, social, and socio-economic issues.

February 12th-22nd Rhubarb Festival @ Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. Rhubarb, Canada’s longest-running new works festival, transforms Buddies into a hotbed of experimentation, with artists exploring new possibilities in theatre, dance, music, and performance art.

February 12th-29th Kuumba @ Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. Toronto’s longest running Black History Month festival, Kuumba marks 25 years of celebrating the heritage, culture, and traditions of Black Canadians with a series of talks, workshops, events, and performances throughout February. 

February 13th-16th Wavelength Winter Festival @ various locations. Wavelength Music Series is warming up winter with their 20th anniversary. 20 years, 20 bands! Full schedule and tickets available here.

February 14th-16th Next Wave Film Festival @ TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. TIFF’s Next Wave Film Festival promises a jam-packed weekend with the always epic Battle of the Scores and Opening Night Party, In Conversation With… Kelvin Harrison Jr., the Growing Pains Movie Marathon, an Official Film Selection featuring some of the boldest new films from around the world, and a chance to learn from industry pros at the Young Creators Co-Lab. 

WEDNESDAY

7 pm Harry Potter Drag Bingo @ The Lockhart, 1479 Dundas St. W. Did your prince Grindelwald leave you on read again? Then put on your sparkliest robe and get on down to the Lockhart for Galentine’s Day Drag Bingo! Spill to the queens about your recent break-up story, cringiest dating experience, or current crush. Prizes awarded to best stories. All are welcome! $15 advance tickets available online.

7 pm Music Bingo @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Music Bingo is easy + fun: Host Kaleb plays a song, and if it’s on your bingo card, you get to hit it with the dabber. First one to get a line yells BINGO. It tests your musical knowledge too – you’ve got to know what the song is to be able to cross it off the card!

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 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

8 pm Trouble In Paradise: An Anti-Valentine’s Cabaret @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. If you need a break from the terminally lovesick, join The Diet Ghosts on the darkside of the honeymoon for an anti-Valentine’s Day you won’t forget. Roses are red, your love life is dead, they left you on read, so come drink instead. 

9 pm Bar Bumble @ 1034 Queen St. W. The women-make-the-first-move dating app is taking the digital experience offline, hosting a cross-Canada #BarBumble! All you have to do is download the app/show your profile and you get access to a big bash with free drinks and eats on Bumble. 

FRIDAY

7 pm Galentine’s With Miss Moco @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Celebrate your significant others (your bffs) with a night of drinks, dinner, and inappropriate discussions. The Gladstone is putting on an unforgettable Galentine’s evening with delicious food and a cabaret and drag show featuring the lovely Miss Moco.

10 pm Slow Fizz @ Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. All-new selectress run and spun vintage vinyl dance party! Hostess DJ Cher welcomes gal pals and special guest DJs Say Yes from Houston, Cara from Detroit, and hometown girl Selectress Sunshine for a night of bangin’ tunes – Northern soul, disco, boogie, Latin soul, reggae, rocksteady, and more.

10 pm My Bad @ Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W. Celebrate Valentine’s Day by dancing to the best/worst guilty pleasures from the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s with DJ Blush! $5.

10 pm Lover @ The Embassy, 223 Augusta Ave. A night of mid-tempo and medium-tempo dance music for LBGTQ+ lovers and their lovers. 

10 pm Gold Chain @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJs Aoki and Snack will have you dancing all night long to the best hip-hop of today and yesterday. You don’t wanna miss this display of supreme DJing – it’s the gold standard.

10 pm The Good Life @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Your millennial soul needs The Good Life. A new dance party playing the best hip-hop from the 2000s, all night long! $10.

10 pm Sunset Culture Club @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. All vinyl rare party jams and audio explorations with DJ Morgan Yew.

10 pm DJ Granny Pantys @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. A night of rock, psych, post-punk, and oddities with Granny Pantys.

10 pm Extra Extra @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Join DJs Pump and Big Jacks for a night of ear-perking remixes and an array of sounds that veered from J Dilla-inspired hip-hop beats to woozy house grooves. $10.

10 pm Emo Night: Post Malone Afterparty @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. Revisit your teen angst! Spinning your favourite emo anthems all night every Friday at Sneaky Dee’s. This week for Valentine’s Day, they’ll be playing all the songs you love and sneaking in some Post Malone romantic classics along the way. $5 early bird tickets available online.

10 pm Wax Candy Disco @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. DJ Efsharp and Cyclist serve up platters of the sweetest soulful, refreshing, and uplifting disco in one of the best sounding rooms in the city. $10.

10:30 pm Beam Me Up Disco @ The Baby G, Dundas St. W. The Patchouli Brothers play a disco mix of gospel, funk, soul, boogie, rare groove, house, and jazz sounds surrounded by smiling faces.

10:30 pm Wild Wild Party @ Houndstooth, 818 College St. All-vinyl 45 RPM 1950s-60s rock ‘n’ soul dance party with DJ Derek B. Garage! RnB! Beat! Fuzz! Hipshakers! 

SATURDAY

8 pm DJ Skate Nights: Last Skate With Love @ The Natrel Rink (Harbourfront Centre), 235 Queens Quay W. Sharpen your skates and skills as Toronto’s number one outdoor winter party returns with another stellar lineup of DJs that will bring the heat to your Saturday nights. This week, DJs Tasha Rozez and Randee Savage will keep you dancing on the rink with reggae sounds right up to the finale of DJ Skate Nights. Skate and helmet rentals available. Until 11 pm. 

8 pm Exes & Hoes: A Valentine’s Day Fundraiser For Maggie’s Toronto @ Unit 2, 163 Sterling Rd. A Valentine’s Day fundraiser celebrating sex workers everywhere and raising funds for Maggie’s: Toronto Sex Workers Action Project programming that provides community defense, court support, harm reduction supplies, drop-in space, counselling, and more to those in our community who need it most. The night will include a panel and dance party featuring local DJs, artists, and entertainers. $15 or PWYC.

9 pm Hotline: Disco Warehouse Party @ 211 Geary Ave. A night of proper house music and good vibes! Dress up and let loose. Music by: J Paul Getto (Boston), Hatiras, Andy Reid, Vincent Caira, LeBaron James, Luvr J, and Sicario + Dexy Soundz. $22.23-27.54 advance tickets available online.

10 pm Be Kind & Rewind @ Farside, 600 Gerrard St. E. DJ Vinyl Villain comes to Farside to spin a little bit of everything, from old school hip-hop to funk to soul to chillwave to nu disco. He’s got a ton of deep cuts that’ll have you Shazaming the night away! 

10 pm Pressure Drop: Lover’s Rock Party @ 254 Lansdowne Ave. A night of love-inspired music for your dancing pleasure. Strictly vinyl selections from Original Sabbath, Chocolate, and Pressure Drop/Higher Heights Selectors + special guest singer Carol Brown and DJs Ras Yunchie and Nkrumah. Roots reggae, lover’s rock, rub a dub, rocksteady, dubwize, dancehall, and ska. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after.

10 pm Fancy Footwork @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Fancy Footwork returns this month with Toronto-based producer/DJ Cyclist joining resident Mista Jiggz on the 1s and 2s, playing the best in indie dance, nu disco, future funk, and more. $10. RSVP here for line bypass before midnight.

10 pm Show Me Love: Robyn Valentine’s Dance Party @ The Rec Room, 255 Bremner Blvd. A celebration of everything love and Robyn. The Rec Room will be playing all the Robyn you can handle, so grab your friends and lovers so you won’t be dancing on your own. $6.32 early bird tickets available online.

10 pm Boomless Boogie @ The Embassy, 223 Augusta Ave. Ultra luxury deep cut grooves with DJs LordAUK and Zones. Boogie, disco, house, and all kinds of trippy funk.

10 pm Intermission: Love Yourself @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. You don’t need a Valentine to feel loved, especially when you’ve got your fine ass and your friends at The Beaver! Join DJs Dare and JoeeFro for a night of self-love bops, queer anthems, disco classics, and dirty house to get you feeling yourself! Hype queen Rubi Strange will be dancing around all night reminding you how wonderful you are. 

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.

10 pm It’s All Good @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Join resident VJs General Eclectic and Mike Luke as they take you on a journey through the 1990s, from Biggie to Bjork, Nirvana to No Doubt, Destiny’s Child to Daft Punk, TLC to ATCQ, Eminem to En Vogue, Mariah Carey to Massive Attack, Portishead to Pavement, Spice Girls to Stereolab, and much more! $10.

10 pm Worst Behavior @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Saturdays are for getting loose and being on your Worst Behavior! Bangs & Blush roll out rap and hip-hop from now and then. $10.

10 pm I Think I’m Making A Comeback Dance Party @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ Shirley Tempo playing the most danceable psych, soul, classic pop, and guilty pleasures.

10 pm Get It Together @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. Kensington Market’s open format dance party welcoming all genres, all styles, and all people. Selections by Mikey McFly.

10:30 pm Divas Only: Starring Kesha @ Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church St. Divas Only celebrates the release of Kesha’s new album, High Road. Come party to the new album as well as classic hits like “Tik Tok,” “We R Who We R,” and “Rainbow.” DJs Johnny B Goode and Maggy will be playing only divas all night and they promise to play all their biggest hits. $5 before 11:30 pm, more after.

10:30 pm Dance Mix ’94 @ Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. A monthly queer dance party featuring all your favourites from the ’90s, 2000s, and more, mixed by DJ Sumation. With performances by Heaven Lee Hytes, Juice Boxx, and Imarra $5 before 11:30 pm, $8 after.

10:30 pm Back In The Day @ Revival, 783 College St. A tribute to ’90s and ’00s old school hip-hop, R&B, dance, house, reggae, and pop with DJs Baby Yu and R2. Email info@themarqueemedia.com for bottle service inquiries and guest list. The 

SUNDAY

10 am The Leslieville Flea @ The Fermenting Cellar, 28 Distillery Lane. The Leslieville Flea returns with 50+ vendors selling vintage, salvaged, up-cycled goods, furniture, antiques, collectibles, and work from select artisans. While there, experience the Toronto Light Festival and the beautiful light art pieces on display throughout the Distillery District. Until 5 pm.

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

9 pm Afro Haus: 2 Year Anniversary @ One Loft, 292 College St. Express, release, and GET DOWN to the grooviest, freshest dance music coming out of Sub-Saharan Africa and her diaspora as Afro Haus celebrates two years. There will be 15 DJs spinning in two rooms + artists, a live drummer, visuals, and vendors. $16.93-27.54 advance tickets available online.

10 pm Sunday Night Karaoke @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Come sing your heart out in front of the most supportive karaoke crowd going. Rotating hosts, cheap beers, good times!

10 pm Sinful Sundays Burlesque @ Cherry Cola’s, 200 Bathurst St. Come be entertained at this weekly “temple of tease,” where you’ll find a fresh lineup of burlesque entertainers, drag, and variety acts. On stage: Genie Emerald, Laura Desiree, Midnight Wolverine, and host Igby Lizzard. Free entry; tipping encouraged.

10 pm All Vinyl Everything @ The Drake Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W. No laptops. No serato. Just turntables and vinyl. This Family Day long weekend Sunday, enjoy the sounds of DJs Agile, Mista Jiggz, and Mensa as they take you on an amazing analog journey, running all the big tunes fit to press on wax! Free entry with RSVP.

10 pm Stranger Things: 80s Valentine’s Dance Party @ Hard Luck, 772-A Dundas St. W. Travel back to the 1980s at this Strange Things-themed Valentine’s Day Party! Creative cosplay/costumes strongly encouraged. $7.69 advance tickets available online.

10 pm Love Shack @ Swan Dive, 1631 Dundas St. W. DJ DangerCat playing all the best rock and roll, indie, surf, garage, and new wave hits all night! It’s 

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