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The weekend is here, Toronto!
Which means it’s time to kick back and celebrate in style at one of the many exciting events happening around town.
From food and music festivals to family-friendly events and even a naked bike ride, here are your top events for the weekend.
Negroni Week
U-Feast
What: Nearly 40 Toronto restaurants, bars, and cocktail lounges are participating by offering classic and innovative takes on the time-honoured cocktail. The official hub for festivities in Toronto is Superpoint Pizza where Campari will host Negroni Week activities including a gift shop stocked with limited-edition Campari art prints, t-shirts, branded bar tools, and patio parties (held on June 9 and 10) featuring guest bartenders from across the city.
When: Now until June 10
Time: Varies by location
Where: Participating Toronto bars and restaurants
Price: Varies by location
Swan Lake, Loch na hEala
What: Michael Keegan-Dolan, one of Ireland’s foremost dance and theatre-makers, is bringing his stylish Irish adaptation of Swan Lake, Loch na hEala, to Luminato. This production re-tells one of ballet’s best known and loved classics, interpreted to reflect Irish folk mythology and prominent social issues including the history of abuse in the Catholic Church and schools.
When: Now until June 10
Time: Friday & Saturday, 8 pm to 9:15 pm; Sunday, 2 pm to 3:15 pm
Where: Bluma Appel Theatre, St Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East
Price: From $50 to $94
RIOT
What: RIOT, from Ireland’s thisispopbaby, is Luminato’s “house show,” which runs most of the duration of the festival. It’s a bawdy cabaret of dance, drag, circus, spoken word, and comedy. RIOT features performances from one of the most well known drags queens ever Panti Bliss and also features the famed Lords of Strut, who were finalists on Britain’s Got Talent.
When: Now until June 16
Time: Numerous show times each day
Where: Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, 227 Front Street East
Price: From $39
At the Illusionist’s Table
What: Acclaimed Scottish illusionist Scott Silven hosts At the Illusionist’s Table, which is an intimate evening of fine dining and whiskey-tasting, interwoven with illusion, mentalism, and storytelling in a private dining room at Toronto’s historic Casa Loma.
When: Now until June 24
Time: 6 pm to 8:30 or 9 pm to 11:30 pm
Where: The Austin Room, Casa Loma
Price: $225 (Includes a three-course dinner by BlueBlood Steakhouse)
Luminato 2018
@luminatofestival/Instagram
What: The 12th annual Luminato Festival returns to Toronto this week. From June 6 to 24, the multi-arts and multi-platform event will take over the city for 19 days of free and ticketed programming. This year guests can look forward to an impressive lineup that fuses together arts and politics while highlighting contemporary issues such as human rights, diversity, and feminism.
When: Now until June 24
Time: Varies by day
Where: Various venues throughout the city
Price: Varies by event
Pride Month Toronto
What: Now celebrating its 36th year, Pride Toronto is back for another exciting month filled with plenty of fun. The heart of the celebration is in Toronto’s gay village but opportunities for entertainment can be found in LGBTQ-friendly bars, restaurants, and nightlife spots across the entire city.
When: Now until June 24
Time: Varies by day
Where: Events located throughout the city
Price: Varies by event
60 Years of Made in Italy
What: June marks Italian Heritage Month in Canada, which is the perfect time to celebrate the Italian community within our exceptionally diverse country. And Yorkville Village is hosting a world-renowned fashion exhibit, 60 Years of Made in Italy, into the heart of Toronto, just in time for the occasion.
When: Now until June 30
Time: Varies by day
Where: Yorkville Village, 55 Avenue Rd
Price: Free
A Forest of Canoes at The Bentway
What: A Forest of Canoes by Dana Claxton, is a site-specific installation set up throughout The Bentway and is co-commissioned with Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and curated by Bonnie Rubenstein. The installation highlights the iconic role and symbolism of the canoe in Canadian, Metis, and Indigenous histories.
When: Now until August 31
Time: All day
Where: The Bentway, 250 Fort York Blvd.
Price: Admission is free
Manolo Blahnik: The Art of Shoes
Andrea Delbo
What: This month, Manolo Blahnik and the Bata Shoe Museum will be joining forces, bringing the highly anticipated travelling exhibit Manolo Blahnik: The Art of Shoes to Toronto.
When: Now until January 6
Time: Friday & Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, 12 pm to 5 pm; Monday, 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor Street West
Price: General admission is $14
Yonge-Dundas Square 15th Anniversary Block Party
What: Yonge-Dundas Square is hosting a massive block party this month to celebrate its 15th anniversary and everyone’s invited. On Friday, June 8, Much and E! host Tyrone Edwards will be emceeing this epic party which will feature a headline set from rock darlings The New Pornographers.
When: June 8
Time: 12 pm to 11 pm
Where: Yonge-Dundas Square
Price: Free to attend
What: This all-day, youth-led festival will feature vendors, performance and showcase talent from VIBE Arts programming and Toronto artists at Toronto’s iconic Ontario Place.
When: June 8 to 10
Time: Friday, 4 pm to 9 pm; Saturday, 12 pm to 9 pm; Sunday, 12 pm to 6 pm
Where: Ontario Place, 955 Lake Shore Blvd West
Price: Free
A Tavola
What: This 19+ culinary event is devoted to modern-day Italian food and spans a whole weekend on the West Island at Ontario Place.
When: June 8 to 10
Time: Friday, 5 pm to 9 pm; Saturday, 11 am to 11 pm; Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm
Where: West Island at Ontario Place, 955 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Toronto
Price: $9
The Mac + Cheese Festival
Shutterstock
What: The festival has announced that it’s moving to the Milton Fairgrounds in 2018 and new this year – in addition to dozens of vendors – organizers are adding a midway complete with a Ferris wheel, carousel, bouncy castles, and carnival games, all free and unlimited with an all-access pass.
When: June 8 to 10
Time: Friday, 6 pm to 11 pm; Saturday, 12 pm to 11 pm; Sunday, 12 pm to 7 pm
Where: Milton Fairgrounds, 136 Robert Street, Milton
Price: Single day pass is $7, or $10 for the entire weekend when you register online. $10 at the door.
North by Northeast 2018
What: Taking place June 8 to 17, this year’s NXNE lineup features Jazz Cartier, Azealia Banks, and Big Freedig headlining the local music fest. The headliners will join emerging and other established artists throughout the weekend including U.S. Girls, TORRES, Sean Leon, Alx Veliz, Yungblud, Cadence Weapon, Kamikaze Girls, Nate Husser, and more.
When: June 8 to 17
Time: Varies by day
Where: Yonge-Dundas Square, and other venues
Price: Varies by event
Evergreen Brick Works Saturday Markets
What: The Evergreen Brick Works Saturday market has grown to become the largest farmers’ market in Toronto. Here you’ll find a wide variety of local and seasonal food from local farmers and producers.
When: June 9
Time: 9 am to 1 pm
Where: 550 Bayview Avenue
Price: Admission is free
Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival and Contest
What: Back for another year, Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival and Contest boasts 150,000 butter tarts of all sizes and flavours for sale from over 60 tart makers, as well as a marketplace populated with bakers and artisans.
When: June 9
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Where: 333 King Street, Midland, Ontario
Price: Admission is free
Toronto Flower Market
Toronto Flower Market
What: There will be 18 incredible vendor stalls on display to visit and admire, each selling an assortment of seasonal showstoppers including tulips, daffodils, gerbera, orchids, hyacinths, muscari, lilacs, and more. Plus there will also be an array of dahlia tubers, seedlings, garden planters, handmade pots, and indoor plants also for sale.
When: June 9
Time: 10 am to 3 pm
Where: CAMH, 1001 Queen Street West
Price: Free
Grilled Cheese Challenge
What: Toronto’s annual Grilled Cheese Challenge presented by the Lakeshore Village BIA is taking place this June and will see 16 sandwich makers compete for the top prize of $1,000 voted by a panel of judges. Meanwhile, attendees can vote on the Peoples’ Choice Award for the best tasting, best gourmet, and most unique entries.
When: June 9
Time: 11 am to 6 pm
Where: Islington and Lake Shore Boulevard West, Toronto
Price: Admission is free
Pampered Pooches TO
What: This west end doggie festival powered by the Toronto Art Crawl, bills itself as “a one-stop-pooch-shop for the urban dog owner,” and offers a combination of socializing, shopping, and “infotainment.”
When: June 9
Time:11 am to 6 pm
Where: Liberty Village Presentation Center, 80 Lynn Williams, Toronto
Price: Admission is free
Toronto Shawarma Festival
What: Looking for a delicious way to break the fast following Maghrib? This food festival focuses on the essential Middle Eastern street food featuring skewered meats slowly roasted on a vertical spit and then shaved onto flatbread.
When: June 9
Time: 11 am to 11 pm
Where: Across the street from 494 Front Street East
Price: Free
World Naked Bike Ride Toronto
Naked bike ride/Shutterstock
What: The annual World Naked Bike Ride returns to Toronto this June and will be rolling through downtown on June 9, giving you the perfect excuse to strip down. Each year, World Naked Bike Ride protests car culture, the pollution cars make, and use of non-renewable energy like oil.
When: June 9
Time: 1 pm to 6 pm
Where: Starts at Coronation Park (by the waterfront at the centre of the park; at the big Canadian flagpole.)
Price: Free
Rosé All Day Run
What: If running out of rosé is your idea of cardio then this Toronto-area Rosé All Day Run might be the perfect way to get ready for summer. The inaugural 19+ event promises the chance to run, sip, and party featuring “the biggest, pinkest celebratory after-party” once you cross the finish line.
When: June 9
Time: 2 pm to 7 pm
Where: Trius Winery & Restaurant, 1249 Niagara Stone Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Price: Registration costs $89
Red Bull Music Presents: Collectif NUDE’s Block Party
What: This Saturday, enjoy a day of performances, live art, food and a skate installation hosted by Tj Rogers at Drake Commissary. The event will feature Chicago’s cosmic soul sensation Ravyn Lenae, fresh off her Crush EP, joined by local favourites Birthday Boy + Trish, Montreal’s R&B siren Shay Lia, Bristol via Mississauga MC and producer Keita Juma, and more.
When: June 9
Time: Doors open at 3 pm
Where: Drake Commissary, 128a Sterling Rd Parking Lot
Price: Entry is $5 with RSVP, $10 without
Wild Things Fest
What: Sip and sample “low-intervention wines, funky brews and hazy ciders made with indigenous or wild yeasts,” at this festival devoted to wild-fermented one-offs offered by craft breweries, cideries and biodynamic wineries.
When: June 9
Time: 6 pm to 1 am
Where: Propeller Coffee Co., 50 Wade Avenue, Toronto
Price: From $35 online
Waterfront Artisan Market
Marc Bruxelle/Shutterstock
What: Back for its third year in 2018, the Waterfront Artisan Market runs every weekend until the first week in October. The outdoor festival, presented by The Waterfront BIA and operated by the Scadding Court Community Centre, will feature 50 bakers, chefs, and artisans hawking summery street foods and locally-made products.
When: June 9 & 10
Time: Saturdays 11 am to 8 pm; Sundays 11 am to 5 pm
Where: HTO Park, 339 Queens Quay West, Toronto
Price: Admission is free
Portugal Day Parade
What: Come and show your Portugal pride by attending the 31st Portugal Day with a family-friendly parade that will run along Dundas Street between Lansdowne Avenue and Trinity Bellwoods Park.
When: June 10
Time: 11 am to 1 pm
Where: Dundas Street West between Lansdowne Avenue and Trinity Bellwoods Park
Price: Free to attend
Block Party in Support of SickKids
What: This Sunday, you can enjoy a free family fun day at the Artscape Wychwood Barns that will feature inflatables, local food vendors, music, sports, arts and crafts, character appearances, a wildlife show and more!
When: June 10
Time: 11 am to 3 pm
Where: Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street
Price: Free
Open Kitchen Toronto feat. Chef Elia Herrera
What: Chef Elia Herrera headlines this brunch-themed installment of Opek Kitchen Toronto, a collaborative dinner series aimed at showcasing and supporting the advancement of women in the culinary industry.
When: June 10
Time: 11:30 am
Where: Los Colibris, 220 King Street West, Toronto
Price: $85
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