Category Archives: 365 Things to Do in Toronto

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals, Toronto music

164. NXNE – North By Northeast

June 13, 2011

Starting today and continuing until June 19th, this year’s NXNE (North By Northeast) Festival and Conference promises to present the best Canadian and indie talent around. With 650 bands, 40 films, and 50 panels, NXNE 2011 is bigger and better than ever! With alumni such as Broken Social Scene, Feist, Black Rebel Motorcyle Club, Sufjan Stevents, K-os, Ron Sexsmith, Billy Talent, Blue Rodeo, Great Lake Swimmers, Hidden Cameras, K’naan, Kathleen Edwards and many more, you never know what “next big” artist/band you’ll be witnessing before they’re catapulted into fame!

North By Northeast

There are all kinds of passes and wristbands to purchase to make sure you get the most out of NXNE; a Priority Pass goes for $200 online, giving you priority access to all NXNE club shows, film screenings and afternoon interactive sessions. You can purchase a 5-day or 1-day wristband, a Film Festival wristband, an Interactive pass (for the 3-day interactive conference from June 16th-18th), attend Workshops, or get the “Mundo Combo” which includes a Priority Pass, Interactive Pass, and all Workshops for the full NXNE experience! Of course, you can also buy tickets for specific shows.

For more information, a full schedule of performances, and the opportunity to buy wristbands and passes online, go to http://nxne.com!

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto food

163. Toronto Taste 2011

June 12, 2011

“Pairing cuisine and compassion,” Toronto Taste celebrates our city’s top chefs and beverage purveyors while raising support for Second Harvest.

Second Harvest is a non-profit organization that picks up donated perishable food which would otherwise go to waste, and then delivers that food to social service agencies across Toronto. Proceeds raised by Toronto Taste support Second Harvest’s delivery program, enabling the charitable organization to provide more than 16,000 meals to hungry Torontonians each day.

Tickets for Toronto Taste are $250 with a tax receipt issued for $125. The event takes place at the Royal Ontario Museum, and is guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds and your conscious as you help to put meals on the table of your fellow city-dwellers, while indulging in the gastronomic adventure of the year! For more information, go to www.torontotaste.ca.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, St. Lawrence Market, Toronto, Toronto events

162. Woofstock

June 11, 2011

Here’s an event that both you and your four-legged friend will appreciate – Woofstock in St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood! Today and tomorrow, dogs of all breeds and sizes will gather with their owners to participate in this “wildly popular doggie love-in!” Toronto’s Woofstock is the largest outdoor festival for dogs in this continent – admission is free, so bring Fido along, and get ready for a day of puppy love!

Woofstock

Woofstock events include a Fashion Show, Dog Trick Contest, Ms. & Mr. Canine Canada Pageant, Best Costume Contest, K9 Rescue Me Walk-A-Thon, and the incredible Purina Pro Plan Dog Stars. You and your pup can win great prizes, meet some new friends (two-legged and four-legged), and participate in the (doggy) social event of the year! To learn more about Woofstock, go to www.woofstock.ca!

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto festivals, Toronto film, Toronto music, Toronto theatre

161. Luminato

June 10, 2011

A multi-disciplinary celebration of the arts, Luminato fills Toronto’s streets, stages, and public spaces with creativity. Throughout the ten day festival, you can catch theatre and dance performances, witness stunning visual art and film, or enjoy fashion and magic as you’ve never seen them before. Luminato embraces artists from across the world, encouraging collaboration as creative expressions emerge from the partnership of artists from different mediums and different cultures.

Luminato

Luminato includes free and ticketed performances, making it accessible no matter what your summer festival budget! Today’s free events include “The Luminato Reel” – a screening of short and feature-length films; “Sargasso” – an installation by a a visionary architect answering the question “could architecture come alive?” in the Allen Lambert Galleria; “Habit” – a collaboration of live theatre, reality TV and visual arts; “My Name is Raj” – a celebration of Indian film pioneer Raj Kapoor ; “Garden of Roses: Denis Gagnon Interprets Alice” – a line of fashion inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and much more! The fun is just getting started today – the festival continues until June 19th!

For more information, and a full listing of events throughout the whole festival, go to www.luminato.com!

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, West Queen West

160. Design Talk: Planning for Your Home – Effective Lighting

June 9, 2011

You’re invited to our final Design Talk before we take a break for the summer: Planning for Your Home – Effective Lighting! Lucy Campos-Gentile, Principal Interior Designer at TO Design Co will introduce us to different aspects of lighting as we aim to help you create a well-balanced space.

Design Talk

Lighting seems to be a relatively simple problem to solve; if a corner is dark, you add a lamp, right? There’s actually a lot more to it than that. Different spaces require different types of light fixtures, and different needs demand different solutions. Lucy will teach us about different types of light, bulbs, and light fixtures; lighting for function, decoration, ambiance, and safety; the effect of light on colour; how to choose light fixtures to save energy; and designing with lighting in mind.

Join us on June 9, 2011 at Urban Mode at 7:00pm for the finale of our 2010/2011 Design Talks series (don’t worry, we’ll be back in September with more great speakers and design topics)!

About the Speaker:

Lucy Campos-Gentile started working in Interior Design over fifteen years ago. In the first two years of her career, she worked in largely corporate, retail, and hospitality design. When she was hired by a builder to work in the residential field of the market, her career shifted, and she later started her own design firm, TO DESIGN CO.

TO DESIGN CO is a full-service interior design firm specializing in home renovations, additions, new construction, and remodeling. Lucy provides design services around the GTA including project planning, drawings, project management, and trade supervision. Lucy plans with her clients using a full range of samples and detailed specifications, floor plans, architectural drawings and 3D models, then manages projects, overseeing the selection and purchasing of furniture, products, and materials. TO DESIGN CO clients need only to express their design wants and needs, approve the resulting plans, then enjoy the wonders of a well-designed space that offers function, style and balance!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Thursday, June 9th @ 7pm
Urban Mode—145 Tecumseth St
(Just south of Queen St West)

Spaces are limited. Purchase your ticket at http://effectivelighting.eventbrite.com today to avoid disappointment!

Follow www.designtalks.ca/ and check out our “HW Design Talks” Facebook group for upcoming events and more!

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto music

159. TSO Afterworks Series

June 8, 2011

If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience an Afterworks Concert, today is the day! These 75 minute concerts are performed at 6:30pm without intermission, allowing you to wait out the rush hour traffic by enjoying some fantastic classical music, though you’ll still get home much earlier than you would from a typical later-evening concert.

Afterworks Concert

This evening’s concert features Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, labeled by the Detroit News as “the most important new pianist to appear in recent years.” This young artist will delight her audience with Rachmanioff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 – a much more enriching experience than sitting in rush hour traffic!

Tickets for this Afterworks concert range from $22.50 to $76. Purchase tickets or find out more about the Afterworks series at www.tso.ca.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto museums

158. Edward Burtynsky: Oil

June 7, 2011

The ROM’s Institute for Contemporary Culture hosts Edward Burtynsky: Oil until July 3, 2011. This provocative and controversial exhibit features fifty-three large-format photographs by Canadian Edward Burtynsky, many of which were taken in the Alberta Oil Sands. Burtynsky’s stunning images focus on Extraction and Refinement, Transportation and Motor Culture, and The End of Oil.

Edward Burtynsky: Oil

Edward Burtynsky: Oil is accessible during the Museum’s regular operating hours. Today the ROM is open from 10am until 5:30pm. Admission for adults is $24. For more information, go to the ROM’s website.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events

157. Sharks at Stingray Bay

June 6, 2011

Ever want to interact with the animals at the zoo? Sharks at Stingray Bay is your chance to do just that! Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about Nurse Sharks, Cownose and Southern Stingrays, and Bonnethead Sharks through regular keeper talks, while safely and humanely interacting with the creatures! You can even feed the sharks and stingrays for $2 per cup of food.

Sharks at Stingray Bay

Sharks at Stingray Bay is located in the Group Events Tent within the Zellers Discovery Zone. Tickets for this special feature are $2.50 + tax, after your admission to the Toronto Zoo. For more information on this special addition to the Zoo, go to http://torontozoo.com!

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Harbourfront, Toronto, Toronto events

156. Neighbourhood Maverick – Architecture at Harbourfront Centre

June 5, 2011

Today is the second last day of the Neighbourhood Maverick exhibition, the Winter/Spring instalment of Architecture at Harbourfront Centre. This examination of neighbourhoods and the houses that define them ask questions about maintaining existing streetscapes, the considerations architects must take into account when designing for a specific streetscape, and the effect of “maverick architecture” on the character of a pre-existing neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood Maverick - Architecture at Harbourfront Centre

This free event takes place at the York Quay Centre, which is open from 10am until 9pm today. You can learn more about Architecture at Harbourfont Centre at www.harbourfrontcentre.ca.

 

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Toronto, Toronto events

155. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

June 4, 2011

A co-production of The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a new, full-length story ballet by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Of Polyphonia fame, Wheeldon is well known for his choreographic marriages of neo-classical and modern dance styes, and Alice continues that tradition.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Based on Lewis Carrol’s book, the ballet captures the imagination of young Alice, and includes all the beloved character’s of Carrol’s well-known tale. Meet the Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, wise caterpillar and more in the beautiful retelling of this tale through the medium of ballet. Watch as Alice falls through the Rabbit Hole, attends a bizarre tea party, witnesses a dangerous croquet match, and hears the Queen order “off with her head!” before waking up to find that it was all a dream.

Tickets for tonight’s 7:30pm performance of Alice in Wonderland range from $24.04 (in Ring 5) to $226.87 in the Grand Ring. All performances take place at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts. To learn more about the ballet, or to purchase tickets online, go to The National Ballet of Canada’s website.