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

215. Billy Elliot the Musical

August 3, 2011 Heikki Walden

August 3, 2011

Honoured with ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Billy Elliot is a must see musical – in fact, it has been called “the best show you’ll ever see” by the New York Post!

Showing at the Canon Theatre, the musical is based on the hit film by the same name. Audiences watch as Billy’s journey shifts from the boxing ring to ballet class, where he discovers his true passion. With a score by Elton John combined with the genius of the Tony-winning creative team of director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and writer Lee Hall, you simply cannot miss this fantastic production! After all, “When an audience leaps to their feet cheering in the middle of a show’s second act, then you know something extraordinary is happening…” (Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star)!

There are two performances of Billy Elliot today – one at 1:30pm (tickets range from $36 to $123) and one at 7:30pm (tickets range from $40 to $157). If today’s shows are sold-out, don’t worry! The show’s run has been extended into September! To see the full Billy Elliot schedule, go to www.billyelliotintoronto.com.

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

214. Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions

August 2, 2011 Heikki Walden

August 2, 2011

TIFF Bell Lightbox’s HSBC Gallery’s latest exhibition is Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions. Following Italian director Federico Fellini, you’ll have the opportunity to explore over four hundred works that explore the various obsessions that appear throughout his films and his life.

Known for his distinct film-making style, a blend of fantasy and baroque images, Fellini is considered one of the most influential film directors and script writers of the 20th century. Winning Oscars for La Strada (1954), Nights of Cabiria (1957), 8-1/2 (1963), and Amarcord (1974), Fellini also received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1993. He is also well-known to have coined the term “paparazzi.”

The TIFF Bell Lightbox is open from 12pm until 8pm today. For more information on Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions, go to http://www.tiff.net/fellini.

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

213. Island Soul Festival

August 1, 2011 Heikki Walden

August 1, 2011

Feel the rhythm and beat of Toronto’s Island Soul Festival at Harbourfront Centre! You’ll enjoy the sounds of calypso, soca, ruma, guaguancó, reggae, rapso and reggae-rap as you celebrate this soulful festival! Check out the international marketplace, open from 12pm to 8pm today, featuring special products from Africa and the West Indies, and discover the tastes of the Island with special dishes at the World Café. Menu items include fried plantain, oxtail dinner, ackee and saltfish, oxtail curry goat, roti, bbq chicken, and much more! Let the flavours, sounds, smells, tastes, and visions of the Island ease your soul into the rest of the summer!

Today is the last day of the Island Soul Festival; to learn more, go to the Harbourfront’s website!

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212. Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market

July 31, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 31, 2011

The streets are yours from 12 to 7pm today as Kensington Market creates a “pedestrian-only” zone on the last Sunday of every month from May to October. Pedestrian Sundays were created to “reclaim [the] streets from the mess of traffic and parking, [allowing the] neighbourhood [to] enjoy the opportunity to express it character.” This event features music, movement inspired yoga, cooking, drawing, and culture galore, while focusing on creating an atmosphere and a dream as to what a livable city and sustainable future could look like.

As Kensington Market celebrates its 8th season of Pedestrian Sundays, they are adopting an “elements” theme – today’s theme is “Water: Streams of Consciousness.” To learn more about Pedestrian Sundays, go to www.pskensington.ca/stores.

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

211. Scotiabank Caribana Festival Parade

July 30, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 30, 2011

As North America’s largest Caribbean Parade, it’s no surprise that over one million people check out all the fun of Toronto’s very own Caribana Parade! All the excitement gets started at Exhibition Place as competing Masquerade Bands (or Mas Bands) fill the stadium with the sounds of Soca, Calypso and Steelpan music! Get ready to witness the costumes, dancers, and bright colours that bring it all to life as you celebrate the beginning of the 2011 Caribana Festival!

Take in the Parade free of charge by lining up along the Lakeshore Parade route, or purchase a ticket for $20 + tax to catch the Mas Bands battle it out in Exhibition Place. The Parade starts at 1pm and continues until 6pm where the Parade route wraps up at Lakeshore and Parkside Drive. For more information on the Caribana Parade and Festival, go to www.caribanatoronto.com!

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

210. Irie Music Festival

July 29, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 29, 2011

The 10th annual TD Irie Music Festival gets its start today, and you’re not going to want to miss out on the fun! Featuring reggae, salsa, soul and African music; spoken word/literature; film; food; visual arts exhibition and dance from the African Diaspora, this four day festival is a highlight on the Toronto summer festivals calendar.

Events take place at two main stages at Queen’s Park and Yonge Dundas Square; to check out the schedules for these venues for the Festival, go to http://iriemusicfestival.com.

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209. Tasty Thursdays

July 28, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 28, 2011

Escape the office to Nathan Phillips Square every Thursday this summer, right up until September 1st! Each week an assortment of Toronto restaurants bring their cuisine for tastings, priced at $5 or less a serving! You’ll have the opportunity to sample everything from juicy burgers to delicious Pad Thai to fresh mango salad – basically, whatever you want for lunch is available!

A civic event produced by the City of Toronto, Tasty Thursdays offers free admission. For more information, check out the City’s website.

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

208. TIFF in the Park: Classic Musicals

July 27, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 27, 2011

Every Wednesday this summer you can enjoy a free outdoor screening of a classic screen musical at David Pecaut Square, right next to Roy Thomson Hall! Presented by TIFF and the Toronto Entertainment District BIA, screenings start at 9:00pm in July and 8:30pm in August (as the sun starts to set earlier).

Tonight’s TIFF in the Park presents The Sound of Music, the classic tale of a nun who brings music, love and laughter back to a strict widower and his seven children. This is a film the entire family will enjoy, so pack some snacks and settle in for an evening of fun and film!

For more information on TIFF in the Park, go to http://tiff.net.

365 Things to Do in Toronto, Distillery District, Toronto, Toronto events, Toronto theatre

207. The Glass Menagerie

July 26, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 26, 2011

A four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie first premiered in Chicago in 1944. Williams reworked the classic play from one of his short stories, “Portrait of a Girl in a Glass,” and is thought by many to be an autobiographical play about Williams’ life.

The Glass Menagerie will be brought to life by the Soulpepper Theatre Company at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts tonight at 7:30pm. Tickets range in price from $31.65 (for students) to $67.81 (for adults) and are available at http://www.soulpepper.ca/. An award-winning and well-loved play, don’t miss your opportunity to see it at Soulpepper’s fantastic venue in the Distillery District neighbourhood!

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

206. From Page to Screen Film Festival

July 25, 2011 Heikki Walden

July 25, 2011

This summer, the Carlton Cinema will host the Toronto Film Society’s “From Page to Screen Film Festival” over seven Monday nights. Tonight’s program is the third of the summer, and includes The Horse’s Mouth (1953) and The Wrong Box (1966) with special guest speaker Risa Shuman, former executive producer of “Saturday Night at the Movies.”

The Horse’s Mouth is the tale of starving artist Gully Jimson as he searches for the “perfect” wall for his masterpiece. A British comedic masterpiece, this film is based on a novel by Joyce Cary. The Wrong Box is also a British comedy, based on Robert Louise Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne’s novel about inheritance and killing whoever is in the way of that inheritance!

The From Page to Screen Film Festival welcomes non-Toronto Film Society members; simply enquire at the Carlton Cinema box office for information on tickets. To learn more about the summer’s film line up at the Toronto Film Society, go to www.torontofilmsociety.com/.