The 2013 Toronto Jazz Festival descends on the city this Friday with a huge “free for all” event. That means all of Friday’s programming at every Jazz Festival venue is, yes, completely free of charge. There will be concerts from local favourites Molly Johnson and Mary Margaret O’Hara, plus a show by Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves, who will be launching the fest from its epicentre, Nathan Phillips Square.

Here’s a rundown of some of the shows worth checking out on Friday—and during the rest of the festival, when you’ll actually have to pay.

Folks who are planning on having a swim in the pool at Scadding Court Community Centre over the next few days may find themselves a little disappointed. Those who want to go fishing, however, will probably be ecstatic.

For the rest of the week, the Community Centre will be holding its annual Gone Fishin’ event, meaning its indoor pool will be an indoor fish pond. The pool has been drained, dechlorinated, and refilled with 2,000 rainbow trout, to be caught by local children and families.

The first ever Art Battle National Championship goes down tonight. Photo courtesy of Noah Gano.

ART: Tonight, 14 artists go head to head in the first ever Art Battle National Championship. Watch as the artists (at easels placed back-to-back in the centre of the room) create art in just 20 minutes using acrylic paint and non-mechanical devices. Cheer on the contestants, vote for your favourite, and bid on the paintings at the silent auction afterward. The Great Hall (1087 Queen Street West), 7:30 p.m., $20 at the door ($10 for students).

THEATRE: America has been taken over by a deadly disease. The solution? Quarantine the sick in a decrepit corner of New York, called Beirut. The sexually charged play of the same name follows Blue as she breaks into Beirut to be with her quarantined lover, despite the threat of illness, and penalty of death for such an act. Starring Garett Bullock, Mitra S. Bullock, and Anthony Ulc. Contains nudity. Unit 102 Theatre (376 Dufferin Street), 8 p.m., PWYC.

COMEDY: If you’ve ever wanted to be hypnotized, with the assurance that you won’t be made to publicly wet yourself, this is your chance. The Hypnosis Comedy Show uses volunteers from the audience to create a night of laughs: rather than becoming objects of ridicule, hypnosis is used to unearth the participants’ natural talents, humour, and creativity. 19+. Black Swan Tavern (154 Danforth Avenue), Doors 8:30 p.m., Show 9 p.m.–10:30 p.m., $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

Urban Planner is Torontoist‘s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.