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Weekend Planner: July 23–24, 2011
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 [email protected].
Last month’s Parkdale Bazaar, on June 25. The summer edition on Saturday is part of the Parkdale Then & Now Festival. Image Courtesy of the Parkdale Community Development Group.
In this festival-heavy Weekend Planner: a ribbon-cutting street celebration, a then-and-now street festival, a heavy metal concert festival, an Iranian cultural festival, the Beaches Jazz fest, a spin-off of one of last year’s sleeper Fringe Festival hits, and two one-hour sets featuring Neal Brennan and Laugh Sabbath regulars.
FESTIVAL: After years of renovating to create a more pedestrian-, bike-, and transit-friendly streetscape, the new Roncesvalles Village is ready to be revealed! Along Roncesvalles Avenue on Saturday, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the return of the streetcar to the area, a bike-decorating contest, entertainment, guided tours of the street with free hop-on/hop-off streetcars, and a sidewalk sale. Opening ceremony at 10 a.m. outside the High Park Library (228 Roncesvalles Avenue), Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., FREE.
FESTIVAL: The Parkdale Then & Now Festival highlights the diverse community of artists, retailers, galleries, and residents in the area with a huge sidewalk sale of vintage and modern wares. There will be a Youth Expo and the Parkdale Bazaar, as well as entertainment, buskers, and a display of vintage cars. Queen Street West (between Dufferin and Roncesvalles), Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: Heavy T.O. is the summer concert festival of choice for hard rockers who like things loud, with bands like Billy Talent, Rob Zombie, Mastodon, Slayer, Baptized in Blood, Melissa Auf der Maur, Anvil, Volbeat, and Exodus headlining. Downsview Park (35 Carl Hall Road), Saturday and Sunday doors at 11:30 a.m., show 1 p.m.–11 p.m., $72.50 per day, $135–$275 weekend pass.
FESTIVAL: At the Tirgan Iranian Festival, which runs until Sunday, there will be Iranian performing arts commemorating Tirgan, a celebration memorializing peace declared between two sworn enemies. A highlight of the festival is Visions of Eternity, curated by Sanaz Mazinani, where poets, writers, and artists will interpret the idea of the eternal and think about how to modernize old-world customs and cultural representation. Marilyn Brewer Community Space, Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West), Saturday 12 p.m.–11 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–6 p.m., FREE.
FESTIVAL: Saturday is the last day of the Beaches International Jazz Festival, StreetFest. There will be about 50 Canadian bands showcasing the best in big band, swing, dixieland, Afro-Cuban, fusion, funk, R&B, and soul. Queen Street East (between Woodbine Avenue and Beech Avenue), Saturday 7 p.m.–11 p.m., FREE.
COMEDY: After the success of the 2010 Fringe Festival hit Asiansploitation Spanks the Tiger, the Asiansploitation team’s new sketch comedy show, Asiansploitation All Grown Up, continues where the last one left off. It’s a hilarious take on the daily grind of school, work, and life that speaks to all cultures. George Ignatieff Theatre (15 Devonshire Place), Saturday 8 p.m., $15.
COMEDY: Neal Brennan, best known as the co-creator of Chappelle’s Show, will be doing two one-hour sets with Laugh Sabbath regulars. He has been seen on the late-night talk show circuit, and his latest work has been used in the 83rd Academy Awards and Seth Meyers’ speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Rivoli (332 Queen Street West), Sunday 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $15.