Toronto Weekender: May 29 through June 1, 2014

We love weekends that start with one month and end in another. They just seem to offer even more possibilities. Farewell to May and hello to June – and all in a Saturday night. Of course, having nearly 30 options to get us there doesn’t hurt much either. From festivals to markets, must-see concerts to the zombie apocalypse, this is everything worth doing in Toronto over the next four days.    

Thursday

In celebration of the final week of the #30x30challenge, the David Suzuki Foundation is hosting a lunchtime #PopupPicnic in Toronto’s Grange Park.

The Ten Spot Annex is opening up and offering a free polish job to all who stop by.

Yonge & Dundas Square will be taken over by #CanadaCares, a celebration of Canadian organizations helping to save the lives of millions of mothers, newborns, and children around the world. Serena Ryder will perform, so you will definitely here this.

Just the largest sake festival in Canada is all. Kampai Toronto showcases over 120 of the best sake from around the world. Go ahead and call in sick for Friday. 

BeerProv is exactly what it sounds like: beer and improv. It doesn’t just stop there, though; not only does the audience choose the scenes the comedians will perform, but they also vote to eliminate each joker until there’s only one left – the BeerProv Champion, obviously.    

Think you were really good at Mad Libs as a kid? Prove it. And help support Story Planet at the same time.

Friday

Toronto’s first-ever a cappella festival, Sing is all about finding your voice – or someone else’s. 

Struggling to have a Skype conversation with your parents ‘cause they don’t know how to turn on their video? Go see Cyber-Seniors and be thankful.

Imagine a rap show where the guy waxes far enough away from the mic that you can actually understand every word. Yep. Atmosphere (you can understand). Don’t miss them.

Skrillex has won six Grammy awards. And that, kids, is why the Grammys don’t matter. But hey, at least the Molson Amphitheatre is still relevant…

An outdoor festival showcasing Toronto street food, craft beer, and DJs. Appropriately, it’s called CraveTO.

This week’s Friday Night Live opens the doors to China’s Forbidden City, not to mention the regular access you’ll have to food trucks, DJs, and a crowd that’s ready to live their Friday night to the fullest.

It’s called Beerfest. Do we really have to say anything else?

It’s the last Midnight MRKT of the season. Don’t miss out on music, drinks, street-style food, and local vendors selling you everything you need for summer – or don’t need but just really, really want.

Saturday

Canada’s South Asian Festival is taking over Yonge and Dundas Square. We haven’t heard of a lot of the acts but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a billion fans. Seriously.

If two wheels is the only way you like to get around Toronto you’re going to want to be at Trinity Bellwoods when MEC Bikefest brings demos, clinics, group rides, retailers, tune ups, and bike valet parking to one spot.

Ready, Set, Die isn’t so much a joke as it is practice. Expect a 5-km race full of obstacles that mimic the zombie apocalypse. Including zombies. Or at the every least, people who have put in a great deal of effort to appear like zombies.

Free Board Game Day is being hosted by Toronto Anime Group, Mad about Movies, Toronto World of Warcraft, and Toronto Boardgame and Social. So pretty safe to say your Tinder account will be inactive…

Toronto Fitness Challenge has everything you’d ever want under one roof. Instructors, studios, classes, workshops, and (we assume) a lot of tight clothing. And it’s all in support of the SickKids Foundation with the goal of raising awareness about childhood obesity… so it’s probably like a really hard recess.

If you haven’t listened to Coeur de Pirate you’re in for a treat. Even more so if you understand French.

Sunday

It’s Burger Day. Wait, how’s that different from every other day?

Having a passport gives you freedom. Having a Craft Beer Passport gives you the freedom to drink quality local beer all summer long.

A festival celebrating social equality, E-Day Island Fest will have two music stages, sponsored drinks, and food. Oh yeah, and it’s on the island, which in itself makes it one of the best ways to spend your Sunday.

When you can’t figure out if you’re at a market, festival, or street party, that’s a good sign. Find out at Bellwoods Blockparty.

The Leslieville Flea is one of city’s best flea markets. Go find everything you never knew you needed so badly all in one place.

Normally we wouldn’t recommend cruising down the DVP on your bike, but if it’s for Ride For Heart we guess we’ll let it slide.

It might sound cheesy, but getting to know the history and the houses on the island is actually a pretty cool way to spend your Sunday. Just ask your mom, she’s probably done it.

Boyhood comes out next month after filming for 12 YEARS. And Ethan Hawke will be talking about it, and the rest of his career, at TIFF.

So there you have it. Another month and another weekend gone. We’ll see you in June, where everything in Toronto only continues to get even hotter.

Stay Notable,

The Weekender 

#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)

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Top photo courtesy BeerFest Facebook Page