Along with whatever we find under a tree or inside a really uncomfortable sock, this weekend we are being given the gift of another Winter Solstice; the longest night of the year. And if there’s any stretch of year when we could use a bit more time – whether it’s time on or time off – it’s the week before Christmas.
But we know that you know where to find the busiest malls, the most congested roads, and the most questionable extended family members. So let us take care of the other stuff. You know, the fun stuff.
Your weekend starts now, Toronto…
THURSDAY
For starters, don’t forget to give your Jewish pals a “Happy Chanukah”, as the 8 crazy nights kicked off on Tuesday. And yes, that means you’re about 3 gifts behind.
The Spoke Club is hosting this year’s Cocktail Crawl Christmas Bash. Email the organizers if you want to be part of a great evening of upscale networking.
You know, one great perk of writing is that you don’t have to pronounce stuff. Jhené Aiko is performing at the Sound Academy tonight, while over at the Danforth Music Hall, you’ll find the one and only Rural Alberta Advantage.
You a fan of wizards and brooms? Perhaps an athlete, playing for Canada’s Quidditch team at the 2015 Pan-Am Games? Well then you should know that Potted Potter began yesterday at the Panasonic Theatre and is running until January 11th. It’s a comedic attempt at cramming all seven Potter books into one 70-minute show and is appropriate for audiences aged six to Dumbledore.
If you Still Care, which you should, Jersey Boys is doing a quick stretch at Ed Mirvish Theatre until January 4th so jump on those tickets while you can.
During the holidays, it’s important to balance the cheerful with the mindful. In support of funds towards missing and murdered aboriginal women, Jason Collett is putting on The Basement Revue at the Opera House. A night of music, prose and poetry, the event will feature talented Canadians such as authors Joseph Boyden and Naomi Klein, singer/songwriter Jennifer Castle, artist Shary Boyle, and more.
And if you’re a fan of history mysteries, there will be a panel discussing The Franklin Expedition at the R.O.M. followed by a sneak peek at the new museum exhibit.
FRIDAY
Green and red alert! It’s the last weekend for the Toronto Christmas Market. If you don’t want to miss it, bundle up and head over to the Distillery District.
Now here’s an important announcement about free chocolate: at 473 Queen Street West, Hershey’s is apparently running a pop-up store for this weekend only offering the services of a photo booth and giving away free hot chocolate and a free Hershey’s chocolate bar. Hopefully there’s no silly triple-digit cap on how many times you can visit.
If you haven’t experienced a crowd “quote-along,” you haven’t lived. As the opening event of the Holiday Classics series, the Bloor HotDocs Cinema is hosting a Home Alone Quote-Along. Tickets are only $11 and if you bring a food donation, you’ll get a fun prop bag from the cinema in return. The Wet Bandits are back, baby.
Hogtown Cure is celebrating their 2-year anniversary at Dufferin and Dundas with some Canadian comfort treats and free samples of beers from Hogtown Brewers, Muskoka Cottage Brewery, and Steamwhistle. What could be better than getting free stuff at someone else’s birthday?
AND DO YOU REMEMBER ROCH VOISINE?!?! Of course you do…because no matter how old he gets, he’ll Always Be There. And by “there”, we obviously mean Massey Hall for a show tonight. We know. Our minds are blown too.
But if you think you Wanna Get Better, maybe you can: The Bleachers are playing at the Phoenix Concert Theatre.
If you’re looking for something the whole family can enjoy, you can all get Goofy at Disney on Ice: Treasure Trove. The skating musical is playing at the Rogers Centre starting tonight and runs until Boxing Day.
Or if you’re in need of a more cerebral experience, feel free to pop into the Spoken-Word poetry competition at The Drake.
SATURDAY
Bloor HotDocs Cinema continues its Holiday Classics Series with a free show (2 tickets) of the Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye classic, White Christmas. Better bring those dancing shoes.
And if you’re into super-cool, super-thought-provoking art, you’ll want to check out Art Spiegelman’s exhibit, CO-MIX: A Retrospective that officially begins today at the AGO.
For one night, the Toronto International Ballet Theatre is performing The Nutcracker at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. The show starts at 7pm.
Which reminds us; the 300-member Toronto Children’s Chorus will be performing at Roy Thompson Hall this evening. Ugh. Sometimes we wish we could still hit those high notes…
For $12 you and your pet can have your photo take with Santa at the Queen’s Quay Pawsway. This is a must-do if you own an illegal reindeer.
The 4th Annual Lakeshore Pub Crawl begins tonight at 7pm. The meeting spot is Etobicoke’s Maple Leaf House Grill & Lounge with stops at places like Konrad Lounge, Ember, Dimitri’s, and Oshea’s. If you get there on time, there’s a free hoodie in it for you.
The ILoveTO Holiday Ice Skating Party is going down at the Harbourfront Centre with Burlington, Ontario native, DJ DLUX behind the tables.
And at this point in the year, it might be good for our psyche to have a little July Talk. They’re playing at the Phoenix Concert Theatre as part of the 102.1 The Edge Jingle Bell Concert Series.
And spreading the holiday cheer with their uplifting band names are The Holly Springs Disaster, playing a show at the Danforth Music Hall, and Zeds Dead performing at the Koolhaus.
And right in the middle of the hottest streak in the Eastern Conference, the Leafs are hosting long-time rivals The Philadelphia Flyers at the ACC.
SUNDAY
It’s the longest night of the year folks. And when the night gets long, you get Low. Juicy J is performing at the Guvernment tonight.
And if you missed July Talk last night at the Phoenix, you can catch them at Tattoo tonight.
Or for the more old school fan, The Danforth Music Hall is hosting the Blue Rodeo Christmas Show, starring Canadian recording studs Blue Rodeo and several of their “friends”. No names have been released, but we strongly suspect Santa will be joining them on stage.
After all that hectic shopping, maybe it’s time to get something for yourself; Inzuri Co. is having a one-day pop-up sale at Evergreen Brickworks.
TIFF Lightbox Theatre is doing a 1pm screening of Elf, which will no doubt be a beeaaauutiful way to spend your Sunday afternoon.
And if you don’t feel like cooking or picking just one holiday, The Drake is doing a $30 Prix Fixe menu from 6pm on to celebrate Chrismukkah. The meal includes prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, latkes, fried Brussel sprouts with bacon, a glass of Cabernet or Chardonnay, and an apple crumble with caramel and vanilla ice cream. Um, yes please.
And ‘Melo brings the intensity to Toronto today at 3:30pm when The Raptors play the Knickerbockers at the Air Canada Centre. And if Santa really is listening, we’ll get to see a great basketball game and a catfight between Spike Lee and Drake.
Well, that’s it, that’s all.
Four days and more than 30 ways to spend them.
Just remember: if you want to impress Jolly Old Saint Nick, you can’t just be nice…you gotta be notable.
Happy Holidays,
The Weekender
#NOTABLE
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Cover photo courtest The Drake Hotel
