What: Call the Shots: The Female Power Through Film
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox 
When: Friday, March 23rd at 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $13.00 or free for women under 35

Author: Alanna Hopper

Luckily, Secret Society and Geary Avenue Warehouse Project have our backs covered. This Saturday they will be hosting an all-night dance party, and by all-night, I mean all-night because the party doesn’t end until 8:00 a.m. The party is held at the Geary Avenue Warehouse giving it that exciting underground vibe. This event is BYOB so make sure to pick up some drinks for the communal bar beforehand or else you’ll be asked to make a monetary donation. Bartenders are provided so if you don’t know how to mix your favourite cocktail you don’t have to worry. If this sounds like your kind of night, pick up your leg-warmers, headbands and leotards and prepare to dance!

What’s your favourite type of music? Rock? Jazz? Pop? Whatever your taste, The Toronto Downtown Record Show has something to offer you. The show is back once again, taking place on Broadview Avenue, and featuring over 100 different tables to grab from. But wait…are you worried about spending too much to satisfy every aspect of your musical interests? Well, don’t worry; they have $5 rooms for people like you. There are over 50 crates of records all priced at $5. The crazy music madness starts at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. It costs $5 to get in…but if you desperately need to grab your music before anyone else has the chance, you can pay $25 for early admission at 9:00 a.m. Don’t sleep in, because, after this, they won’t be back for seven months!

What: Toronto Downtown Record Show
Where: 958 Broadview Avenue
When: Sunday March 25th 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Cost: $5.00 entry 

The Hogtown Pub is one of the best date night places in the city. Conveniently located directly across the street from the Royal Cinema and just a short walk from Christie station, a date at The Hogtown Pub basically plans itself. Dark wood tables and booths, as well as stained glass lamps, give a warm and homey feel to the restaurant. Plus the low music and attentive staff ensure that this pub is a wonderful place to chat about your day with someone you care about.

They serve a gastropub menu and offer extensive wine and liquor lists as well as several local craft beers. However, the real selling point of this restaurant is not its drinks but its cheap oysters. Costing only a dollar fifty per oyster on Tuesdays and Thursdays makes this place one of the cheapest in the city. But don’t let the low prices scare you, The Hogtown Pub’s oysters are always fresh and always delicious.

Author: Alanna Hopper

What: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors
Where: Art Gallery of Ontario
When: March 3rd  to May 27th
Cost: $21.50 for students and $30 for adults

Author: Alanna Hopper 

Canada’s largest St. Patrick’s Day party is back! This party starts at 11:30 a.m. and lasts until 9 p.m. so be prepared for a good time! The day is packed with a ton of green-themed activities. Located at 11 Polson Street, attendees will be starting off the day with a free breakfast including pancakes and of course Lucky Charms cereal. Throughout the day and into the night, guests can enjoy actives like life-size Jenga, face painting, Foosball, live music from four DJs and much more. So, put on your best green outfit and join in on the fun!

If you’re looking for a step up from your typical local flea market, then The Gladstone Flea is the place for you. This special event takes place once a month on Sunday. If you’re beyond tired of spending your weekends knee-deep in junky thrift store piles searching for that perfect find, then hop on over and explore the unique gems, one of a kind fashion finds, vintage scores and so many other market must-haves! The Gladstone Hotel handpicks each vendor to ensure the best items for customers. You can purchase your goods from the very hands that made them, and you can find perfect cheap items, while also supporting your local independent businesses! This flea market is sure to scratch your thrift store itch!

What: Gladstone Flea: March Makers Market
Where: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West
When: Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free

Looking for new place to grab a bite while you’re wandering around downtown Toronto? If so, you should definitely check out Tacos 101 at 101 Dundas Street East. This small eatery is just a short walk from the Toronto Eaton Centre and Ryerson University, with prices cheap enough to feed any university student.

Tacos 101 is an inviting environment and features bright Mexican décor. The only thing you need to keep in mind is the very limited number of seats available. Luckily, most people get their tacos to-go so there’s rarely fights for seats. If you are waiting for a table, there are always free chips with which you can sample the various homemade salsas.

#1

No matter the occasion, belt bags are convenient, compact and allow you to be hands-free.

#2

Zara, Forever 21, H&M, you name it! These bags are affordable and can be found at pretty much every store!

#3

Get ready to stand out! These bags are not like your average fanny pack. They’re much more glamorous and act as a statement piece.

What: Improv Royal Rumble
Where: Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth Ave.
When: Friday from 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Cost: $8 in advance and $10 at the door

Author: Alanna Hopper 

Want to have one last winter celebration before the spring weather really hits? Come on down to Sugar Beach and satisfy your sweet tooth with some homemade, delicious maple taffy and traditional Sugar Shack treats. While you’re munching on those sweet snacks, be sure to head over to the chainsaw ice carving show or enjoy the free live music. There is also a winter market to give you one last chance to buy cozy winter goods! Head on down to Sugar Beach on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to enjoy this free event. If it’s still a little too chilly, make sure to use the warming stations. 

This celebration of laughter is Toronto’s longest running comedy festival. It is a 12-daylong event that runs every March, so I’m sure you can squeeze some chuckles into your schedule before it ends on the 11^th! Make your own Saturday Night Live experience with some friends and celebrate Toronto’s theatrical and sketch comedy excellence! The festival features several acts each and every day of the event. There are plenty of show times per day so you can be entertained at your earliest convenience. Visit www.torontosketchfest.com for show times and more information.

What: Sketch Comedy Festival
Where: The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St W.
When: Friday to Sunday
Cost: $16.00 – $65.00

Whether you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth or fulfill your high-calorie cravings, Junked Food Co. has it all! This establishment takes everyone’s love of junk food and amplifies it to a whole new level.

Located on Queen Street West, the food ranges from various types of edible cookie dough to whack mac macaroni and cheese, which is served with Dr. Pepper, pulled pork, and Jolly Rancher BBQ sauce!

But their most popular creations are the smash bags because “the best nachos are built in the bag”. All of the nacho bags start with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, chili sauce, black olives, Pico de Gallo, and jalapeños all thrown into your very own bag of Doritos (the Dorito’s Locos Taco wishes it was this cool!).

And if you can’t bring yourself to venture downtown for your late-night snack, they also have delivery and catering options.

Author: Krystin Lucas

What: Karaoke
Where: The Abbey Bar and Grill, 989 College St.
When: Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Cost: Free entry

Author: Rob Jowett

The snow on the ground has finally melted, that means it’s time to update your summer wardrobe! Luckily for you, the Vintage Clothing Show comes to Toronto this weekend with all sorts of fun and vintage pieces to check out. This two-day event features thousands of garments from the 1920’s to 60’s all in one convenient location. If you’re also in the mood to do some celeb spotting it’s a known attraction for the likes of Keifer Sutherland and Suzanne Carillo. So why not come by, try on some vintage clothes and hopefully pick up a few cute souvenirs to woo your friends with this summer.

A history lesson wrapped in a nice dress. This is what the Christian Dior exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum offers. Dresses and sketches were collected from across the world to the ROM in honour of the fashion houses 70^th anniversary, and the gallery tells the tale of how Christian Dior revived the Haute Couture industry after the devastating effects of the Second World War.  Tickets include general admission to all of the gallery’s offered at the museum as well. With the exhibit running every day until April 8^th you really have no excuse to not check this event out.

What: Christian Dior Exhibit
Where: Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park
When: Every day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $21.50 with a student card and $28 without

Turns out, sometimes a plate-sized slab of fried Taiwanese chicken breast is all you need to get through a busy day in downtown Toronto.

Sound appealing? Well, Monga Fried Chicken on Yonge street serves a variety of chicken and beef-based Taiwanese dishes, each paired with a side of fries and coleslaw. It’s a filling and quality meal for under 18 bucks.

All in all, make Monga Fried Chicken is your best stop for gargantuan chicken cravings in Toronto. The freakishly large chicken is daunting but worth it.

Author: John Pattee 

Author: Alanna Hopper | @alanna.hopper

The Toronto Zoo might not seem like the kind of place you’d want to be on a cold winters day but how could anyone want to miss Polar Bear Fest? This festival celebrates polar bears through a wide variety of fun activities. Included in the general admission are tons of things to do such as crafts and interactive exhibits that help raise awareness and support of polar bear conservation. Does that sound un-bear-able to you? Well for just $20 more you can experience one of the Toronto Zoo’s amazing polar bear seminars. You can pick from “Training & Hand-rearing Polar Bears” and “Transportation of a Polar Bear”. Both seminars are led by the Toronto Zoo polar bear keepers and each ticket enters you into a draw to win a private training session with a zookeeper and one of the polar bears! But you have to register soon because space is limited and interest is high.

I understand if trekking to the Toronto Zoo isn’t your style, that’s why I’ve included the Bloor-Yorkville Icefest. Transport yourself into the Medieval Times with live knight tournaments, a huge ice throne and of course an 11^th century-style castle. This annual event features ice carving competitions, an ice lounge with live DJ’s and over 70-thousand lbs. of ice sculptures. Plus, plenty of snacks like Tiny Tom Donuts, popcorn and my personal favourite, maple syrup taffy. It runs Saturday from noon to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m. in the Yorkville Park area. So why not walk around the small event, check out the booths and of course the beautiful sculptures. There’s plenty to do for people of all ages, so bring yourself, the family or maybe even a special someone. It could be a great way to… break the ice.

What: Icefest
Where: Cumberland Street & Bellair Street in the Village of Yorkville Park
When: Saturday noon to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free

Looking for a semi-classy place to have a nice drink and chow down on some inexpensive prime quality food? Then the Harbord House  is the place to be. Having been there recently, I had no idea what I was getting into. By the end of the night, however, I can safely say that I left the establishment with a full stomach and a smile that stretched across my face.

The Harbord House features a vast array of craft beer from several different breweries. The Great Lakes Golden Horseshoe Blonde Lager is a nice refreshing beverage that comes from a Toronto based brewery. For those who want to try something a little different, there is also the Waupoos Cider which boasts a flavour, unlike anything I’ve had before. Keep in mind that this restaurant rotates their craft beer menu so you can try something new every time you come back.

Author: Nathan Shubert | @natonic16