TUFF Stuff

TIFFed out? Then how about TUFF? The Toronto Urban Film Festival might be smaller than TIFF standards, but it still packs a powerful punch, reaching over one million daily commuters by showcasing 60 short films on 300 screens on TTC platforms across the city.

Where’s the Beef? Not Here

After a summer full of barbecues, Ribfests and other carnivorous spectacles, the herbivores get their time in the sun with the Vegetarian Food Festival. The three-day free fest includes live music, cooking demonstrations, film screenings, keynote addresses and hundreds of delicious, meat-free offerings down by the lake.

Amp It Up

Labour Day weekend is in the rearview mirror, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t hang on to that last trace of summer. The Molson Canadian Amphitheatre is still in full swing, complete with three shows on the slate this weekend. The Zac Brown Band, a hugely popular country/folk outfit, will play to a near-sellout crowd on Friday, while Family Channel stars Big Time Rush and Cody Simpson will bring in a decidedly different group of fans on Saturday. On Sunday, Jason Mraz will bring his soothing array of soft rock hits to the Amp.

Back in Cirque-ulation

According to the Cirque du Soleil website, their newest show, Amaluna, “invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon.” We don’t know what that means, exactly, but it’s hard not to be captivated by the magic and spectacle that is Cirque. The show opens at the Grand Chapiteau tonight.

Black Comedy

You won’t hear the words “magic” or “spectacle” used to describe comedian Lewis Black’s stand-up act. The Daily Show regular is simply bombastic, raw, high-strung and very, very funny. The politically-minded funny man will surely have plenty to rant about coming off last week’s Republican National Convention and this week’s Democratic National Convention at his Massey Hall show on Friday.