Sure, you could head to your local movie theatre for a weekly dose of entertainment in the form of the latest superhero movie, or spend an evening at a nearby bar or coffee shop with friends or a good book. These are all entirely acceptable things to do. But Toronto is also home to some seriously unique ways to spend your downtime in the form of regularly running cultural events that make you think or entice you outside your usual Friday-night comfort zone. Here are six out-of-the-box events to check out in the city the next time you’re looking for something new to do.
Trampoline Hall
The Trampoline Hall lecture series began in 2001, created by Canadian author Sheila Heti and hosted by Misha Glouberman, and it’s not your typical lecture series. The consistently sold-out event has been running monthly since it began and brings people to the stage to lecture on subjects they aren’t actually experts in.
They simply have something to share on a particular topic because it interests them, or they have some personal experience with the subject at hand, be it cats, anxiety, burritos, boredom or cheesecake.
Each event has its own curator, so no two Trampoline Halls are ever the same, something that has likely contributed to the fact Trampoline Hall has been going strong for well over a decade.
Each lecture ends with a Q & A, creating a lively, interactive atmosphere that further engages the audience and deepens their connection with the lecturer. In addition to being a much-loved fixture in Toronto, Trampoline Hall has travelled to Vancouver, New York and Montreal.
Art Battle
When you think about watching a live competition, a sporting event is likely the first thing that comes to mind and not, say, painting. But Art Battle is just that, a live competitive painting event wherein participants duke it out on canvas, something over 2,500 artists have participated in since Art Battle’s inception in October 2009.
The brainchild of Chris Pemberton and Simon Plashkes, Art Battle involves painters wielding brushes to create the best work they can in just 20 minutes while patrons move around the easels, observing the artists at work.
Art Battle is as much about the physical act of painting as it is about those in attendance having the opportunity to get closer to the creative process. At the end of the round, the audience votes for their favourite painting. Art Battle got its start in Toronto, but the monthly paint-fuelled battle now takes place in cities across Canada.
AGO First Thursdays
On the first Thursday of every month, once the doors are closed for regular hours, the AGO plays host to one of the hottest parties in the city: AGO First Thursdays.
The sought-after monthly series launched in October 2012 with DJs, nude life drawing, tours by Toronto artist Evan Penny and a musical performance by Bahamas.
The upcoming March First Thursday marks the 36th edition of the after-hours art extravaganza and will feature artist projects by choreographer Lily Eng and the Artists Newsstand, a dub poetry slam hosted by Lillian Allen, DJs and an eclectic roster of pop-up talks.
The interactive nights are designed to engage, provoke discussion and entertain guests through musical performances, pop-up installations, hands-on activities, tours given by artists and curators, panel discussions and live events.
Notable AGO First Thursday headliners have included Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash, Rheostatics, Tim Hecker, Vag Halen and A Tribe Called Red.
Grownups read things they wrote as kids
Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids is exactly what it sounds like — adults dusting off pieces of adolescent poetry, short stories, angst-filled journal entries, letters from camp and anything else they may have put to paper as a child or teen — and reading it to a live audience.
The idea for the unique live storytelling event comes courtesy of Dan Misener and Jenna Zuschlag Misener following their own experience rediscovering things they had long ago written, which led to the first event in 2007 at the Victory Café.
What has the potential to be a cringe-worthy experience for both readers and audience members is instead entertaining as well as unifying — we’ve all written angst-filled journal entries or silly poems. Following its humble start at the Victory Café, Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids now happens across the country and is also a podcast.
Choir! Choir! Choir!
Started by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman in 2011, Choir! Choir! Choir! is a joyous expression of music’s timeless ability to bring people together. Choir! Choir! Choir! hosts drop-in sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the back room at Clinton’s Tavern.
People interested in showing off (or dusting off) their singing chops or wanting to belt out new arrangements of pop songs, can join. Simply show up, grab a lyric sheet and join the highs, mids or lows.
In addition to the weekly meet ups, Choir! Choir! Choir! has performed at various events, including TEDxToronto 2014, live with Patti Smith at the AGO, with Tegan and Sara at the Juno Awards and at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival closing gala at Roy Thompson Hall.
Choir! Choir! Choir! also recently paid musical respects to David Bowie by organizing a heartfelt tribute that involved 550 people singing “Space Oddity,” which ended up going viral.
Wavelength
If they don’t already, Toronto music fans will want to put Wavelength on their radar.
Founded in 2000 by Jonny Dovercourt, Derek Westerholm and Duncan MacDonell, Wavelength puts on numerous music-filled events every year, including two annual festivals: Wavelength Music Festival in February and the Camp Wavelength Festival in August on Toronto Island. Starting out as a weekly concert series at Ted’s Wrecking Yard, Wavelength briefly moved to Lee’s Palace before settling at Sneaky Dee’s for seven years, finally moving to the Garrison, where the final and 500th show took place in 2010. Although the weekly series is no longer, Wavelength has since adopted a mobile format, curating monthly shows at various venues across the city, featuring some of the best emerging and independent artists in the city.
