Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Toronto Events in May

By Evan Sage

Now that the snow has melted, the golf clubs are out, and the patios are bustling it is time to start planning your spring events. Winter hibernation is finally over.

The City of Toronto has so much to offer for its inhabitants. I want to share the many reasons why I think Toronto is such a great city and provide proof of why we are the best place to live.

The event season kicked off a few weeks ago on April 2nd with the first official party at the new Frank Gehry designed AGO. The AGO Massive Party was a success with money being raised for the gallery by the 1600 people that were in attendance. There were a number of groups performing very unique versions of art that fit the 2009 theme of Massive Uprising. It was a perfect blend of Bay St. business types and those who are affiliated with the art scene.

There is another great fundraiser event April 30th 2009, The LG Innovators Ball. This Ball is held at the Ontario Science Centre with a great theme of Espionage and Intrigue. I am sure every guy in a tux will be thinking they are as smooth as 007.

I don't want anyone to miss the opportunity to check out Toronto's great events so I put together a list of my picks for this May. If you know of anything I missed please let me know and I will happily add it to the list.

All of May is Museum Month so in order to take advantage of the extra perks that the various museums are putting together check out their web sites,

The ROM

The Campbell House

The Textile Museum

The Museum of Television

The Redpath Sugars Museum

The Gardiner Museum

Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum

Mackenzie House

Spadina Museum

The Art Gallery of Ontario

Another Great Event that runs throughout May is Contact, Contact is a photography exhibition that uses unique spaces throughout the whole city as gallery walls. The majority of the participants are local photographers like Caley Taylor, but there are an increasing amount of international artists. The coordinators have a theme every year, 2009 is Thematic Innovation.

The City of Toronto Festival of Architecture and Design also runs throughout the month of May. There are walking tours, lectures, films and readings that take place in various noteworthy places within Toronto.

The first weekend of May, 1st-3rd is The Clothing Show. This is great place to find really unique and interesting clothes and accessories from independent designers, artisans and haberdashers. This is on all weekend at the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place.

On Saturday May 9th Mooredale House will be celebrating their one day Mayfair festival in Rosedale Park. This year it is Mayfair Goes Hawaiian so make sure to bring your coconuts and grass skirts. All the money raised goes to keeping Mooredale House operating.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, runs Saturday May 9th and Sunday May 10th. The main venue is the Toronto Reference Library just north of Yonge and Bloor, but there are a lot of additional events held all over Toronto starting May 2nd.

On Sunday May 10th you better find a brunch, a florist or at least a phone to celebrate Mothers Day. It is certainly one of the most important days in my annual calendar.

Monday, May 11th Casa Loma will be hosting the GTO Green Tie Fundraising Event. This is an important event to raise money for the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. The featured guest is Sarah Harmer, she will be performing and speaking.

Summer's unofficial start date is Victoria Day Long Weekend, or May Two Four Weekend is May 15th- May 18th. If you don't have chores to do or gardening to take up time there are tonnes of great things to do throughout the city. There is always a great fireworks display at Ontario Place. I don't want to sell out the city, but I think that long weekends are at their best anywhere from one to five hours outside of Toronto, usually on a lake or golf course.

If you are an architecture junkie or one of those people who can't drive by an open house sign without stopping the car Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th are two great days this month. Doors Open Toronto returns with lots of neat opportunities to check out all kinds of great buildings that we have throughout the City of Toronto.

I have not been to this specific arts show, but The Distillery Spring Arts Show looks like it could be worth a quick trip to check out on either May 23rd or May 24th. This is a show that is put on by the various merchants and artists within the tiny enclave.

Another great activity to get you out doors on the 31st of the month is Great Strides; Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis. This is a fundraising walk held at the Toronto Zoo.

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