This week’s top happenings include the return of Friday Night Live at the ROM, the Disconnect Fashion Film Festival, and the One Night Stand vintage market.
Friday: One Night Stand, a vintage market
109 Ossington Ave. Doors at 5 p.m. Free.
Everything’s cause for a party. When the presentation centre for 109OZ, Ossington’s new mid-rise condo, landed on the Avenue, I was incredulous about its modus operandi. (Some still are.) At the big unveiling, developer Shane Fenton explained to me that he planned to use the space, especially the second-floor loft, to host community events. This Friday, 69 Vintage presents One Night Stand at 109OZ. After a successful summer teaming up with the fantastic Trinity Tuck Shop, this new collaborative venture will feature a mashup of boutiques, ranging from established favourites to emerging newcomers. Look for Dundas West’s Magwood and Parkdale’s Philistine alongside Diptypch and nail queen Mahban. It will surely turn into a jam, with music by Travis Richel and food by Parts & Labour. Find out more here.
Friday: Friday Night Live at the ROM
Featuring DJ TIGERBLOOD and Simon Jain. 100 Queen’s Park. $10, free for members. Doors at 7 p.m.
It’s baaack. Last week, the AGO debuted their new 19-plus monthly party series that combines art and music and food and all that. Well, tomorrow night, the ROM launches the fall season of Friday Night Live, which is basically the same thing but with ancient relics and stuff—plus it’s weekly, and it sorta came first. Every Friday night until November 30, the museum will host themed nights aimed at adding a little culture to the after-dark scene—and getting attendees boozy enough to dance among the dinosaurs (except, from what I remember, very few of them actually dance). Appropriately enough, the opening event is a celebration of beer “Harvest,” featuring a craft beer tasting (think Mill Street, Amsterdam, etc.) and a chance to land on TV eating wicked sandwiches by Fidel Gastro’s (who’s filming his new show that night). For the educational component, there will also be a look at the science of beer and its impact upon culture throughout history. And so much more. Find out about the lineup here.
Saturday: Beam Me Up Disco
Featuring Maiko Watson. The Piston, 937 Bloor Street West. $10. Doors at 10:05 p.m.
It feels like a good weekend for dancing, no? Well, patio season is o-vah, so what else are you going to do? I’ve heard rumblings about Beam Me Up for a while, and The Piston always puts on quality jams, so here’s your chance to get ahead of the game. Beam Me Up “serves up funky & soulful disco, disco-rap, boogie, and other aural oddities primed to make you groove.” For this edition, they welcome new resident DJ/producer/remixer Cyclist and—OMG, remember Sugar Jones?—Maiko Watson will perform. Every good disco needs a soulful diva with pipes. Check out a mix below and find out more here.
Monday: Disconnect Fashion Film Festival #5
With various performers. The Hoxton, 69 Bathurst Street. $5 before 10:30 p.m., $10 after. Doors at 9 p.m.
Is it that time of year again? Yes, Toronto Fashion Week will soon rear its newly-polished head, but the best part is those rogue fashionphiles that take the spotlight before and after it. For its fifth edition, the Disconnect Fashion Film Festival, headed by young designer champions The Fashion Collective, is placing itself in a new position as the unofficial season opener. Launched in 2009, the Collective created this bi-annual programme to challenge filmmakers “to define originality in this modern-day society consumed with individualism yet scared to be different.” That means the fest is showcase for a series of short films that focus on collaborations between designers, photographers, models, and directors—they’re films that use fashion as a lens. And the event is always a show: music by DJ Fathom, a set by Day & Night, and a performance from Lioness are all on the agenda. Find out more here, and below is a taste of what to expect.
Tuesday: Introducing Mani & Martini Night
Pantages Hotel, 200 Victoria Street. $30. Doors at 5 p.m.
In case you haven’t yet picked up this week’s issue of The Grid, let me tell you: hotel bars are back in a big way. Lobby bars might as well be the only watering holes in the confines of the downtown core, from super new and waitlist-y dbar at the Four Seasons to the posh-posh interior of the Shangri-La. But let’s not forget the originals, because they’re working hard to keep you excited, too. On Tuesday—the most boring night of the week—the Pantages Hotel Martini Bar is introducing Mani & Martini Night. Between 5 and 8 p.m., locals are summoned for a Shizen Spa manicure paired with a Henkell cocktail for $30. They’ve even got a drink to match: The French Mani martini (raw sugar, lillet liquor, topped with Henkell sparkling rosé). I’m sure this comprises someone’s ideal girls night out. With over 40 other martini selections, the Pantages is seriously underrated, and it’s often overlooked amid all the nouveau glitz downtown. There’s also a “Gastrotini” menu, with food and drink pairings inspired by the world’s classiest cocktail. You can reserve spots in advance at 416-369-7882 or shizenspa@pantageshotel.com. Yup, this is just the beginning.
