The top things to see, do, hear and read this month

This month offers up a smorgasbord of music festivals, under-the-stars movie screenings and other alfresco fun

Pride June 1 to 25, various locations

It began with a defiant island picnic in 1971, it became a rebuttal to the 1981 bathhouse raids, and now it’s a month-long mega-bash tied up in a brouhaha about funding and police participation. One thing that’s never changed: it’s one hell of a party. After 25 days of street fairs, plays and panels, Pride Month culminates with an inimitably jubilant parade.

shakesPeare in high Park June 29 to Sept. 3, High Park Amphitheatre

What if King Lear were a queen? In its 35th season, Canada’s oldest outdoor theatre series remixes one of the Bard’s greatest tragedies, casting stage and film vet Diane D’Aquila as the doomed monarch. It shares the amphitheatre stage with the romantic comedy Twelfth Night. There’s no better way to enjoy that ol’ iambic pentameter than with a picnic, some friends and whatever you can sneak in your Thermos.

Christie Pits Film Festival June 25 to August 20, Christie Pits

Take your pick: $13 to see the latest cookie-cutter reboot among a gaggle of teens at a multiplex, or a free classic on a warm summer night in a park. Maybe we’re biased, but there’s a reason these weekly starlit screenings have become a Toronto tradition. This season’s lineup—all films about competition and camaraderie— opens with the 1925 silent comedy The Freshman.

nXne June 23 to 25, Port Lands

Last year, NXNE ditched its million-show, club-crawling model for a weekend in the Port Lands. They’re staying the course this summer, once again transforming the industrial wasteland into a sonic wonderland with headlining sets from indietronica veterans Passion Pit; goofy rapper Tyler, the Creator; and Post Malone, the 21-year-old singer who exploded after touring with Justin Bieber.

Doors oPen toronto May 27 and 28, various locations

Ever wondered what it’s like inside the old Don Jail? How it feels to stand onstage at the Sony Centre? Or if Osgoode Hall is just as imposing inside? These spaces are yours to explore during Doors Open, when 150 of the city’s most historically and culturally significant buildings— you guessed it—open their doors. Canadian architecture is this year’s theme, so expect the locations to tell the story of Toronto’s buildings, from pre-Confederation to the Ford Nation era.

Open tuning June 10, Seaton Village

No other Toronto music festival sticks to its DIY roots quite like Open Tuning. The fourth annual event is refreshingly easygoing and rigorously indie (no Budweiser-sponsored stages here). It all unfolds in the streets, alleys, parks, driveways and on the porches of Seaton Village, where more than 100 artists strum folk tunes and play strippeddown sets for free.

field tRip June 3 and 4, Fort York Garrison Common

When indie label Arts and Crafts threw the first Field Trip in 2013, it was essentially an excuse to get Broken Social Scene back onstage. The sprawling supergroup returns to headline this year, but don’t mistake the fest for another nostalgia trip. The band has a long-awaited album to debut, as do co-headliners Feist and French synth rockers Phoenix.

Open ROOf festival June 27 to August 29, 99 Sudbury

At this film fest, the music doesn’t feel tacked on. The summer-long series pairs screenings of recent releases—last year’s edition included Sing Street and Everybody Wants Some!!— with pre-show performances by buzzy indie bands who would sell out most venues on their own. Add live performance art and fantastic street food and you have one of the summer’s finest one-stop cultural shops.