Three fun weekend events that aren’t TIFF-related
As the Toronto International Film Festival gets ready to celebrate its 40th season, it’s important for noncinephiles to know that there are plenty of other things to do in or around the city that don’t involve celebrity-spotting, autograph hunting or standing in line for the best in soon-to-be-released films from around the world.
Here are three things to do over the weekend that are free, open to all and completely unrelated to TIFF:
At 39 years, the Cabbagetown Festival is nearly as old as TIFF itself, a two-day festival of arts, crafts and live entertainment that takes place Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. A large swath of Parliament St. and Carlton St. will be closed for an array of events, including a full slate of buskers and entertainers, a Kidszone area for youngsters, classic cars on display and a free pancake breakfast at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Celebrating its 31st year, the Vegetarian Food Festival comes back to Harbourfront Centre at 245 Queens Quay West. The event runs from 5 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Regarded as the largest festival of its kind in Canada and the U.S., the free event features the best of vegetarian cuisine as well as fitness classes, workshops, lectures, panel discussions and music.
The 13th Queen West Arts Crawl takes over Trinity-Bellwoods Park, between Queen St. W. and Dundas St. W., on Saturday and Sunday. A performance zone will feature five bands, including the Spirit of Calypso and Samba Elegua. The event features the works of 200 artists in media ranging from pottery, jewelry, painting and woodwork. A special area for kids features face-painting and a range of activities, including jewelry-making, flag decoration and things you can make with duct tape. The Craft Beer Garden offers six local brews and one cider. OCAD University is playing host to emerging artists exhibitions at 10 participating locations along Queen St. W., including the Drake Hotel, the Toronto Blues Society and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.