824. June 1-9+ Affordable Events in Multicultural Toronto – 2018

The weather is warmer and our events are moving out of doors, some of them weekly for the rest of the summer. In this period are mentioned frequent outdoor African drum and dance sessions, more sedate English Country Dancing, and lively Scottish Dancing. The Small World Music Centre has a Bulgarian-Turkish musical performance. The Toronto Public Library lists at least 22 different First Nations events in June. Sikhs will show you how they tie their turbans – on you if you want. Lots of laughs.

I’ve listed two fast-breaking Muslim Iftar events in different parts of the GTA – the dinners and performances are free as are most of these events. You are offered an opportunityi to enjoy a meal with our Muslim as well as non-Muslim neighbours. June is Italian Heritage Month too, so look for several related events too.

Look also for a street fair in Little Portugal, and an interesting Portuguese Walk of Fame event. Our Polish, Ukrainian and South Asian friends will have major festivals too.

So which ones should you go to? I’m aiming for the ones closest to my home or accessible by public transportation. Weekend automobile traffic in our city can put a damper on the fun.

I regret that we cannot mention all the goings-on in our amazing, very culturally-diverse city. Our aim is to give you a sampling of what is going on here in the hope that you will enjoy a few of them. — Ruth

Africa. African Drum and Dance at Woodbine Beach. Tuesdays until October 3. 7pm-1am. Looks like fun. I hope the Woodbine Beach neighbourhood doesn’t mind: https://www.facebook.com/events/1799427880109406/

Image from video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OsmanOkechukwu/videos/1738682596215189/

Bulgaria. Turkey. Ihtimanska with Special Guests Brenna MacCrimmon & Ariel Balevi. June 7. 8pm. $15 advance. $20. Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw Street, Studio 101. “Creative duo of saxophone and accordion from Montreal…” For this and other interesting music from around the globe: http://smallworldmusic.com/shows/ihtimanska/.

Image from Small World Music Centre Website.

England. English Country Dancing. “… the dance form of Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Napoleon… Moving to High Park in June. For information: tel. 416-578-1031 or http://www.torontoenglishdance.ca/highpark.html. For newsletter update, sign on to: http://mail.torontoenglishdance.ca/mailman/listinfo/tecd-announce_torontoenglishdance.ca.

English Country Dance. High Park. Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

First Nations. Indigenous Celebrations. June 1-30. List of events at various libraries include films, dances in regalia, and the concepts of environmental justice with recent research findings. Also handicrafts, Métis stories, and puppet shows. www.tpl.ca/indigenous

Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

First Nations. Native Women in the Arts. June 1. 9pm-1am. $10-$15. Features Juno award-winners Quantum Tangle, sister duo Dawn & Shawna Redskye, and Tkaronto’s own DJ Jams. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kwe-performance-series-quantum-tangle-tickets-45740871177.

Image from Native Women in the Arts website.

Interfaith. Muslim. Annual Interfaith Iftar on Food Justice. June 2. 7:15-10pm. Free. Lower Social Room, Noor Cultural Centre, “In keeping with recent tradition, Noor will be dedicating an interfaith iftar to promoting awareness about social justice. This year’s topic will be food wastage, sustainability, and ethics. Program includes a documentary film and discussion on food production, distribution and waste. Fast-breaking and maghrib prayers and potluck dinner. Everyone is welcome to join us for the entire program, whether fasting or not.  Participants are invited – but not required – to bring a vegetarian/vegan dish to share with the group. Registration is required: http://www.noorculturalcentre.ca/?p=17228 https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/annual-interfaith-iftar-food-justice-tickets-45881370414 

Image from Noor Cultural Centre website

Italy. Italian Heritage Month – The Divine Comedy: Storytelling and Shadow-Play (in English and Italian). June 5. 7-9pm. Free. Columbus Room, Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Avenue West, North York.

Dante Alighieri, the father of Italian language comes alive to tell us a fantastic and magical tale, which still speaks to the questions and problems of today. Produced by Causa Teatro for audiences both young and old, this performance captures the essence of the two first segments of the Divine Comedy (Hell and Purgatory). Through images and words, it distills the story of a great journey to the very core of human nature…”

For more information: http://www.villacharities.com/event/italian-heritage-month-the-divine-comedy-storytelling-and-shadow-play-in-english-and-italian/

Image of Dante holding a copy of the Divine Comedy in Michelino’s fresco from Wikipedia.org.

Italy. Italian Heritage Month – Viva Vitalità: A Showcase of Italian and Italian-Canadian Arts. Opening Reception. June 7. 7-9pm. Free. Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Avenue West. Exhibit dates: June 1–June 29. Open to the Public, Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm. For this and other Italian Heritage Month events: http://www.villacharities.com/events/list/

Image Copyright ©2018 Emmanuel Gallant

Multicultural. Portugal. Dundas West Fest. June 1 and 2. Starts “after work on Friday with a night market experience of patios, vendors, and lots of music. It then continues on Saturday with an all day/night street festival offering food, games, arts, music, vendors and dance, ending just before midnight.” Free. Little Portugal. 12 city blocks along Dundas Street West from Ossington to Lansdowne… Highlights include: Two major stages, five music performance areas, free music & music lessons, yoga classes, visual art exhibits”: http://dundaswestfest.ca/

Image from http://dundaswestfest.ca/

Multicultural.  14th All Community Games 2018. June 2-16. Various venues. Markham. http://acgames.ca/program.

Muslim. DawaNet & MuslimFest: Celebrate Ramadan Iftar & Grand Eid Bazaar. Tuesday, June 5. 3-11:30pm. Free – $100 (for table of 10 ). Mississauga Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga. “Holding this dinner during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan signifies coming together as a unified community to exchange greetings and share positive experiences. 1. You are encouraged to bring up to two guests along; 2. Anticipated arrival time 7pm, followed by on-stage programming and time to socialize with fellow attendees. 

“The Celebrate Ramadan Iftar dinner, along with a prayer congregation (for those participating), will follow by 9pm. We look forward to seeing you soon! For any questions, please respond to this message, or you may contact Info@DawaNet.ca. “

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-ramadan-iftar-grand-eid-bazaar-2018-tickets-44460578788?aff=es2.

 Poland. Mississauga Polish Day. June 9. 12-11pm. Celebration Square, Mississauga. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/187312645237329/;
http://mississaugapolishday.ca/
 Portugal. Portuguese-Canada Walk of Fame. June 9. 5:30pm. Luis De Camões Way, 722 College Street. http://portuguesecanadianwalkoffame.com/ .

Who will win these honours this year? In the past, winners have been: Ana P Lopes, Chair of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation (CAMHF), and Nelly Furtado, singer and song writer. For others, see: https://portuguesecanadianwalkoffame.com/inductees/

Luís Vaz de Camões is considered the greatest Portuguese poet, on a par with Shakespeare. — Ruth.

Scotland. Dancing in the Park. Tuesday evenings in June. 7pm-dusk. Free. Edwards Gardens, 755 Lawrence Ave E, North York. http://www.dancescottish.ca/The_Park.html

Image from Dancing in the Park website.

Sikh. India. Turban Up. Sunday, June 3, 10am-7pm. By donation. Come out and get crowned with your very own turban at Turban Up! Enjoy a warm meal, martial arts, face painting, music and so much more. Face painting and music. https://www.ydsquare.ca/events-schedule/events-calendar/event/1446-turban-up.html.

If you bring your friends to learn how to tie on turbans, it’s a lot of fun. Think of the selfies you can take. And you can find out how many metres of cloth are in a Sikh turban. Ruth.

Turbans Up Sikh Festival, Yonge-Dundas Square. Image Copyright ©2018 Ruth Lor Malloy

South Asia. DesiFest. June 2. 11am-11pm. Free. Yonge-Dundas Square. For more information: 416-302-9321 or info@desifest.ca. Website: https://www.ydsquare.ca/component/rseventspro/event/1437-desifest.html

Ukraine. Mississauga Ukrainian Festival. June 2. 11am-11pm. Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga. “Entertainment, cultural exhibits, artisan works and a refreshment garden. Bring the whole family and enjoy children’s amusement, craft programs, authentic Ukrainian food and more.” https://culture.mississauga.ca/event/celebration-square/mississauga-ukrainian-festival-1

Image from Mississauga Ukrainian festival website.

  Note from Ruth: TorontoMulticulturalCalendar.com chooses to promote events that encourage a feeling of community in our culturally diverse city. Mention doesn’t mean endorsement but we try to include events we think readers will find stimulating in the cultures of other groups. If you go to any of our mentioned events, please send us corrections or an account of your impressions so we will know whether or not to promote these events in future. Please continue to send us posters. We don’t charge to post them and we don’t accept paid advertising. Post comments on  “Leave a Reply” below.  Email us at: ruthlormalloy@gmail.com. Subscribe to our Newsletter above. 

1 Comment

Leave a Reply to Ruth Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *