825. June 6-17+ Affordable Events in Multicultural Toronto – 2018

As usual, Toronto is over-flowing with interesting, wide-ranging things to do that have been inspired by the world outside. Better still, many of them are free. Look here for a thoughtful session about China; First Nations art and performers; an Inuit painting exhibition; a salute to Ireland’s literary masterpiece; Italy’s Puccini’s opera arias and a street festival in Little Italy with live performers and multicultural food for sale. 

We can tell you where you can experience a North Korean folk tale and a Palestinian and Jordanian one too, told dramatically by old-style storytellers. A big annual Filipino festival is also coming up, and if you want to avoid the sounds of the modern world, there’s a Tibetan meditation session in High Park. A Welsh Men’s Choir concert is at one of Toronto’s heritage museums. 

Some world class events: at our annual Luminato, you can see and hear Amal Clooney being interviewed in person. That one isn’t free; nor is Toronto’s own wonderful The Lemon Bucket Orkestra’s Balaklava Blues. But there are some free events. Huge too are the music festival NXNE and the Portuguese Parade. Pride Month has already started with a flag-raising at Toronto City Hall, but you can still go to several events leading up to its popular parade at the end of the month.

China. The Power of Ideas: The Rising Influence of Thinkers and Think Tanks In China. Monday, June 11. 5:30-7pm. Free. The Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility, 1 Devonshire Place (Devonshire Pl. & Hoskin Ave.). https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ai/event/25439/

For other Asian Munk School events and programs: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ai/centres-and-programs/

First Nations Indigenous Now ROM Friday Night Live. June 8. 7-11:30pm. About $18-$20. Royal Ontario Museum. Multicultural food vendors; aboriginal performers: The Johnnys, DJ Classic Roots, Crystal Sinclair, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Evan Redsky, Brendt Thomas (Kariwa:the) Diabo, Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Center & Dana Khan, and Dana Khan (Jeffrey). FNL is a specially ticketed event for adults 19+ only. For more information: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/whats-on/fnlrom-indigenous-now-1#food

Image of The Johnnys from ROM Friday Night Live website.

Inuit. Public Opening. Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak. June 13. 6-9pm. Exhibition from June 16 to August 12 and included with general admission $11-19.50. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas Street West. For more information: https://ago.ca/exhibitions/tunirrusiangit-kenojuak-ashevak-and-tim-pitsiulak

Image Kenojuak Ashevak. Bountiful Bird, 1986. Stonecut and stencil, 62.5 x 83.1 cm. Gift of Samuel and Esther Sarick, Toronto, 2002. © Estate of Kenojuak Ashevak.

 Ireland. 33rd Annual Toronto Bloomsday Celebration. Saturday June 16. 9am-noon. Start from Beaches Library, 2161 Queen Street East. Readings free. For this and other Irish events in the Toronto area, subscribe to the newsletter of Maureen O’Leary. moleary2001@rogers.com. For more information, see: www/toronto.bloomsday.com. For our special description of Bloomsday, a unique Irish literary and social event, see  TorontoMulticulturalCalendar.com’s next blog.Italy.  Italian Heritage Month “O Mio Babbino Caro” Omaggio a Puccini: Opera Arias. June 17. 4-6pm. Free. Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Avenue West. “Celebrate Father’s Day and enjoy an afternoon of Italian opera with internationally renowned Maestro Rolando Nicolosi, soprano Jonelle Sills, and tenor Christopher Dallo. Don’t miss out on this tribute to Puccini on the 160th anniversary of his birth.”

For this and other Italian Heritage Month events at Villa Charities, see: http://www.villacharities.com/events/2018-06/.

Image of Jonelle Sills from https://twitter.com/jesills?lang=en

Italy. Multicultural. Taste of Little Italy. Friday, June 15. 7pm-1am; Saturday, June 16. 11am-1am; Sunday, June 17. 11am-10pm. Free. “A festival that celebrates College Street’s rich Italian history as well as the eclectic international community of today. Live music by performers from around the world and artisan vendors.” https://tolittleitaly.com/taste-little-italy?utm_source=Tourism+Toronto&utm_campaign=7bc81c2ccf-

Multicultural. Luminato International Arts Festival. June 6-24. 30 shows but only a few are free: see Le Grand Continental® ; Instruments of Happiness ; Hell’s Fury ; NO GOING BACK Future Feminism. Black Lives Matter is free to Out the Window ticket holders and the general public. Some shows like Balaklava Blues by The Lemon Bucket Orkestra $25. For schedule: https://luminatofestival.com/2018/Events/

Image of Instruments of Happiness from Luminato website.

Multicultural. NXNE. Annual music and arts festival. June 15-17. Free. Yonge-Dundas Square and Yonge Street from Dundas to Queen. Performers: Jazz Cartier, Azealia Banks, U.S. Girls, Cadence Weapon, UK rocker Yungblud, Big Freedia and more. https://www.nxne.com . Multicultural. Pride Month. June 1-24. Various prices. Events include: June 7. AGO First Thursday: June 7-9. Tapestry Opera Presents: Tap This; June 8. Pride Shabbat Dinner; June 11. Showtunes Karaoke; June 13. Toronto Sympathy Orchestra, etc. The Pride Festival and Parade will be in a future blog. In meantime, check out: http://www.pridetoronto.com/

Image from Pride website.

North Korea. Levant. Jordan. Stories You Have Never Heard Before. June 14. 8pm. Socap Theatre, 154 Danforth. $10 advance. $15 at the door. Sage Tyrtle tells “Snow Queen in North Korea” – weaving together the folktale Snow Queen with real history from 1970s North Korea; Storyteller Sarah Abu-Sharar tells “A Day Like Any Other” – the story of an honour killing of a 16 year old girl, that took place in the Hebron Hills more than 160 years ago. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/stories-you-have-never-heard-before-tickets-45402725775?mc_cid=e5a37b03e0&mc_eid=9e7f7501b2

Philippines. Flag raising. June 10.Philippines. Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show. June 16. 9am-11pm. $15. Free for Seniors, kids, and some newcomers. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Hall A, 255 Front Street West. Philippines. Pistahan Toronto. June 16-17. Free. The Celebration of Filipino culture, its food, art and dance. Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West. For more information: The Filipino Centre http://www.filipinocentretoronto.com/

Portugal. Portugal Day Parade. June 10. 11am-1pm. Free. Dundas Street between Lansdowne and Trinity Bellwoods Park. This is one of Toronto’s longer and very colourful parades. http://acapo.ca/event/liuna-portugal-week-2018-paradeTibet. Buddhist. Guided Meditation by Tibetan monk Lama Samten, accompanied by his student, Buddhist monk Jason Simard. June 9. 10-11:30am. Free. Hawk Hill, between High Park Labyrinth and parking site. “All are welcome to join us. There will also be a short introduction to meditation to find inner peace and a stable well-being according to Tibetan Buddhist wisdom. In case of rain, the meditation will be held on Sunday.”  https://www.facebook.com/events/242604276299517/

Wales. Burlington Welsh Male Choir. June 8. 7-9pm. Pay What You Can. On the Verandah. Benares Historic House, 1507 Clarkson Road North, Mississauga. https://culture.mississauga.ca/event/benares-historic-house/verandah-2018-1.    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 and affordable 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 we should 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

  1. Neglected to include Taste of Russia, June 10, 12-9pm. Free. Mel Lastman Square,
    5100 Yonge Street. Sounds like fun.

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