NOW critics pick the best in-person and virtual things to do in Toronto on the weekend of August 13, including Beyond Monet, a drive-in diner, the city’s first post-lockdown music fest and the return of indoor clubbing.
Beyond Monet
French Impressionism is getting the immersive treatment. A second high-tech art show based on the work of a long-dead European master painter is opening in town this week. Beyond Monet is taking over 50,000 square feet of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the next few months, giving art lovers a chance to zone out inside the playful and dreamlike aspects of Monet’s abstracted landscapes and seascapes. One dollar from every ticket sale will go toward a new program, the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour Fellowship.
To October 3. All ages. $99. 255 Front West (north building). monettoronto.com
Honey Jam
This long-running showcase and mentorship program for women in the local music scene has stayed active during the pandemic with a series of shows livestreamed from the Phoenix, and now it’s back at the El Mocambo for its 26th annual Honey Jam. The free virtual concert features up-and-coming artists from all over Canada including, for the first time, the Yukon: Victory, Bukola, Azalyne, Nivédita and Ashey Pater.
August 12. 8 pm. Free. nugs.net
The Dusty Star Drive-In Diner
The retro “carhop” diner taking over the Galleria Mall parking lot this weekend is sold out, but you can check this Instagram thread to see if anyone is reselling tickets. The Dusty Star Drive-In Diner pop-up is recreating the 1950s carhop experience, complete with servers on roller skates and a menu courtesy of local restaurants, including Tanto, Uncle Mikey’s, Super Empanada, Sapori and Hop City Brewery.
August 13-15. 1245 Dupont. Sold out. eventbrite.ca
nowhen
Alison Wong’s immersive, two-part auditory and nature-based experience in High Park wraps up this weekend.
To August 15. 3 pm. Pwyc. High Park Amphitheatre. canadianstage.com
Bad Luck!
Enjoy Friday the 13th by taking in some first-rate comedy at the recently reopened Comedy Bar. Ryan Dillon hosts a terrific lineup that includes Mike Wilmot, Courtney Gilmour, Kyle Brownrigg, Alex Wood, Keith Pedro and Al Val.
August 13. 8 pm. $40 (for two). Comedy Bar. comedybar.ca
Arkells Long Weekend at Budweiser Stage
Live music has been slowly coming back to life in Toronto as COVID restrictions ease, but this feels like the first big concert since we all went into the first lockdown 16 months (or is it years?) ago. Toronto/Hamilton rock band Arkells get to do the honour of opening the summer season at the Ontario Place amphitheatre, and they’re bringing Polaris Prize-winning rapper Haviah Mighty along with them. There’s obviously demand to return to the big outdoor venue – the first two nights sold out, so now there are three.
August 13-15. Budweiser Stage (909 Lake Shore West). Doors 7:30 pm, all ages. $71-$271. ticketmaster.ca
Breaking The Frame
The Royal Ontario museum is opening an exhibition on the “alternative history” of the past 200 years in photography. The show spans continents and artists who are both iconic and lesser known – Diane Arbus and Robert Frank are included – as well as feminist works and a rare circa 1843 daguerreotype by Madame Gelot-Sandoz, believed to be one of the first photographs made by a woman.
August 14-January 15. 100 Queen’s Park. rom.on.ca
Reboot at Coda
Are you ready for the return of indoor clubbing? One of the city’s biggest dance clubs officially reopens this weekend. Dancefloors are allowed under step 3 of the reopening plan, so Coda is returning with the eight-part Reboot series showcasing Canadian DJs. The lineup this weekend features Ciel, Daniel 58, Korea Town Acid, Pursuit Grooves and Yohei S.
August 14. 794 Bathurst. Free before 10:30, $20 after. codatoronto.com
Courtyard Comedy – Martha Chaves
Nicaraguan-Canadian stand-up Chaves headlines an afternoon of comedy outside the historic venue, with Keesha Brownie, Jade Niles Craig, Ryan Dillon, Heather MacDonald and host Robert Watson. If you get there an hour early you can enjoy tastings from drinks sponsor Cottage Springs Beverage Co.
August 14. 3 pm. $20. Campbell House. campbellhousemuseum.ca
Together Again Festival
Are you ready to attend an outdoor music festival? CityView Drive-In, the drive-in venue across from Rebel nightclub, is converting to a standing-room outdoor venue for at least one day. Toronto club scene veteran Mark Oliver is headlining a dude-heavy lineup that includes local DJs Manzone and Strong, Addy, Joee Cons, Dee Cee, Kevin Faria, Bipolur and Liam Keery.
August 15. Cityview Drive-In (20 Polson). 2-11 pm. $35. ticketweb.ca
