It looks like the days of being able to rent the Canadian Corps Legion Hall for quirky events like the Vintage Cuts swing party are seriously numbered.
The charming veterans hangout at Niagara and King is slated to be repurposed very soon (possibly as an art gallery), which brings to an end both its original purpose, as well as its unintended function as a unique event space.
In recent years, the hall has been used for everything from psych rock concerts to old-timey country dances to last night’s oddball party. As promoter Euan Lampitt explained, Friday was the first in a series of themed events at various venues under the name Vintage Cuts.
This particular one was dubbed the British Summer Fair, and featured scones, tea, board games, costumed partiers, croquet, picnics on fake grass, and classic swing music DJed by General Eclectic (of Footprints fame). Definitely not your usual dance party. Future nights will have their own themes, and won’t necessarily feature swing music or be held at legion halls. However, recent UK ex-pat Lampitt is interested in bringing the more recent tangent of electroswing to town at some point, so if you’re feeling the big band sound, keep your eyes on the listings.
It might seem a bit strange for us to be mourning the death of this kind of event hall, but it has a hell of a lot of personality, and there’s something intangibly awesome about partying at a spot that’s not a bar or club. As the condo boom fuels the ongoing gentrification of Toronto’s downtown core, more and more of these oddball venues are disappearing each month.
Maybe it’s time for promoters to start looking at spaces in the less-explored corners of the city, assuming that partiers are also willing to leave their comfort zone.
