Fringers in Toronto

Know what makes the Fringe…the Fringe? Fringers! The Toronto Fringe Festival, running this year from July 6 to 17, attracts more than 60,000 playgoers to its 150 productions at almost 30 venues across town. Part of the fun is watching Fringers and their FringeKids, but the plays are cool, too. Catch this year’s lineup at www.fringetoronto.com.

Jazz at the Beaches

From a jazz afternoon in the park to a 10-day world-class festival, the Beaches International Jazz Festival has grown by leaps and bounds during its 23-year history. Celebrated this year from July 15 to 24, the Festival highlights young, up-and-coming musicians as well as the tried and true; you’ll hear everything from jazz, blues and funk to Latin and even some swing. For sure, don’t miss the 50-plus bands that are part of the three-day StreetFest, located on Queen Street East. For information: www.beachesjazz.com.

Pirates in Milton

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, it’s The Pirate Festival, held at the Country Heritage Park in Milton from July 30 to August 1. Yep, me hearties, you may have to walk the plank to get to this year’s festival, featuring music, comedy, sword fights, a real pirate ship and even some buried treasure. Mom may not have been too big on last year’s most successful event, but the mud show is just up the kids’ alley, and even adults aren’t forgotten as the Captain’s Keg party makes a return engagement. For information: www.thepiratefestival.com.

Some like it LOUD. If this is you, or more likely your teenager, don’t miss Rihanna’s Loud Tour June 6 and 7 at the ACC. The show will be all about the glitz and glamour the Grammy winner is famous for, with music from her fifth album, LOUD, currently occupying the number one album spot in the UK. Tickets: www.theaircanadacentre.com or Ticketmaster 416-815-5500.

Luminato is back in Toronto for its third year, with a 10-day celebration of the arts in Dundas Square and other venues around the city. Held this year from June 10 to 19, the festival highlights what it calls “accidental encounters with art”, providing everyone with the chance to interact with theatre, film, visual arts, music, and more. For information: www.luminato.com .

Watch out, Fido, here comes Woofstock, North America’s largest outdoor festival for dogs, held June 11 and 12 around the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. From 10 am to 6 pm, dog owners and their four-legged buddies can enter the Woofstock fashion show, qualify in the Stupid Dog Trick contest, or just sit back on their haunches and check out the 300,000 participants. Adding a little class is High Tea at the King Edward Hotel. If your dog looks like Lady Gaga or Winston Churchill, why not enter him/her in the doppelganger Look Alike contest? Only the 60 chosen will be given the King Eddie’s red carpet treatment, but most of the fun will be on the sidelines. Naturally, the “pup”arazzi will be there. For information: www.woofstock.ca.

Renaissance man John Fraser presents his unique perspective on aging in Vegetating with Verve on May 6 at the RBC Theatre in Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre. Bring the teens and tweens…they need to know how to age fearlessly and live joyfully. Like Fraser. For tickets, call 905.306.6000 or visit www.livingartscentre.ca.

The older generation remembers Paul Simon as Garfunkel’s partner, while younger folks know him as the solo artist who gave us 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. But all have been waiting breathlessly five long years for a new recording by the iconic songwriter and vocalist. Now the wait is over, so expect a full house for his Massey Hall appearance on May 6. Simon will perform some old favorites as well as songs from the new album, So Beautiful or So What. Tickets at 416.872.4255. For information, www.masseyhall.com/calendar.

Camera buffs will be thrilled that the theme for this year’s Doors Open Toronto is Photography. The city’s 12th Annual Doors Open runs from 10am to 5pm, May 28 and 29. Visit www.toronto.ca/doorsopen after May 1 for this year’s lineup. With some 150 buildings of architectural, historical or cultural interest, there will be photo ops galore.

Even the most inveterate shopper may find The Clothing Show a challenge. Held May 27 to 29 at the Queen Elizabeth Building in Exhibition Place, the show features more than 300 booths with local designers, vintage clothing, accessories and more. This shopaholic’s dream also includes runway fashion shows and an art gallery and marketplace. See www.theclothingshow.com.

Philatelists alert! That elusive Penny Black may be waiting for you at the National Postage Stamp Show, sponsored by The Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association. More than 35 dealers from Canada, the US and the UK will be at the Queen Elizabeth Building, Exhibition Place, April 8 to 10. Bring the kids and don’t miss the annual exhibition of the North Toronto Stamp Club. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.csdaonline.com/shows.

The Toronto Zoo is Partying for the Planet this Easter weekend. From April 22 to 25, the Zoo is partnering with Earth Day Canada and top Ontario environmental educational organizations in presenting an Earth-Friendly Easter. Programs include Backyard Naturalists, Frog Watch and the award-winning EcoKids program. The kids will learn how to be Eco ambassadors and can also look forward to close encounters of the animal kind. Located in the new Tundra Trek area, the fun happens between 10 am and 4 pm daily. The Toronto Zoo is located at 361A Old Finch Avenue. For information, call 416-392-5929 or visit www.torontozoo.com/Events.

Crafty? Well, here’s the show for you. The Creativ Festival will be held April 15 to 16 in Halls 1 and 2, International Trade Centre, 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga. Among the many seminars, how-to demos and make-and-take projects is an exhibit called Felting: The Edgier Side, featuring coat designers Norm and Gio Gaudet. You can buy their amazing creations at the show or purchase their patterns and make your own. Tickets available at www.creativfestival.ca.

“M” is for March; “M” is for music. Why not celebrate the official end of winter to the strains of Mozart, Lady Gaga and Melissa Etheridge?

If you missed the sold-out shows last summer, you’ll no doubt be thrilled to hear that Lady Gaga is returning to the ACC on March 3 at 8 pm. Her 2011 North American Monster Ball Tour is in support of “The Fame Monster”, successor to the Grammy-winning Fame. Between them, they’ve sold more than 11.5 million albums worldwide. Find out why. www.ticketmaster.ca or call 416-870-8000.

Following close on Lady Gaga’s spike heels is the Canadian Music Fest from March 9 to13. Part of Canadian Music Week, the Fest features 800 local and international entertainers in more than 50 venues in and around T.O. Along with headliners Janet Jackson and Melissa Etheridge are new local talents such as pop singer-songwriter Julie Kendall, whose self-produced debut album, 1977, was nominated for a Juno in 2010. Wristbands, allowing access to gigs, screenings and after-parties, are for sale at www.canadianmusicfest.com.

For the little ones, Solar Stage Children’s Theatre (www.solarstage.on.ca) has brought back the ever-popular Shoestring Magic Flute by Shoestring Opera. Performances are March 26 at 10:30 am, 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm. The kids will love Papageno’s over-the-top performance and great singing; you’ll delight in Mozart’s music, which has charmed both adults and kids to this day. At Solar Stage in the Concourse Level of the Madison Centre, 4950 Yonge Street. 416-368-8031.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day in advance. Treat your significant other to romance in song and dance. The musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change plays at the Rose Theatre in Brampton from Feb. 9 to 12 and has been variously praised as “funny”, “witty”, and “Seinfeld set to pop music”. For tickets, contact www.myrosetheatre.ca or 905-874-2844.

Love with a French twist: The Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents Moulin Rouge – The Ballet, from Feb. 10 to 12 at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. The company is the first in North America to receive the legendary Montmartre cabaret’s official stamp of approval. The new ballet features high-kickers, a “lusty” French score and a passionate story of young love thwarted. Moulin Rouge was specially commissioned for the ballet company’s 70^th anniversary season, and its Toronto engagement kicks off a seven-city tour. Visit www.rwb.org for info and the Sony Centre for tickets: www.sonycentre.ca or 416-872-2262.

Show the kids how much you love them… Spend Family Day Weekend with overstuffed castles and Sesame Street characters. Toronto’s Kidfest – Canada’s largest indoor inflatable show – runs Feb. 19 to 21 in Hall 3 at Toronto’s International Centre. Kids don’t have to use their indoor voices here as they bounce, jump, play, run and shriek in 50,000 sq. ft. of space. Admission and parking are free, but rides are extra. The fun happens between 10 am and 5 pm and it goes without saying that kids must be supervised at all times.
Visit www.Kids-Fest.ca.

Now here’s the ultimate compliment for a performer/playwright. After seeing At the Sans Hotel, a reviewer for the Australian newspaper The Age commented, “I would watch Nicola Gunn shell peas.” What engendered such a comment? Find out at the Next Stage Theatre Festival at Factory Theatre, running from January 5 to 16 and featuring eight of the best national and international productions from around The Fringe. Gunn created and performs in the psychological detective story, part of a lineup of top-notch plays. Tickets online at www.fringetoronto.com or call 416-966-1062.

Board games and pyjamas…sounds fun to me. This year’s Family Literacy Day, taking place January 27, highlights ‘Playing for Literacy’. That means card, board and word games that encourage children and their parents to practice literacy while having fun. There are special events being held at libraries and community centres throughout the GTA, but hosting a pyjama party at home could just be the best idea yet. www.abclifeliteracy.ca

Feel small…really small…beside an 18-metre sperm whale skeleton at the Ontario Science Centre. The Science Centre has brought New Zealand museum’s Te Papa’s whale collection, one of the largest in the world, to Toronto. Running through March 20, 2011, the Whales/Tohora exhibition is not for the faint of heart. It promises such exciting features as a replica of a blue whale heart, large enough to crawl through, plus an animated film featuring Tinirau and his pet whale that is billed as a story of treachery and revenge. For ages five and up. 416-696-1000. www.ontariosciencecentre.ca

Here’s one for the bucket list…Ring in 2011 with a rhino, some monkeys and a bunch of other party animals at the 8th annual Toronto Zoo’s New Year’s Eve Family Countdown. Doors open at 5:30 pm, December 31 with entertainment from 6 pm to 9 pm, followed by a countdown just for kids. The Africa Restaurant and the Peacock Café will be open for dinner and snacks, respectively. One caution: dress warmly…most of the action happens outdoors. 416-392-5929. www.torontozoo.com

A thrill for adults and kids alike, the Toronto Motorcycle Show is coming to the Metro Convention Centre, December 10 to 12. Thanks to the Yamaha Riding Academy for Kids and the Canadian Motorcycle Training Services, children aged 6 to 12 have an opportunity to test out a Yamaha TT-R off-road motorcycle. Certified instructors, motocross gear and a 15-minute test drive give kids a safe introduction to off-road riding. Moms and dads will enjoy the vintage display as well as a showcase of the latest in motorcycles, gear and ATVs. 905-361-2677. www.torontomotorcycleshow.ca

The Christmas bird is the acknowledged star of a special Black Creek Christmas Dinner, held at the Black Creek Historic Brewery Restaurant, December 5, 12 and 19, with seatings at 2.30 pm and 5 pm. You’ll need reservations to enjoy the oven-roasted Ontario turkey with apple and cranberry stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, and pomegranate glazed carrots, served as they were in 1800 Toronto. Prices include parking, gratuities and admission to Black Creek Pioneer Village. 416-667-6295. www.blackcreek.ca

Here’s a novel take on the financial crisis. The Factory Theatre is presenting Spent – a quirky comedy about the 2008 recession, produced by Theatre Smith-Gilmour, Why Not Theatre and TheatreRUN. It runs until November 28. And, yes, we said comedy. The 2009 Dora Award winner tells the story of two flush executives who lose it all in 2008 and their comedic struggles to cope. www.theatresmithgilmour.com
416-504-9971

Lovers of the former O’Keefe Centre will be thrilled at the renovations to what is now the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. And what better way to see what’s been accomplished since June of 2008, when renovations began, than with the colourful Merchants of Bollywood - Showcasing the Spectacle of Bollywood, from November 4 to 14 at the Sony Centre. The Toronto historical site, known as Canada’s largest soft-seat theatre, launched its 50^th anniversary season on October 1. Bollywood brings the glitz and glamour of India’s Hollywood (plus 3,800 costumes) to the stage. www.sonycentre.ca. 416-872-2262

Seasons Christmas Show at the International Centre in Mississauga is offering something special for 2010. Christmas on Ice features a spectacular winter wonderland with figure skaters, decorated trees and seasonal décor. Seasons runs throughout the Santa Claus parade weekend, November 19 to 21, and features 200 exhibits and displays with a Christmas theme. Get your Christmas shopping done early! Two-for-one admission is available after 5 p.m. on November 19, when the centre is open until 8pm. 905-939-0693. www.seasonsshow.com