The spring sun has finally shown its face this week. The grass is looking a little greener and everyone is itching to hit the patios. If all goes well maybe this weekend will be a good time to break in the patio chairs at your favourite pub. But if sitting around basking in the sun is not your thing, there is a lot going on in Toronto this weekend. Here is my TOP5 things to do, so get out!
Barns Birthday Bash - The Wychwood Barns turn 100 this weekend, and Artscape is hosting a public party to celebrate this Sunday. The day’s fairground-style agenda includes cake, face painting, balloon animals and performances by Zero Gravity Circus. Food trucks will also be on site.
Hot Docs Film Festival - The second biggest film festival in our city and the largest documentary film fest in North America kicks off its 10-day takeover of the city. The documentary film festival is a spring favourite, with almost 200 different films to choose from. This year’s lineup of films includes I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, which details the life and career of Big Bird’s creator, Advanced Style, about the fashion-forward elderly women of New York, and Doc of the Dead, about society’s infatuation with zombie culture. Check out the full list of films here.
Spring Saturday in Parkdale – Spend the afternoon on the West Side at Spring into Parkdale. Take a stroll through and browse the sidewalk sale that’s full of all things local and get to know the neighbourhood. Plus they said there’d be cupcakes!
The Green Living Show - Anyone who missed out on Earth Day can assuage their guilty consciences at the Direct Energy Centre, where exhibitors will be showing off countless products and services designed to make home life a little gentler on the planet. New to this year’s event is Sunday’s fashion-accessory swap, during which participants will be able to swap their old jewellery, belts and scarves for other pre-owned items, on a one-for-one basis.
Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup - Early spring is a messy time for Toronto streets, as winter’s petrified cigarette butts and coffee cups fall out of snowbanks and into gutters. The situation is similar along the city’s waterways, where the season’s accumulation of junk is messing up waterfront vistas and making seagulls weep. As part of this year’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a number of volunteer-based litter-collection events are planned. Downtown nature lovers may want to consider helping the Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors clean up Tommy Thompson Park, on the Leslie Street spit. Water, snacks, gloves and garbage bags will be provided.
