Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Watch for it here on Fridays around midday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this weekend, May 4-6, 2012.

ARTS

Toronto Comic Arts Festival
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival gathers illustrators, comic and graphic artists (and their rabid fans) in an event that features the masterminds behind such staples graphic novels as Bone and Fun Home. It'll take place at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street) from 9am-5pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday. Read our preview here.

Just Art
Support the Canadian Centre for International Justice with an evening of visual and performing arts, beverages, music, hors d'oeuvres and a raffle. As a bonus, your $10 admission will also get you a drink ticket, with proceeds benefitting the CCIJ.
Centre for Social Innovation (720 Bathurst Street) May 6, 6pm-10pm.

CONTACT Photography Festival
The CONTACT Photography Festival kicked off this past week, and will bring over 1000 artists to over 200 venues in Toronto throughout the month of May. CONTACT aims to promote exposure and recognition of artists both local and abroad while fostering discourse on the art form of photography. Here are some shows we recommend that you see. A full preview of the festival is available here.

PARTIES

Friday Night Live @ ROM
The weekly after-hours party continues at the ROM with a focus on fashion--this Friday, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Toronto Fashion Incubator, pick up some fashionable goods from the Harricana Fashion trunk show and enjoy a performance from KwikFiks. The ROM (100 Queen's Park), May 4, 6pm-11pm.

Beatlemania!
Female DJ-duo Bangs and Blush enjoy performing in party dresses and high heels, and they'll be spinning their '60s soul and rock 'n' roll stylings this Friday night--and of course, a lot of Beatles tunes. The Piston (937 Bloor St. W.), May 4, 10pm.

FASHION

America's Next Top Model Live
The Metro Toronto Convention South Building will be transformed into a weekend-long showcase of the ANTM brand and the world of modelling at large. Enjoy three days of shopping, beauty tips, performances from Danny Fernandes and Karl Wolf, and see ANTM competitors. Bonus: be there when the winner of the Sutherland Supermodel Search is announced.

Tory Burch Store Opening
You can be first in line at the opening of Tory Burch's first Canadian location in Yorkdale Mall this Friday, and just in time to shop from her Spring 2012 collection. The American luxury designer offers women's apparel, shoes and accessories with an elegant twist. Yorkdale Shopping Centre (1 Yorkdale Rd), beginning May 4.

For more, check out our This Week In Fashion post.

LIT

LeftWords Festival of Books and Ideas
This free public event aims to promote the work and ideas of writers from Canada and abroad through readings, panels and discussions. Michele Ladnsberg is slated as a keynote speaker, and is backed by a hefty roster of writers whose work appears in independent Canadian publications. Stop by the Ryerson Students' Centre (55 Gould St.), May 6, from 11am-6pm.

MUSIC

RedBull 3Style Finals
The premise is simple: bring together Canada's best DJs, provide them with tracks and tools, then ask them to deliver 15 minutes of music incorporating at least 3 genres of music to a music-hungry crowd. They'll be judged by musicians and promoters, and of course, audience response. Read more about the event here. Virgin Mobile Mod Club (722 College St.) May 4, 9pm.

Lee Fields and the Expressions
Funk and soul vocalist Lee Fields is launching his new album, Faithful Man, and will be joined by Toronto local Maylee Todd, who will be previewing songs from her upcoming album, and Pegwee Power. The Great Hall (1087 Queen St. West), May 5, 9pm.

For more shows, check out our weekly Hot Ticket post.

FILM

Hot Docs
The Toronto film scene is abuzz with Hot Docs fever. The Canadian and international documentary festival wraps up this weekend, but there's still time to catch some must-see films, and check out the full schedule here. Screenings take place around the city at venues such as the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, Innis Town Hall, Isabel Bader Theatre, and The Revue.

Star Wars Day in Toronto
Star Wars Day in Toronto is much as it sounds: an opportunity for fans of the George Lucas watershed film to participate in trivia contests and costume competitions while enjoying themed comedy--proceeds benefit Sick Kids Foundation. The event takes place at the Toronto Underground Cinema (186 Spadina Ave.) on May 4th from 6p.m.-10 p.m.

For more film events check out This Week in Rep Cinema.

FOOD

Sherway Farmers' Market
Rain or shine, this farmers' market showcases an array of Ontario-grown produce and food products such as honey, meats, baked goods and cheese. Find it at Sherway Gardens (25 The West Mall) beginning this Friday, 8am-2pm, and running every Friday until October.

For other farmers' markets, see our preview of 2012's offerings.

Speakeasy Dinner Cabaret
If you enjoy a side of naughty with your dinner, be sure to check out the Speakeasy Dinner Cabaret, which pairs a 3-course prix-fixe meal with the burlesque theatre stylings of Les Coquettes. Alternately, you can opt for the show alone. Revival Bar (783 College St.), May 6, 7pm-10pm.

The Cake Show
Presented by the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts, this annual cake design exhibition is now in its 4th year, and promises demonstrations, competitions, and a bake sale. This year's theme is "cake as art," and competitors were encouraged to draw inspirations from anything and everything from architecture, to fashion, to music. Adult admission is $10. Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie St.), May 6, 11am.

For more food-related events, check out This Week in Food.

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Lead photo by Scott Snider. Subsequent photo of Lee Fields and the Expressions courtesy of the artist.