Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this August 8-10, 2014.

Taste of the Danforth
Taste of the Danforth is one of the city's most popular street festivals. The food is plentiful, with more souvlaki (and other random eats) than most people can handle.There's dancing and music, and there's an obvious energy to the whole affair. Be warned, though: the festival is this popular for a reason, so the crowds are massive. Last year alone there were 1.5 million revellers along the Danforth. August 8-10. SR

THEATRE

SummerWorks Performance Festival
This year the SummerWorks Performance Festival moves into the new digs at the Theatre Centre, firmly establishing itself as the west-end theatre jam of the year. On offer at the festival's hub are a collection of arts conversations and parties that carry the energy from artists and audiences throughout the week. Those performances, on stage and at site-specific venues, include six shows in the Music Series, three Musical Works in Concert, thirteen Live Art interactions, and an immense collection of theatre as part of the National and Juried series. Check out our picks for what to see here. KB

The Bicycle Opera Project
The young troupe of opera singers seeks to introduce communities across the province to contemporary Canadian opera through the Bicycle Opera Project. The innovative ensemble delivers their performances by bicycle, completing a route that stretches from Kingston to London. At their final stop in Toronto, they'll perfom seven different pieces, featuring librettos from Liza Balkan, Anton Piatigorsky, and David Yee. Heliconian Hall, August 7-8, PWYC. KB

For more events on stage, check out our The top theatre productions in Toronto August 2014 post.

FOOD

Absolut Makerfest
RSVP for an art/technology musing event that claims to be Toronto's biggest party of the summer - and with Q-Tip and Theophilus London providing music and those most beloved words in Toronto, complimentary cocktails, who would argue? Don't be silly - show up early or you'll be stuck in line, a.k.a. the black hole of all free events. Saturday, August 9, 9pm, 99 Sudbury.

Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest
The Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest is on this weekend from noon until 7pm. Get your sampling mug at the gate for $25 and spend the afternoon enjoying $1 pours from 23 indie small-batch breweries. August 9-10, 12-7pm, Roundhouse Park. LI

Free Lemonade and Signed Photos of John Stamos
The Marxist Nudist Taxidermy Club probably signed those John Stamos pics themselves, FYI. Still, free lemonade is nice. Saturday, August 9, 1-4pm, Dufferin Grove Park (875 Dufferin St).

TUM
The first ever Sunday brunch-themed Toronto Underground Market takes place on Sunday at 99 Sudbury from 11am to 4pm. Tickets are $15 for the afternoon of cold brew coffee and breakfast standards done street food-style. Maybe there will be some extra booze leftover from Makerfest? Kidding. Sunday, August 10, 99 Sudbury. LI

See also

• Pan American Food Festival (Saturday, Daniels Spectrum)
• JerkFest (Saturday, Centennial Park)
• TO Food Fest (Sunday, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto)

For more food events, check out our Toronto Food Events, Summer Food Events, and Summer Beer Events post.

BOOKS & LIT

Zine Dream
While it's not Toronto's biggest zine festival, seven-year-old Zine Dream is growing larger. This year celebrate the opening at Art Metropole (1490 Dundas Street West) Friday, August 8 at 9pm where New Chance (Healing Power Records) is performing in the window. On Saturday, August 9 you can attend panel discussion "Writing Vs. Art- Where do comics begin?" at Xpace Cultural Centre (2-303 Lansdowne Ave) followed by a BBQ at Punchclock (251 Sorauren Avenue). The official Zine Dream small press fair featuring over sixty exhibitors showing comics, chapbooks, music, and more will be Sunday August 10, 12-5pm at Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Ave).

Toronto Queer Arts Festival Smash Words
Poetry and more from "six of Toronto's best known LGBT spoken word artists" aka Philip Cairns, Alec Butler, Katie Sly, J.P. Larocque, Jenna Harris and "Power Chair Dancer," Frank G. Hull. Sunday, August 10, 7pm, Press Club (850 Dundas Street West), PWYC.

MUSIC

Toronto Queer Arts Festival Music Concert
Celebrate the Queer Arts Fest with music of varying styles by Ted Scarf, Anna Gutmanis, Amy Campbell, Jamieson M. Eakin and and Elek Semilla. Friday, August 8, 8pm, The Sister (1554 Queen Street West)

Greys
Breakout band Greys would like to reassure everyone that they never called "loud" a genre and they don't mind being called noise rock, actually. Catch their record release show with BUZZ Records and openers HSY, WTCHS (vowels are out) and Marriage (marriage is in?). Friday, August 8, S.H.I.B.G.B.'s (225 Geary Ave), $10.

FKA Twigs

Ketamines + Jay Arner
We have a quote from Paul Lawton that does not include any Canadian music scene drama or CBC references. The quote is as follows. "Ketamines are playing this tour with Jay Arner on bass guitar. Ketamines are recording LP #3 which we are describing as "Cartoon Biker Rock." We have a new 7" coming out on HoZac Records (Chicago, home to Dum Dum Girls, NoBunny etc) later this year with our alter-ego goth band MEAN TIKES." I told you I could do anything if I put my mind to it. Saturday, August 9, The Cavern Bar (76 Church St.).

SummerWorks: Weaves / Allison Cummings
SummerWorks is better know for its more theatrical elements, but they have an intriguing music program this year which reads as if someone just came by and dropped off names of trendy Toronto bands, but the list apparently included Lido Pimienta so who's complaining. Read about the hour long set that Weaves and Allison Cummings have planned for Toronto here and check out the full music series here. Sunday, August 10, 9pm, Lower Ossington Theatre (100 Ossington Avenue), $15.

For more music listings, check out our This Week in Music, August Concerts, Summer Concerts, and Summer Music Festivals posts.

FILM

The Toronto Palestine Film Festival: Party in the Pits Outdoor Screening
Laila's Birthday will screen for free at Christie Pits Park. The absurdest story of a "judge-turned-taxi driver" was TPFF's voters' choice. Friday, August 8, 8pm, Christie Pits Park (750 Bloor St West).

Toronto Queer West Film Festival
Only a four-hour component of the four-day Toronto Queer Arts Festival, the Queer West Film Festival is a self-proclaimed "small, but quality film festival" and offers a casual and intimate opportunity to view some carefully curated queer-themed films high artistic ambitions. By mid-August, many of us will already be feeling a deep nostalgia for the late-May-to-June Inside Out and World Pride blow-out, making this little one-off perfectly placed. Saturday, August 9, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. BW

CPFF Days of Summer closing night: Moonrise Kingdom
Last one of the summer! Wes Anderson's Snoozerise, I mean Moonrise Kingdom will play in the park. The screening will also include Record which was directed by Dylan Reibling and Martha and the Muffins - too bad it's not screening at Echo Beach, but Christie Pits is lovely and easier to bike to. Sunday, August 10, 7:30pm, Christie Pits Park (779 Crawford Ave West).

Video Vengeance #9 - Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon 1985 - Free VHS Screening
Martial arts movies: due for a comeback? Sunday, August 10, 8pm, KITCH (229 Geary Ave), free.

See also

• Parkdale Film + Video Showcase (August 8-10)

PARTY

MJ / Prince Videos All Night
Michael Jackson and Prince videos all night in the back room of the Miami inspired restaurant / bar. Dirty Diana shots are $4, so you have an excuse to get drunk enough to moonwalk - not that you needed one. Friday, August 8, 9pm, The Steady Cafe & Bar (1051 Bloor St West).

Bike Rave 2014
You ride your bike to the party. You lock your bike outside. You have fun with your other friends, but deep down you know that something is wrong. Your truest and most loyal companion is outside waiting ever-patiently for you, locked to a fence in the silent night. The music pulses. The voices of your friends blend in ecstasy. The steel holds firm. A streetlight flickers in time to the strobe within. Something is wrong. Check out our slideshow from Bike Pirates' Bike Rave from last year here and get familiar with the rave's route here. Saturday, August 9, 8:30pm, starts in Christie Pits Park (779 Crawford Ave West).

SARIN
SARIN is on DETH Records (who are a beacon of black-oil hope in this town but will never save us from Toronto's ever rising dadcore / posi-sock-hop experimental scenes) but he's also on some pretty intense Cronenberg shit. I don't know what he looks like under that disco-ball studded balaclava but I hear one glance will curse your Tinder account for the next seven goth raves. Goth raves are a thing in Toronto, I swear. Saturday is his Rotten cassette release. Digital music on cassettes is a thing too. August 9, Cinecycle (129 Spadina), $5-10.

For more dance listings, check out our Top Dance Parties in Toronto in August post.

FASHION

Parkdale Flea
You know those inappropriate quips like "in Russia, dog trains you"? At Russian fleas, the abundance of over-sized sweatshirts with red maple leaf emblems and "Made in Canada" tags is incredible. How did they get to Russia? Could it be they were made in China? Watch the stray dogs circle through the wreckage of soviet cameras and military equipment for long enough and you might see a few red threads hanging from their jaws. The Parkdale Flea isn't cool enough to have dice made from human teeth but there won't be any questionably manufactured patriotic sweatshirts either. Sunday, August 10, 10am-5pm, Goodfellas Gallery (1266 Queen St. West).

See also

• Etsy Roadtrip (Aug 8-9, King St West & Brant)
• Repair Cafe (Saturday, Toronto Reference Library)
• Toronto Gift Fair (August 10-13, International Centre)

COMMUNITY

Kultura Filipino Arts Festival
This Filipino-Canadian fest is on until Sunday at Twist Gallery, Kapisanan Centre, and Wychwood Barns. Find everything from food to live dancing and other performances.

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

Photo by Jesse Milns. Contributions by Sarah Ratchford, Liora Ipsum, Blake Williams, Keith Bennie.