A magical night with David Blaine, an anything-goes theatre festival and five other things to see, hear and do in Toronto this week

A magical night with David Blaine, an anything-goes theatre festival and five other things to see, hear and do in Toronto this week

Photo by Alex Nirta

An unpredictable experimental theatre festival
1Anything goes at the Toronto Fringe: a sexy sitcom set in space, an Andy Warhol musical, a sci-fi show about the history of beer. Now in its 30th year, the fest is still a glorious crapshoot where veteran, novice, and up-and-coming theatre creatives can experiment with new and strange ideas. There are more than 150 plays at 45 venues. When they’re good, they’re great, and when they’re bad, they’re unforgettable. Wednesday, July 4 to Sunday, July 15. $12. Various venues.

Photo courtesy Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

A night of magic with David Blaine
2Magic has long been the provenance of birthday parties and circuses, but David Blaine—the living link between Harry Houdini and Criss Angel—introduces an uncanny element of suspense by combining illusion and endurance in his stunts. The magician hits Toronto as part of a North American tour, where he’ll perform both new and iconic death-defying tricks from his magic chest. Wednesday, July 4 and Friday, July 5. $63–$147. Sony Centre.

A colourful concert with Beck 
3In his 25-year career, Beck has fused rock and hip-hop with funk, electro-pop and country. It’s no wonder that his 2017 album, Colorstakes on a new musical personality as his most upbeat in years, drawing inspiration from contemporary pop. In other words, don’t expect his latest performance to capture the gloomier Morning Phase. Saturday, July 7. $30–$200. Budweiser Stage.

Photo courtesy Beaches Jazz Festival

A jazz festival on the beach
4More than 100 performers from across the jazz spectrum—big band, a cappella, Latin—take to the stage and the streets at Toronto’s largest jazz festival. The focus extends beyond just music, with an emphasis on community-centric events in the Beaches including workshops (July 26 to 28), a Jazz Latin Carnival (July 13 to 15) and the annual Beaches Jazz Run (a 5k, 10k, or half-marathon charity run through Leslie and Lakeshore). Friday, July 6 to Sunday, July 29. Free. Various venues.

A burger feast at Ontario Place
5True to its advertising, BurgerMania 2018 will have no shortage of meaty, cheesy, sauce-slathered creations. This three-day festival features top chefs from greasy, city-wide favourites like the Stockyards, Holy Chuck and Food Dudes. Find everything from the classic cheeseburger to more elaborate sliders (as well as vegetarian options for herbivores). Friday, July 6 to Sunday, July 8. Two-hour tickets $10, all-day tickets $20. Ontario Place.

Photo by Yaron Eini

A parade for veggie lovers
6Carnivores may have majority at Ontario Place, but downtown is reserved for vegetarians, vegans and produce lovers this weekend at the Toronto Veggie Parade. The parade, starting at Queen’s Park and heading across Bloor, down Yonge, and back up University, is a social and networking event open to salad eaters and celery enthusiasts from across the city. Saturday, July 7. Free. Queen’s Park.

La La Land under the stars
7Catch an outdoor screening of the swoon-worthy Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone musical La La Land at the Aga Khan Museum. The film is part of the museum’s Dancing in the Park series (now in its second year), offering outdoor movie-musical screenings and live music from a vibrant, diverse array of local artists throughout the summer. Saturday, July 7. Free. Aga Khan Museum.