A Jo Bros. reunion, a BBQ feast and four other things to see, hear and do in Toronto this week
A very Jo Bros. reunion
1Once the most enviably coiffed boy band going, the Jonas Brothers have in recent years become more celebrated for their taste in wives and their solo efforts (“Cake by the Ocean,” anyone?). This summer, after a five-year hiatus, the post-Disney trio are re-upping their brotherly bond with the “Happiness Begins” tour. “I’m a Mess” chanteuse Bebe Rexha and Jordan McGraw (a.k.a. Dr. Phil’s son), a boy band leader in his own right, make for intriguing opening acts. But let’s be honest, everyone will just be scanning the crowd for Priyanka and Sophie. Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24. $80–$387. Scotiabank Arena.
A beer and bourbon BBQ
2BBQ lovers rejoice: there’s an outdoor feast happening at Ontario Place this weekend, where heaps of ribs, chicken wings, corn on the cob, cornbread and mac ‘n’ cheese will be piled onto paper plates aplenty. It’s best to partake in axe throwing before hitting the bourbon bar (serving 10 kinds of the brown booze mixed into sours, Old Fashioneds and more), but if it takes a bourbon lemonade or two to muster the courage to line dance or ride the mechanical bull, go for it. Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25. $7.95. Ontario Place.
The nerdiest weekend of the year
3If you stumble upon an army of Stormtroopers downtown this weekend, you’re getting close to Canada’s biggest annual nerdathon: Fan Expo. This year’s main events are a cameo from John Travolta, who’s in town to sign autographs (for $130 a pop) and promote his new movie The Fanatic, and a Bayside High reunion from the Saved by the Bell crew (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley). Rainn Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Mia Farrow and the Kim’s Convenience cast (sans Simu Liu, who’s off getting ready for his mega Marvel role), are among the other high-profile guests. Thursday, August 22 to Sunday, August 25. $20–$569. Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
A newsy stage debut
4For its inaugural performance, Launch Pad (The Musical Stage Co.’s residency program for promising theatre buffs) sent writers into The Globe and Mail’s archives and asked them to create 30-minute musicals based on the most memorable photos they could dig up. The result is Reprint, a triptych of theatre-meets-history class plays inspired by a fan-crazed Beatles concert at the Maple Leaf Gardens, a zany freestyle frisbee tournament on the Toronto Islands and 2003’s 14-day blackout. Monday, August 19 to Thursday, August 22. $25–$45. The Globe and Mail Centre.
A refreshing cider festival
5The number of remaining summer weekends are dropping faster than Doug Ford’s approval rating; make the most of them by sipping the season’s quintessential quencher. The Toronto Cider Festival will be serving up 1oo varieties from the likes of Pom Bu Cha, Pommies, The Great Canadian Cider Company, Brickworks and Thornbury. Also on the agenda: line dancing, performances by Alessia Cole and DJ Moonshine (there won’t be any actual moonshine, though) and a campfire. Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24. $48–$90. Sherbourne Commons.
A bumping Tamil party
6Tamil Fest is the largest celebration of its kind outside of the Indian subcontinent (last year’s event had more than 200,000 attendees). It’s a giant food and dance party, with Bollywood performers, heaps of roti, tropical fruit thirst quenchers and other Malaysian, Indian, Singaporean and Sri Lankan delicacies. Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25. Free. Turbina Ave and Markham Road.
. This summer, after a five-year hiatus, the post-Disney trio are re-upping their brotherly bond with the “Happiness Begins” tour. “I’m a Mess” chanteuse Bebe Rexha and Jordan McGraw (a.k.a. Dr. Phil’s son), a boy band leader in his own right, make for intriguing opening acts. But let’s be honest, everyone will just be scanning the crowd for Priyanka and Sophie. Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24. $80–$387. Scotiabank Arena.
[caption id="attachment_499029" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Photo courtesy of Beer, Bourbon & BBQ[/caption]
A beer and bourbon BBQ
2BBQ lovers rejoice: there's an outdoor feast happening at Ontario Place this weekend, where heaps of ribs, chicken wings, corn on the cob, cornbread and mac 'n' cheese will be piled onto paper plates aplenty. It’s best to partake in axe throwing before hitting the bourbon bar (serving 10 kinds of the brown booze mixed into sours, Old Fashioneds and more), but if it takes a bourbon lemonade or two to muster the courage to line dance or ride the mechanical bull, go for it. Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25. $7.95. Ontario Place.
The nerdiest weekend of the year
3If you stumble upon an army of Stormtroopers downtown this weekend, you're getting close to Canada's biggest annual nerdathon: Fan Expo. This year's main events are a cameo from John Travolta, who's in town to sign autographs (for $130 a pop) and promote his new movie The Fanatic, and a Bayside High reunion from the Saved by the Bell crew (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley). Rainn Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Mia Farrow and the Kim's Convenience cast (sans Simu Liu, who's off getting ready for his mega Marvel role), are among the other high-profile guests. Thursday, August 22 to Sunday, August 25. $20–$569. Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
[caption id="attachment_499027" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Photo by Dahlia Katz[/caption]
A newsy stage debut
4For its inaugural performance, Launch Pad (The Musical Stage Co.'s residency program for promising theatre buffs) sent writers into The Globe and Mail's archives and asked them to create 30-minute musicals based on the most memorable photos they could dig up. The result is Reprint, a triptych of theatre-meets-history class plays inspired by a fan-crazed Beatles concert at the Maple Leaf Gardens, a zany freestyle frisbee tournament on the Toronto Islands and 2003's 14-day blackout. Monday, August 19 to Thursday, August 22. $25–$45. The Globe and Mail Centre.
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A refreshing cider festival
5The number of remaining summer weekends are dropping faster than Doug Ford's approval rating; make the most of them by sipping the season's quintessential quencher. The Toronto Cider Festival will be serving up 1oo varieties from the likes of Pom Bu Cha, Pommies, The Great Canadian Cider Company, Brickworks and Thornbury. Also on the agenda: line dancing, performances by Alessia Cole and DJ Moonshine (there won't be any actual moonshine, though) and a campfire. Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24. $48–$90. Sherbourne Commons.
A bumping Tamil party
6Tamil Fest is the largest celebration of its kind outside of the Indian subcontinent (last year's event had more than 200,000 attendees). It's a giant food and dance party, with Bollywood performers, heaps of roti, tropical fruit thirst quenchers and other Malaysian, Indian, Singaporean and Sri Lankan delicacies. Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25. Free. Turbina Ave and Markham Road. ){kind=link}