The Pride parade, NXNE and seven other things to see, do, hear and read this week

The colourful, cacophonous Pride parade
1First it was a defiant island picnic in 1971. Then it was a rebuttal to the 1981 bathhouse raid. Now it’s a month-long mega-bash tied up in controversies about funding and police participation. One thing that’s never changed: it’s one hell of a party. After 25 days of street fairs, plays and panels, Pride Month culminates with its trademark jubilant parade. June 25. Free. Yonge Street.

A weekend of suds in the sun
2The Toronto Craft Beer Festival should please even the most persnickety brew snobs—Big Beer is nowhere to be found on the list of 23 brewers like Great Lakes, Left Field, Barnstormer and beyond. Live music and a range of food options complement the beverages at this beer-lover’s paradise. Friday, June 23 to Saturday, June 24. $30. Ontario Place West Island.

A Gatsby-themed garden party
3Grab your parasol and don your best flapper garb for these immersive 1920s-style afternoon socials. Dancing, croquet, and a costume contest are among the highlights of these back-to-back tributes to Jay Gatsby and his world, old sport. Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. $10. Spadina Museum.

A week of non-stop music 4NXNE’s main event is a weekend-long party in the Port Lands with indietronica vets Passion Pit and singer-rapper Post Malone, but for our money, the fest’s most imaginative offering is a series of curated concerts across the city, in which musicians like Shad, Brendan Canning, July Talk and the Rural Alberta Advantage handpick line-ups of their favourite emerging artists. Plus, on June 19, Peaches turns the Phoenix into an all-out party. June 19 to 25. Prices vary. Various locations.

Even more music
5Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Joss Stone and Randy Bachman headline this week’s other big music fest: the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. The 10-day extravaganza packs 1,500 musicians into venues across the city. Friday, June 23 to Sunday, July 2. Prices vary. Various venues.

A clown’s quest for the meaning of life
6In their latest production, Stupefaction, Toronto’s quirky clown sisters Morro and Jasp meet a series of mysterious strangers while searching for the meaning of life. They’ll bring the same immersive, interactive attitude of their smaller shows to this large-scale performance, complete with a full cast of supporting actors. To Saturday, June 24. $25–$30. Streetcar Crowsnest.

A delicious function in the Junction 7This Thursday, chef Anthony Rose (Rose and Sons, Fat Pasha, Bar Begonia) will cook for a cause at ClutchPR’s funky office in the Junction. Tickets include food and drinks, and all proceeds will support the Haiti School Building Project, which will construct a school for 500 orphans in Canaan, Haiti. Plus, there will be live art by Jessgo, a blistering violin performance by Dr. Draw, and a silent auction with items donated from some of Toronto’s top restaurants, shops and gyms. Thursday, June 22. $65. ClutchPR.

A starlit screening in Bellwoods
8It wouldn’t be summer without a movie in the open air. At Trinity Bellwoods Park, the Dog Bowl will be cleaned out for an outdoor screening of the Canadian culture-clash comedy Cooking with Stella (2009)—the first in a line-up of summer screenings highlighting food and diversity in Canada. Tuesday, June 20. Free. Trinity Bellwoods Park.

Five days of amazing indigenous arts
9Celebrate Canada 150 with this outdoor festival of Indigenous and Métis theatre, film, dance, music and crafts. Highlights include The Honouring, a multidisciplinary dance piece by choreographer Santee Smith’s Kaha:wi Dance Theatre; The Road, a new play from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre; and the launch of Mississauga Portraits, Ojibwe Voices from Nineteenth Century Canada, a book by Donald B. Smith. Wednesday, June 21 to Sunday, June 25. Free. Fort York.