What to see, do, hear and read in Toronto this July

A summery showcase of local and global jazz

1 What could be more summery than good music, street food and the beach? All these things come together for the Beaches Jazz Fest, the 36th annual month-long music festival, this year featuring more than a thousand artists from Toronto and around the world. Performances take place in parks and venues throughout the month, capped by the grand finale, StreetFest, Queen East’s three-day block party with 50 bands playing from Woodbine to Beech Avenue. Alongside jazz, there will also be salsa, hip hop, blues, ska and more. Various venues, July 5 to 28

A cross-cultural exploration of light

2 The Aga Khan’s latest exhibition, Light: Visionary Perspectives, explores light as both a concept and an artistic medium. Taking advantage of the museum’s unique architecture, the show features installations by renowned creators including Pakistani American artist Anila Quayyum Agha, whose illuminated lattice sculptures cast intricate patterns on walls; painter and Stanford lecturer Ala Ebtekar, who uses photo­sensitive materials to turn the pages of books into night-sky images; and Governor General’s Award–­winning artist Jamelie Hassan, who uses neon signage to call attention to the power of language and how it intersects with light. Aga Khan Museum, opens July 13

A rock titan’s homegrown show

3 Neil Young’s latest tour may be heavy on US dates, but it’s very much a Toronto-born show. Along with Crazy Horse, his backing band, the Canadian legend is in town to promote his new album, Fu##in’ Up. It’s a collection of live recordings of Young’s 1990 album Ragged Glory, taped last November at the Rivoli on Queen West, at what was reportedly a birthday bash for Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss. For those of us who don’t preside over a winter jacket empire, this is the best way to relive the magic. Budweiser Stage, July 8

A beloved action star’s debut novel

4 What do an award-­winning author and the man behind John Wick have in common? They share a byline on The Book of Elsewhere, the debut novel from Toronto-raised actor Keanu Reeves and writer China Miéville. The book is Reeves’s second foray into fiction, following his wildly successful 2021 BRZRKR graphic novel series, which became one of the bestselling original comic debuts of the century. Set in the same universe, Elsewhere follows an immortal warrior, B, as he contends with a mysterious entity far more powerful than he is. Out July 23

An equal-chance theatre showcase

5 With its massive catalogue of performances chosen entirely by lottery, the Toronto Fringe Festival has been giving creators a chance to take the stage since 1989. Last year’s edition featured more than 100 theatre companies and 1,200 artists performing comedy, drama, musicals, improv and children’s theatre. This year’s festival spans 11 days of radically unpredictable storytelling by Laura ­Landauer, Iris Bahr, Anand Rajaram and others. Various venues, July 3 to 14

An intimate look at post-­industrial China

6 The past 50 years have brought huge industrialization and growth to China—and with it, tremendous social upheaval. Over seven years of reporting, British Chinese journalist Yuan Yang captured the human side of the country’s rapid embrace of capitalism through the eyes of five women born in the 1980s and ’90s. Her new book, Private Revolutions, follows them as they navigate the new world order. Though their backgrounds differ—one is a rural-born entrepreneur, another a middle-class labour activist—the women all struggle to make a home, educate their children and, in one case, survive the government’s wrath. Out July 2

An electrifying pop-rock performance

7 Synth-pop group Future Islands rocketed to fame in 2014 with their single “Seasons (Waiting on You)” and an electric David Letterman performance. Now they’re on tour for their seventh album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, which tells the story of frontman Sam Herring’s crumbling long-distance relationship over the pandemic. Showgoers can expect plenty of the band’s signature energetic, high-drama antics. Massey Hall, July 4

A star-studded improvisational extravaganza

8 Writer and actor Scott Aukerman’s Comedy Bang! Bang! is one of the most popular comedy podcasts on the airwaves today. It delivers side-splitting improv from some of the best names in the business, including Ben Schwartz, Weird Al Yankovic and Gillian Jacobs. Now, Aukerman is taking his improv show on the road, doling out laughs on stages across the US and Canada. The performances will feature long-time podcast guest Paul F. Tompkins, a.k.a. the voice of Bojack Horseman’s Mr. Peanut­butter, as well as other surprise acts from the roster. Much like in the art of improv, anything can happen. Danforth Music Hall, July 28

A visual critique of American imperialism

9 Born in BC to an architect father, sculptor Terence Gower has spent the past 29 years in the US, and his experiences there have come to a focal point in his latest exhibition, Embassy. The Power Plant show features sculptures, photographs and collages that represent different architectural aspects of Cold War–era US embassies. Diving into the US State Department’s archives in Washington, DC, Gower found that, in the early years of the Cold War, the US had sought to make positive impressions on countries like Iraq, Cuba and South Vietnam by incorporating elements of openness, transparency and cultural exchange into their embassies. His exhibition examines these buildings and how they reflect changing foreign policy from the 1940s to the present. The Power Plant, until August 11

Baghdad Embassy, photo During the 1950s and ’60s, the US State Department sent architects to study the cultures and climates of host countries and design their embassies based on what they learned. The original Baghdad embassy, designed by architect Josep Lluís Sert in the late ’50s, was “totally utopian,” says Gower. “The US had these enlightened ideas for buildings that were open and accessible. Now, when we think of a US embassy, we think of a fortress.” In 1967, the building was abandoned due to the Arab-Israeli war.

Saigon Embassy, photo Another symbol of diplomacy, the US embassy in what was then Saigon was commissioned after National Liberation Front forces attacked the Americans’ rented facility in the city. As with the Baghdad embassy, the original design for the Saigon building was based on utopian ideals: the exterior featured a ceramic and terracotta screen, which, according to Gower, was meant to honour the free flow of information.

Havana Balcony, collages This 1953 building in Havana was one of the first modern embassies built by the US. It had a balcony on its sea-facing side, which chagrined a visiting State Department inspector. “He said, ‘We need to get rid of this Mussolini-­style balcony,’” says Gower. “They wanted a friendly gesture, but it looked imperialistic.” The balcony remained due to the US embargo of Cuba. These collages superimpose Cuban protest images with watercolour renderings of the embassy.

Havana Balcony, sculpture This scale model of the Havana embassy balcony is made of rebar. “In Cuba, it’s difficult to get building materials because of the embargo,” says Gower. “Rebar is one of the few things that’s produced there. If you wanted to generate the form of the balcony under the conditions of the embargo, this is what it would look like.”