The Weekender: Private Lives, Queen West Art Crawl and six other events on our to-do list

1. PRIVATE LIVES
This 1930s comedy by Noël Coward is responsible for about three quarters of romantic comedies today. Just look at the plot: divorced couple Elyot and Amanda and their respective new partners find themselves on vacation at the same hotel on (wait for it) the French Riviera. Campy, banter-laden shenanigans ensue, naturally. Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross star as the lovely ex-couple, which sounds just about perfect. Sept. 16 to Oct. 30. $35–$175. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W., 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.

2. STIFFED! FILM FESTIVAL
TIFF wraps up this weekend but that won’t stop this indie film fest from trying to steal its thunder just a little. The filmmakers featured at this one-day event have three things in common: they’re all Canadian, they’ve all recently directed a short film and they were all passed over for a screening at TIFF. Sept. 18. $15. The Annex Wreck Room, 794 Bathurst St., stiffedfilmfest.com.

3. QUEEN WEST ART CRAWL (FREE!)
What once was a little arty thing in the west end has become a huge, three-day event that kicks off with a gala on Friday and includes artist talks, an outdoor art show and sale and the unmissable night crawl. On Saturday night between 7 and 11 p.m., stroll along West Queen West and you’ll stumble upon the cage match edition of the popular Art Battles at Parts and Labour, karaoke and live portrait drawings at Mitzi’s Sister, a reading of “Tales of Civil Panic” by Sylvia Ziemann and tons of exhibits, live performances and other art-related wonderfulness. Sept. 16 to 18. Queen St. W. between Bathurst and Roncesvalles, queenwestartcrawl.com.

4. CANADIAN SHORELINE CLEANUP (FREE!)
This weekend will see legions of volunteers doing their part to save aquatic wildlife from rogue plastic bags and other trash. Volunteers will be cleaning up the shorelines of major bodies of water in 152 countries and logging what they find to help Ocean Conservancy put together a “global snapshot” of the pollution situation in the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers. Lake Ontario is very much on that list. Sept. 16-25. Cherry Beach and other GTA locations, 416-978-7879, shorelinecleanup.ca.

5. MANIFESTO FESTIVAL
This one is for Toronto’s hip-hop heads. An 11-day festival of art, culture and, of course, music, it includes performances, movie screenings, street dance and panel discussions and appearances from big names like Rakim and Kid Capri, Zaki Ibrahim, Afrika Bambaataa, Eternia and Michie Mee. This weekend check out the new artist showcase and the day-long celebration of women and trans artists. There’s also 106 and York, an associated festival celebrating the music scene in Jane and Finch, Rexdale and Weston-Mount Dennis. Sept. 15 to 25. Various prices. Various locations, themanifesto.ca/festival.

6. CITY CIDER
Sure, fall doesn’t technically start for another few days, but you’d never know it from the looks of this family-friendly jamboree. Snack on roasted corn and freshly pressed apple cider, tour the heritage urban apple orchard and take in some tunes by the appropriately named Toronto folk outfit Orchards. Sept. 18. $5. Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd., notfarfromthetree.org.

7. TERRY FOX RUN
Every year, millions of Canadians lace up their running shoes, pull on a sweatband or two and take to the streets to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation, which funds cancer research. Fox ran the equivalent of a marathon every day between April and September 1980—that’s 5,373 kilometres in 143 days—before he was forced to halt the Marathon of Hope when his primary bone cancer spread to his lungs. Even after all these years, it’s hard not to be inspired. Sept. 18. Various locations, 416-924-8252, terryfox.org.

8. FLEURETTE AFRICAINE
Inspired by the Duke Ellington composition of the same name, this poignant performance explores the complicated relationships between the African continent and its diaspora in Canada and around the world. An interdisciplinary undertaking by the new Wind in the Leaves Collective, the show is part dance, part poetry and part visual art. Sept. 17. $20. Dancemakers, Distillery District, Case Goods Warehouse, 55 Mill St., Bldg. 74, Suites 313 and 314, facebook.com/windintheleavescollective.

(Images: Rakim, Flowizm; Art Crawl, Alfred Ng from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool; Private Lives, Nobby Clark)