Aside from a few side dishes here and there, Chinese vegetarian cuisine isn't particularly well-known in Toronto. Also known as Buddhist cuisine, you won't find any meat or heavy spices in these dishes, but the flavour can still be surprisingly intense.
Read more in my profile of Wutai Vegetarian Restaurant in the restaurants section.
With Saks open and Nordstrom on the way, the Eaton Centre wants to put on an even nicer face, particularly near its Queen Street entrance. Cadillac Fairview, the owners of the mall, had initially tried to build a 65-storey residential building above 2 Queen St. East, but after running into difficulties with zoning, the company retracted its plans.
It's now come to the table with a new design for the corner, one that's drastically reduced in scale, but which would make for a grand entry to the south end of the mall. The latest plans for the historic curved building at the corner of Yonge and Queen involve the preservation of the brick facade (part of which is covered right now) and a three-storey glass addition at the top.
The renderings are reminiscent of the nearby Dineen Building, which has won much praise since its restoration in 2013. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the top level has also been earmarked for a restaurant here. There will also be expanded retail, offices, and a green roof.
In conjunction with the release of these plans, a new rendering has surfaced of the sky bridge that links the HBC/Saks building to the main shopping centre. The plans are to replace the existing bridge with a contemporary design by Wilkinson Eyre Architects with consultation from Zeidler Architects (the original designer).
Both projects will prove significant updates to the southern end of the increasingly high end shopping centre.
Brunch in the Beaches neighbourhood in Toronto is the perfect precursor to a day of play by the lake. Fill up on bacon and eggs, pancakes or Benedicts at one of these establishments before applying some SPF60 and lazying away the rest of the day.
Here's where to eat brunch in the Beaches.
Sunset Grill
The Sunset Grill location in the Beaches is the one that started it all, spawning a mini-chain with spots across the GTA. The expansive menu covers every type of a.m. craving, from granola bowls and bagels to waffles and French toast.
Bam! Breakfast & Bistro
This comic-book themed spot packs some serious punch when it comes to punishing hangovers. Expect to find eggs Benedict smothered in silky hollandaise, waffles crowned with whipped cream and hearty steak and egg combos.
Whitlock's
The brunch buffet served Sundays at Whitlock's is a steal at just $14. The all you can eat feast features a roast beef carving station, waffle and omelette bars, eggs Benedict, seafood, and an array of salads, cereals and desserts.
Murphy's Law
This stately pub and kitchen is the place to go for caesar cocktails garnished with pork belly and house-baked cinnamon rolls dressed with maple-bourbon almond pralines, smoked bacon bits and cream cheese icing. Hearty huevos rancheros and coffee from Balzac's are also easy to love.
Garden Gate Restaurant
Also known as The Goof, this old school Chinese restaurant also lists all-day breakfast options alongside its lineup of chop suey and General Tso chicken. Diner style staples are on the menu including blueberry pancakes, Spanish omelettes and two-egg breakfasts.
Green Eggplant
This Mediterranean grill serves breakfast daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. On the menu you'll find classic three egg breakfast with all the fixin's; bacon, sausage, potato pancakes, salad and toast, plus sky stacks of mixed berry French toast, spinach and feta omelettes and eggs Benedict.
Beacher Cafe
Breakfast is served all day everyday at this Queen East cafe. House favourites include the smoked salmon scramble and eggs Florentine featuring hollandaise over poached eggs on a bed of spinach and a fresh croissant.
Mars Beach Diner
Gorge on a Mars-style Grand Slam breakfast or go the healthy route with buckwheat griddle cakes at this well established diner in the Beaches. Other standouts include the corned beef hash Benedict and apple cinnamon waffles.
ViVetha
The menu at this bistro in the Beaches lists breakfast scramblers packed with corned beef, julienned potatoes and scrambled eggs, along with Grand Marnier French toast and shrimp and smoked bacon omelettes. Come hungry.
Beachside Grill
Hungryman breakfasts, lobster Benedicts and English muffins sandwiching fried eggs are all on the menu at this all-day breakfast spot. The menu even devotes sizeable real estate to gluten-free options.
What did I miss? Share your favourite brunch spot in The Beach(es) in the comments.
Photo by @jenefur77 on Instagram
Toronto's newest cafe believes that incredible coffee starts with mineral-fueled water. Buzzing with high-power machinery, coffee connoisseurs have already started swarming to this new spot to try its espresso, which is made with reverse osmosis water.
Read my profile of Hot Black Coffee in the cafes section.
Some of Toronto's newest and most exciting metal bands are gearing up to play the fourth annual edition of Briefcasefest. The music festival will once again shine a light on the most imaginative and avant-garde heavy music being brewed throughout Eastern Canada and beyond.
Briefcasefest founder Max Deneau continues to expand his vision for the event with a number of big changes for the 2016 edition. While some of Toronto's biggest music festivals are struggling to stay alive in the competitive summer schedule (hi NXNE; bye Riot Fest), it's heartening to see something this niche actually grow from two to three days.
As always, the lineup is a loud and fascinating glimpse into what heavy Toronto music looks like today.
Here are the five rising metal bands on the bill that should be on every headbanger's radar.
Paroxsihzem
Despite founding in 2007, Paroxsihzem's low profile makes them feel way newer. Recent EP Abyss of Excruciating Vexes showcases their adventurous black/thrash metal spirit: the smothering of riffs, machine-gun blast beats and demonic rumblings could only come from a band eager to push an old genre in even more uncomfortable directions.
Drofnosura
Melding sludge and doom influences, Drofnosura's thus far limited output has showcased a lot of promise. As evidenced on two EPs, the local trio has proven adept at crafting glacially paced songs that let the full weight of each chord settle for maximum soul-crushing effect.
Malphas
This budding local act's sound sits right at the peculiar intersection of early working-class UK punk and francophone black metal. They apparently honour the darkest annals of Quebec's music world through French lyrics, though thanks to thoroughly speaker-damaging, fuzzed-out production, unilinguals like me can't tell anyway. This will be their first live show ever.
Mad Trapper
Metalcore suburbanites Mad Trapper chose their name wisely -- look this guy up and you'll understand what inspires their strain of unrelenting aural chaos. Heavy Toronto bands tend to disappear too quickly, but with two LPs under their belt, past opening slots for the likes of Cult Leader and KEN Mode, Mad Trapper is here for the long haul.
Foreigns
Akroid was one of the most electrifying live bands I've seen in Toronto hardcore. Sadly they're gone, but ex-bassist Scott Sokoloski has just formed Foreigns, a similarly noisy and challenging project. Judging by his own description of the tunes as a "chilled-out, adult contemporary" take on heavier stuff, I'm hopeful that this will lead to the invention of the "dad-sludge" genre.
Briefcasefest 2016 takes place May 19-21 at Coalition:T.O. Ticket info is posted on the Facebook page.
Photo of Mad Trapper by James Yigitoz
Conversations about Toronto architecture often focus on the birth of the City Hall and the TD Centre in the 1960s as defining moments in the modernization of design in Toronto. It's tough to argue against the profound influence both of these structures, but it's also imperative to note the pioneering force that John C. Parkin was in making Toronto a modern city a decade earlier.
This process started well before Viljo Revell won the design competition to build a new municipal headquarters in Toronto. In fact, you'd want to go back to 1947 when John B. Parkin and John C. Parkin (no relation) joined forces to start the firm John B. Parkin and Associates. The similar names can lead to confusion, but John C. was the design lead, while John B. ran the business.
While far to many of John C. Parkin's buildings have been demolished over the years, including the glorious Bata Building on Wynford Drive, there's ample evidence of his footprint on Toronto. One of the most significant of these is a small building tucked at 50 Park Rd. in Rosedale.
Formerly the home of the Ontario Association of Architects, the structure dates back to 1954, and caused quite a stir when it first opened for its utter simplicity and unabashed modernism. It doesn't seem like much today, but Toronto hadn't seen anything like it at the time. Still, Parkin was only getting started.
Over the next 15 years, Parkin would change the face of Toronto with such landmark buildings as Rosedale Subway Station (1954), Sidney Smith Hall (1961), the Sun Life Building (1961), Yorkdale Shopping Centre (1964), Aeroquay No. 1 (1965), Don Mills Collegiate (1965), the IBM Canada Headquarters (1967), and the Simpson Tower (1969).
Wouldn't you know it, the firm would also play a supporting role in the design of the TD Centre alongside Mies van der Rohe and Bregman + Hamann Architects. It's seems fitting that Toronto's best modern building to this day bears Parkin's name.
Less known, is that Parkin was instrumental in the design of the Bloor-Danforth Subway Line, ensuring that the stations had a simple elegance. The bridge he designed between Castle Frank and Sherbourne stations remains a marvel of concrete architecture.
Most modernist buildings tend to garner mixed reviews today, but it's difficult to imagine what Toronto would look like without Parkin's mark. Even the buildings that no longer remain served as touchstones for a generation of architects who continue to shape the city to this day.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons, Panda Associates fonds, dtah, Chuckman's Blog, and the Toronto Archives.
The fires may have ceased in Fort McMurray, but have you seen those photos? Residents still need a lot of help to deal with the aftermath of the tragic natural disaster. Toronto event organizers have stepped up to the plate to help out with a few events already this month.
Here are five Fort McMurray fundraising events in Toronto.
Fort McMurray Gameathon fundraiser (May 14)
Play games until the wee hours of the morning for a good cause. This one takes place at A-Game Cafe on Queen West, and there will be prizes.
Fort McMurray Charity Jam Return of the Mac (May 16)
Track and Field hosts this Monday night event with lots of drink specials, music, an auction and bocce ball tournament.
An indie88 evening for Fort McMurray (May 17)
Head to the pool at the Thompson rooftop for this gathering. $20 at the door and live music from Eric the Tutor and Andy Warburton.
Fort McMurray animal rescue charity concert (May 25)
This is a charity show at the Silver Dollar with seven bands performing for the relief effort. All proceeds go to animal support groups organizing support in the wake of the fire.
2016 Lobster Fest in support of Fort McMurray (May 27)
The Steam Whistle Roundhouse presents Rodney's Oyster House lobster fest. Lobster cooked on site and, duh, lots of oysters and beer.
Have your own Fort McMurray-related event? Be sure to list in with this simple events form.
Photo via Track & Field's Instagram.
The Toronto food truck scene continues to grow despite the seasonal nature of the business and less than favourable conditions created by City Hall. New trucks selling everything from sushi burritos to lasagna have hit the streets this year taking street food options way beyond gourmet burgers, fish tacos and poutine.
Here's a roundup of exciting new food trucks to look out for in Toronto this summer.
I Love Lasagna
This truck offers a rotating menu of lasagna including a traditional take on the classic Italian dish to more unique offerings featuring seafood and squid ink pasta.
Fully Loaded T.O
The people behind Fully Loaded T.O are taking chicken wings to a whole new level by stuffing them to the nines with things like mac and cheese and pepperoni pizza.
Feed The Six
Sadly, this isn't a Drake themed food truck but the food here won't disappoint. Items range from pulled pork home fries to beef momos.
SUSHITTO On the Road
Sushi burritos have landed in Toronto thanks to this food truck. What's a sushi burrito? Think maki sushi the size and shape of a burrito stuffed with ingredients like shrimp, crab, chicken and veggies.
Delight Bite
If you spot a big orange truck on the streets this season it's the Delight Bite truck. Get your fill of comfort foods including wraps, burritos, quesadillas, tacos, nachos and salads.
The Vegan Extremist
We asked for it and someone has finally delivered. Toronto has been blessed by its first vegan food truck. This is where you can fill up on Thai and Indian vegan curries.
Momma's Boy
After successfully raising $5K through Kickstarter Momma's Boy has become a reality. Comfort foods are their speciality so prepare to dig into offerings of eggplant parmigiana and potato perogies.
Smoke's Burritorie
Just like its restaurant on Adelaide the Smoke's Burritorie food truck dishes out standard chicken and steak burritos as well as more outrageous offerings stuffed with poutine and chicken and waffles.
Gotham Grill
Inspired by the bustling food truck scene in New York, Gotham Grill is bringing these vibes to Toronto. Burgers, sandwiches and poutine are all on the menu.
El Trompo Movil
The Mexican food truck is an offshoot of the popular eatery El Trompo in Kensington Market. Three types of tortas (Mexican sandwiches) and tacos al pastor are on the menu.
To find out where will be each day visit Toronto Food Trucks or download the Food Trucks app for iPhone or Android.
What did I miss? Add your favourite new food truck in the comments.
In Toronto where queuing up for brunch is akin to a sport, there's something refreshing and extra satisfying about treading off the beaten path to seek out a spot tucked away in a residential neighbourhood or located away from all the hustle and bustle.
Here's where to eat brunch in Toronto off the beaten path.
Luna Cafe
Like an island of good eats on a primarily residential section of Dovercourt Rd., Luna is a sunny and relaxed spot that the locals probably don't want you to know about. Every plate out of the kitchen is pretty, from pancakes topped with whipped cream and fruit to hollandaise smothered poached eggs over pan fried mushrooms and roughage.
Mitzi's
Mitzi's is hardly a secret, but it's still a lone wolf come brunch time on this stretch of Sorauren. The ever-changing menu gets innovative with the classics, offering weekly takes on pancakes, poached eggs, French toast and omelettes. Tater tot poutine topped with runny eggs, oatmeal pancakes dressed in bananas, and dulce de leche are among the most recent examples.
Riverdale Perk
Just south of Withrow Park on Logan, this charming cafe serves up Sunday brunch featuring bacon and brie-stuffed French toast, pulled pork eggs Benedict and an omelette du jour.
Cafe Neon
Occupying a ground level suite in a loft on Wallace, this cafe has steadily gained a following for its Sam James coffee and breakfast sandwiches. On weekends, find the kitchen turning out eggs Benny all-day along with stacks of blueberry pancakes and yogurt granola bowls that look like sundaes.
Maha's
Located on a quiet stretch of Greenwood, Maha's Egyptian brunch has become a destination in its own right. Traveling the distance is well worth the reward for honey cardamom lattes and sunny eggs with foole, but be sure to inquire about the off-menu "Max's Platter."
Photo of Luna Cafe by @emmmlulu
This rustic-chic spot offers up hearty Italian and Eastern European-inspired fare with a modern twist. Classic items like eggs Benedict and fish and chips get interesting updates, and the results are delicious.
Read my profile of the Peasant Table in the restaurants section.
Toronto is blessed by being in close proximity to all manner of natural wonders, one of which is stunning cliffs and rock faces. From the southern Niagara Escarpment to the Bruce Peninsula, those looking to catch a view or give their try at a climb have some options.
Here are 5 amazing cliffs to visit near Toronto.
Rattlesnake Point
Along with posing one of the toughest challenges for cyclists in the province, Rattlesnake Point is one of the best destinations for climbing near Toronto. Instructional groups are allowed to operate here, which makes the place great for beginners, but the downfall is that it gets very busy.
Lion's Head
Many people categorize Lion's Head as the province's premier area for climbing, given the stunning background of Georgian Bay. This isn't a place for beginners, though. The majority of climbs here require one to repel down before starting back up again.
Metcalfe
Grey County has a number of excellent sites for climbing, but Metcalfe is considered one of the best in the Blue Mountains. Both traditional and sport climbing is done here with a degree of difficulty that falls in the moderate range.
Old Baldy
Another spot in Grey County, access to Old Baldy has become easier in recent years with no need for a permit any more. A popular spot for sport climbing, the crag is well bolted and attracts a good crowd in the early season. The top of escarpment reaches 152 metres with a stunning view of the Beaver Valley below.
Bon Echo
Bon Echo is not a climb for amateurs, but it makes this list for the challenge it poses and the reward that one feels have ascended the 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake. There are a variety of restrictions put in place by the provincial park, but none that will spook traditional climbers.
What did I miss? Add more cliffs in the comments.
Photo by Dan Sedran in the blogTO Flickr pool.
The Toronto Islands are quite possibly the city's greatest natural feature, and a place that no matter how often we claim to understand is special, probably ends being under-appreciated. Few of us visit as often as we'd like to, though every time that we do, the experience is memorable.
Separated by only a few hundred feet on either end, the Islands remain a world completely apart from the bustling urban metropolis that is the mainland, from the 1970s time capsule that is the Centreville Amusement Park to the sandy beaches that face away from downtown. If you don't gaze at the majestic view of the skyline, you'd think you'd left the city altogether.
Part of what makes the experience of the Islands so lasting is its ritualistic nature. Queuing up for the ferry on a busy weekend isn't much fun, but the brief trip across the inner harbour is a huge component of a trip here. If we ever built an easy-access bridge (rather than the limited-use airport tunnel), I suspect a considerable amount of the allure of the Islands would fade.
Ferries have been coming to the Islands since 1833, though the presence of the Gibraltor Point Lighthouse (built 1808) is a reminder of their longstanding importance. Over the years, the wealthy colonized the place with cottages and a Coney Island-like atmosphere formed around Hanlan's Point, complete with an amusement park and the notorious diving horse.
It's hard to fathom nowadays, but at the height of development on the Islands, there were over 600 cottages in addition to a baseball stadium, hotels, a movie theatre, and various eateries. By the mid 1950s, the city began the process of reclaiming the Islands as parkland, which reached peak drama in 1980 when eviction notices were sent to all the remaining Islanders.
They managed to stave off the removal orders and finally won the right to remain on the Islands in 1993 (via a 99 year lease). The Island homes that remain serve as a reminder of what the place used to be like, and tend to promote healthy curiosity from those making a visit for the weekend. The consensus is that it's nice that not every home was demolished.
Few, however, would argue that the city was wrong in trying to return the Islands to a more natural state. This is what we cherish here. The secluded bench with a skyline view, the lagoons, the ability to escape the city without leaving its bounds. This is a place of quiet contemplation, a sentiment that no one has captured better than the poet Raymond Souster.
If ever you want to understand the beauty of the Toronto Islands and the wonder it inspires, turn to his 1952 poem "Lagoons, Hanlan's Point."
Mornings
before the sun's liquid
spilled gradually, flooding
the island's cool cellar,
there was the boat
and the still lagoons,
with the sound of my oars
the only intrusion
over cries of birds
in the marshy shallows,
or the loud thrashing
of the startled crane
rushing the air.
And in one strange
dark, tree-hung entrance,
I followed the sound
of my heart all the way
to the reed-blocked ending,
with the pads of the lily
thick as green-shining film
covering the water.
And in another
where the sun came
to probe the depths
through a shaft of branches,
I saw the skeletons
of brown ships rotting
far below in their burial-ground,
and wondered what strange fish
with what strange colours
swam through these palaces
under the water.
A small boy
with a flat-bottomed punt
and an old pair of oars
moving with wonder
through the antechamber
of a walking world.
Photos by carlosbezz, Julie Lavelle, Derek Flack, Ernie Kwong, and Tom Freda.
Toronto has its fair share of underappreciated historical buildings, some of which hide in plain sight at the city's busiest intersections. Take, for instance, the Toronto Coach Terminal. This is a place that's seen its better years, but if you cock your head the right way, there's plenty of beauty on display here.
Opened in 1931, the city's bus terminal was once held in the highest esteem. Bus travel was all the rage, and the TTC needed a home for its successful inter-city bus service that went by the name Gray Coach Lines. When the terminal was built at Bay and Edward streets, it was meant to convey the importance of this mode of transportation.
Sit in the main waiting room today, and you'll probably do your best to avoid contact with the other passengers while sizing up whether or not it seems safe to order a coffee at the rundown cafe, but what you should be doing is gazing west at the grand staircase that's still marked by the presence of the Gray Coach logo.
While the institutional tile floor and bolted-down seats rob the room of much of its former charm, it's still possible to appreciate the various Art Deco touches on display here, from the elegant chandeliers to the warm-hued wall tiles. A major addition in 1968 altered the layout of the building, but the limestone exterior still looks gorgeous from Bay St.
That's the conundrum with this building. The obvious bits of good that remain have been clouded by lack of care over the years. When it was built, the TTC took pride in the stature of the building, now its been relegated to the status of a dated transportation hub unable to meet the needs of coach-based commuters.
A new terminal is still planned for 45 Bay St. (much closer to Union Station), even if the development of which it's a part has been delayed. Part of the way that Metrolinx plans to fund the construction of a replacement is by selling the current one. That's still a ways off, of course, but perhaps it'll ultimately prove a boon for this forlorn building.
Unburdened by the need to serve as a hub for the city's inter-city bus services, the terminal might be restored to some of its past glory, even if only as the base of a new structure. In any case, it has a heritage designation, so it's unlikely to disappear outright.
The immediate future isn't bright for the Toronto Coach Terminal, but if you sit in the waiting room around sunset and watch the sun pass through the arched window atop the staircase, it's difficult not see the vast potential this building has to be great again.
Photos via the Toronto Archives.
The matcha craze is in full effect in Toronto. From matcha lattes and soft serve to a whole variety of matcha infused treats there's no shortage of ways to indulge in the Japanese green-tea powdered food sensation.
And now, the latest offering comes our way thanks to Delysees - the King West bakery that also recently introduced us to the Instagram-worthy donut macaron. Yes, the matcha croissant is just what it sounds like - a fresh baked croissant stuffed and topped with matcha cream.
Delysees isn't actually the first bakery to make matcha croissants in Toronto. Taiwanese chain Bake Code has been baking them since March.
With contributions from Sarah Jade. Photo via Delysees on Instagram.
Toronto's crown as most diverse city in the world is often taken for granted by those who live here, but it's actually quite rare for this title to be given out in any official capacity. The majority of global urban diversity rankings pull together short lists of cities that are the most multicultural, but resist declaring a winner based on statistical shortcomings.
While not part of a major study, BBC Radio has bucked this trend in declaring Toronto the most diverse city in the world just a few weeks after newly elected London mayor Sadiq Khan pronounced his city the bearer of such a title.
The biggest problem with diversity rankings is that they tend to rely too heavily on one unit of measurement, namely the percentage of a population born in a foreign country. Such a yardstick, however, fails to take into account the total range of ethnicities found in a given city and necessarily ignores the presence of second generation immigrants.
For this reason, a city like Dubai ranks at near the top of some diversity ratings with a whopping 83 per cent of its population born in another country. That number doesn't tell the whole story, though. While the percentage of foreign-born residents is very high, the total number of countries from which they derive is quite low.
Toronto's population is made up of 51 per cent of residents born outside of Canada, but is also home to 230 different nationalities, which makes it far more diverse than Dubai. According to the statistical analysis done by the radio show, the second most diverse city in the world is Brussels, followed by a toss up between London, Auckland and Los Angeles.
It's not quite definitive, but this ranking at least confirms what most of us tend to take as a given. When it comes to truly global cities, Toronto takes the cake.
Photo by Honey Agarwell in the blogTO Flickr pool.
Monday events in Toronto will get your week off on the right foot, especially if you start with the pre-Field Trip Robyn "Call your Girlfriend" dance class. Otherwise you can watch people's naked bodies get beautifully painted, have a deep conversation with French philosopher Alain Badiou or see some live, early-week shows.
For more events, click on over to our events section.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events section.
Photo of Robyn via Facebook.
Despite widespread regulations against smoking in public, apartment buildings and condos tend to be rather lax when it comes to rules against cigarette consumption. Traditionally, the idea has been that you can do whatever you want behind closed doors, even if smoke travels from unit to unit.
That's not, however, the case at Alto, an eight-storey building on Dundas West that's advertised as the city's first non-smoking apartment building. The prohibition of smoking here is so serious that the building manager tells the Star that "legal action would be taken" were someone to break the rules.
Smoking has been prohibited in common areas of apartments and condos for over a decade, but the vast majority of residential buildings are toothless when it comes to in-unit smoking bans. Alto also features green initiatives in the form of shared bikes and electricity from low impact sources like wind turbines, but it's the no smoking rules that make the building unique.
What do you think? Should more residential buildings go smoke-free?
The best donuts in Toronto have raised the bar on humble deep fried delicacies. From bits and twists to crullers, beignets, fritters, Dutchies, sugared, glazed and powdered specimens, these sugary sweets aren't just a snack, but increasingly a staple at brunch-time too.
Here is where to find the best donuts in Toronto.
Monday events in Toronto will get your week off on the right foot, especially if you start with the pre-Field Trip Robyn "Call your Girlfriend" dance class. Otherwise you can watch people's naked bodies get beautifully painted, have a deep conversation with French philosopher Alain Badiou or see some live, early-week shows.
For more events, click on over to our events section.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events section.
Photo of Robyn via Facebook.
The Christie Pits film festival has announced its summer 2016 programming and theme. The sixth year of the outdoor screening series is called Stranded in Christie Pits! and features films "exploring themes of isolation, confinement, escape, and perseverance" beginning June 26 and running until August 28.
Dust off your park blankets and watch Sandra Bullock float around the sky with opening film Gravity, and catch the first-ever Pride affiliated film night showing Rae Spoon doc My Prairie Home alongside adorably titled short films The Little Deputy and Handsome & Majestic. Over 70% of this years features are Canadian and 40% are made by female filmmakers.
Here's a list of the films screenings this summer.
Sunday, June 26
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013)
New Summer - Young Galaxy (Ivan Grbovic, 2013, short)
Sunday, July 3
My Prairie Home (Chelsea McMullan, 2013)
The Little Deputy (Trevor Anderson, 2015, short)
Handsome & Majestic (Nathan Drillot & Jeff Petry, 2015, short)
Sunday, July 10
Duel (Steven Spielberg, 1971)
Blind Spot (Matthew K. Nayman, 2011, short)
While I'm Here: The San Diego Highwayman (Brent Foster, 2014, short)
Sunday, July 17
Mustang (Deniz Gamze Ergüven, 2015)
Winter (Lina Roessler, 2015, short)
Home Away (Hannah Yohannes, 2013, short)
Savage (Lisa Jackson, 2009, short)
Sunday, July 24
I Put A Hit On You (Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark, 2014)
Long Branch (Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark, 2011, short)
The Lamp (Trevor Juras, 2013, short)
Sunday, July 31
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996)
Flesh Without Blood - Grimes (Claire Boucher, 2015, short)
Bodies at Bay - Cold Specks (Josh Reichmann, 2014, short)
Sunday, August 7
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
Entangled (Tony Elliott, 2014, short)
Sunday, August 14
Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, 2010)
The Surveyors (Chris Romeike, 2012, short)
Sunday, August 21
Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)
Dredger (Phillip Barker, 2015, short)
Sunday, August 28 is the scheduled rain date.
Food service begins at 6pm, screenings at sundown, or approximately 9pm.
Free / Pay What You Can (suggested donation $10)
Photo of the opening night of Christie Pits film festival 2015
