BRIAN'S BLOG
Toronto Virtual Events for May
April 29, 2021
Scotiabank’s Contact Festival (May 1st-31st)
Every year, CONTACT vitalizes greater Toronto with a vast number of photo-based exhibitions and outdoor installations by Canadian and international artists.
Launching May 1, this year’s Festival extends beyond our customary month-long focus to roll out an exciting slate of powerful projects and virtual features throughout the year, dynamically engaging the imagination during these challenging times.
Toronto Storytelling Festival (May 1st-16th)
This year’s theme, Listening to the Voices of Nature, invites us to deepen our relationships with the natural world in transformative ways. To begin the Festival in a good way, we are honoured that traditional teacher Kahontakwas Diane Longboat will share Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen, the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, giving greetings to the natural world. Irish-born tradition bearer and botanist Diana Beresford-Kroeger will also guide us on that quest, revolutionizing our relationship with trees.
Battle Canada Virtual Spring Showcase (May 1st)
Battle Canada’s mission is to be the best outdoor cultural sports and music festival to serve the diverse cultural mosaic that is Canada, and to provide spaces to honour its many diverse ethnic communities. Our #Battle4Cause and #Music4Cause is in support of SickKids Foundation and Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. We seek to positively impact those in need through a celebratory marriage of sports and the arts. To date we have raised over $8,000 for the Sickkids Foundation and Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, even during COVID.
On May 1, we are hosting our first Virtual Spring Showcase for 2021 with our headliner Myck Kabongo as well as many other performers from Toronto.
Mayworks Festival (May 1st-31st)
Mayworks, the celebrated Labour Arts Festival, returns to Toronto May 1st – May 31st for it’s 36th year with a month-long lineup of virtual events.
Through a dynamic online programme that includes exhibitions, film screenings, dialogues, music, workshops, artist talks and performances, the Festival engages diverse artists and workers at the intersection of art, social justice and labour.
Toronto’s popular ActiveTO program is back in business this May. Every weekend starting May 1st, you can head to the designated blocked-off city streets to walk, bike, or run without any worry of vehicle interference. It’s a great way to get some fresh air while maintaining a safe physical distance from others.
Jane’s Walk Toronto Festival (May 7th-9th)
Jane’s Walk was founded in Toronto in May 2007 as a living, walking commemoration of Jane and her legacy. Annually, tens of thousands of people all over the world take part in Jane’s Walk during the first weekend in May to coincide with her birthday.
Jane’s Walk is a grassroots movement to city building that uses volunteer-led walking tours to make spaces for people to observe, reflect, share, question, and re-imagine the places in which they live, work and play; giving agency to and championing the voices of everyday people.
A Jane’s Walk is a walking conversation that can be about anything. These walks hold space for the perspectives of anyone who has a story to tell.
Interior Design Show – Spring Resiliency (May 10th-13th)
IDS Toronto brings people together to experience the power of design.
The theme for the Spring Resiliency Virtual Conference is Sustainability and Designing for the Future. Thought-leaders with a local and global perspective will tackle the future of design throughout our virtual conference taking place May 10 – 13, 2021.
Canadian Music Week (May 18th-21st)
Now in its 38th year, the Canadian Music Week Conference is still the premier annual music business and networking event in Canada, and this time around it’s being produced live, online & streamed worldwide. We’re innovating due to COIVD-19 and we promise to deliver a world class experience.
This year we’re featuring a 4-day music summit covering all sectors of the industry delivered in a totally interactive streamed format. We’re excited to provide a platform for domestic and international delegates to exchange ideas, explore trends & make meetings connections COMPLETELY ONLINE. Join us this May 18-21 for an amazing array of live streaming sessions from industry pro’s about breakthroughs and insights into global challenges facing an ever-changing music landscape.
The ReelAbilities Film Festival (May 19th-31st)
The 6th annual film fest showcases Canadian and International shorts, features, and documentaries about Deaf and disability cultures and by filmmakers and actors with disabilities and/or who are Deaf.
Images Festival (May 20th-26th)
Images Festival is an artist driven festival that expands traditional definitions and understandings of media art by experimenting with a multiplicity of artistic forms.
We value artistic work that challenges norms, takes risks, and is rigorous in form and content. Our programs interrogate the conditions of contemporary moving image culture.
We provide a forum to develop critical engagement between Canadian and international artists, audiences, and institutions.
Inside Out Film Festival (May 27th-June 6th)
The 31st annual Inside Out Film Festival presents 143 films, including 33 feature films and 5 episodic series from 31 countries to an Ontario-wide audience. All programming available from May 27 until June 6. The full program will be available soon!