Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this April 4-6, 2014.

Pillow Fight Toronto 2014

A pillow fight goes down on Saturday at Nathan Phillips Square, which admittedly will seem tame compared to everything else that goes down in and around City Hall. Will there be pillows that serve as effigies of Rob Ford? Will Rob Ford be there in his PJs? My parents never let me have pillow fights, so here are some tips I found handy: organizers stress bringing feather-free pillows only, remind you to take your glasses off, and, yes, encourage pajamas. Saturday, April 5, 3 p.m., Nathan Phillips Square (Bay & Queen).

ART

Francis Bacon / Henry Moore

The AGO will host a massive Francis Bacon and Henry Moore exhibition starting this weekend, featuring over 60 works by the two British artists, both major players in the postwar art scene exploring bleak existentialism and the distortion of reality and human form. It's way dark, especially for a spring show (take some Gravol before bed the night after this one). Check out our preview here. April 5-July 6, the Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. West).

Max Lupo - Objects of Note

This month at VERSO Gallery, Max Lupo is obsessed with the power of objects like vintage telephones (check it out), typewriters, and strange inventions that are hard to put a name on right away. Do objects have healing powers? Can they react to their users? Do they contain ironic elements and are they laughing at us, or with us? April 5-April 27, VERSO Gallery (1160 Queen St. West). The first live performance is Saturday, April 5 from 4-6 p.m.

Scott Conarroe - China

This week at Stephen Bulger Gallery you can take in some phenomenal-looking new work by Scott Conarroe, shot while he was in China (all the photogs are heading to China these days). If that isn't enough (and this lens has me addicted), check out some of his Rails series photos online. Gorgeous work. April 5-May 3, Stephen Bulger Gallery (1026 Queen St. West).

For more art listings, check out our Top 10 Must-See Art Shows This Spring post.

FOOD

Cupcakes & Cocktails

Bite Bar launches Cupcakes & Cocktails this Saturday. Pairing bite-sized sweets with dessert-inspired cocktails, wines and beers, the new weekly feature will be offered regularly every Thursday to Saturday. Saturday, April 5, 7 p.m., Bite Bar (57 Elm St.).

For more food events, check out our Toronto Food Events, Spring Food Events, and Spring Beer Events post.

MUSIC

Vierance EP Release

The goth party of the week is the launch of Deth Records with this EP release by Toronto duo Vierance. If you can listen to Trust without complaining that it's retro or whatever, this is where you need to be on Friday. In Hamilton. Where the real people are. Can't make it? The Toronto release is April 26 at Double Double Land. Friday, April 4, 10 p.m., Baltimore House (43 King William St., Hamilton).

Feast in the East

Hey east-enders, Feast in the East is moving! The new venue is The Jam Factory at the corner of Davies Ave., north of Queen East, just east of the DVP. To celebrate, founder Tad Michalak has put together one of the greatest posters in the history of Toronto music. Your ticket price includes a free curry dinner; Ketamines, Babysitter, Gay, and Omhouse are making the noise. Saturday, April 5, 9 p.m, The Jam Factory (2 Matilda St.), $8.

Swap, Don't Shop fundraiser for Girls Rock Camp Toronto

On Sunday afternoon, you can help support Girls Rock Camp and see Twist, Patti Cake, Planet Creature, Ice Cream, and Beliefs perform live. There's also a stuff swap! Find cool new thangs, and get rid of your ex's thangs (it's time). The swap starts at 1 p.m., but you can stop by anytime after 12:30 p.m. to drop off your hoarded treasure, from clothes to records, books, and assorted strange items (no monkey's paws, please). It's $8 to swap or $5 if you just want to see the bands (all money goes to the camp). Sunday, April 6, 12:30 p.m, The Garrison (1197 Dundas St. West).

See also

For more music listings, check out our This Week in Music, April Concerts, Spring Concerts, and Spring Music Festivals posts.

FILM

The Toronto Silent Film Festival

As we've already mentioned, the Toronto Silent Film Festival is almost upon us, with a lineup that looks better than ever. Every year I look forward to the event at Casa Loma, which is always accompanied by a live score performed on a Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. This year, the film to be honoured with that treatment is Max Linder's Seven Years Bad Luck (Monday, April 7 at 8 p.m.). April 3-8, Innis Town Hall Theatre (2 Sussex Ave).

aluCine Latin Film and Media Arts Festival

aluCine's Hispanic Heritage Month runs from April 3-12, and this year the spotlight is on Mexico. There will be 60 films including shorts, plus parties, children's programming, and more. April 3-12, multiple venues (Jackman Hall, AGO, 317 Dundas St. West, and Wychwood Theatre, Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St.), all access passes $75/individual tickets vary.

Bethlehem

With the Son of God and Noah both getting released in the last couple of months, and with Easter less than a few short weeks away, you're pardoned for seeing this title and thinking, "Again???" Birthplace of Jesus though it may allegedly be, Bethlehem is neither a period piece nor about Jesus, but instead concerns the relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant. If you liked Omar, see this, too. It's better. Varsity Theatre, (55 Bloor St. West).

Divertimentos: The Films of Matías Piñeiro

Two years ago, at TIFF 2012, a barely hour-long Argentinian film called Viola gradually became the talk of the festival among a certain group of critics and cinephiles. "Where the hell did this lovely Shakespearean whatsit come from?" many asked. Turns out the filmmaker, Matías Piñeiro, in his early 30s, is not exactly a new kid on the block (Viola was his fourth feature), and he's actually crafted a consistently stirring, modestly radical body of work that reworks classic literary sources in whimsical yet powerful ways. This is a name we'll be hearing a lot from in the future, so this weekend is a perfect chance to catch up on his early work, with Piñeiro in town for intros and Q&As. April 3-6, TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Also opening in theatres this week



Afflicted (Cineplex Yonge & Dundas)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Varsity, Scotiabank, Rainbow Market Sq.)

Cas & Dylan (Varsity)

The Great Flood (The Bloor)

Main Tera Hero (Cineplex Yonge & Dundas)

Three Colours & a Canvas (Carlton)

The Unknown Known (The Bloor)

ADULT

The 9th Annual Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards

The Feminist Porn Awards are back. The Capitol Event Theatre will host the entertainment and ceremony. Bring a change of panties, or just trade with someone else at the show. Is that bad advice? I can mentally hear my mother never giving that advice. Friday, April 7, 8 p.m., Capitol Event Theatre (2492 Yonge St.), $25.

See also

PARTY

DJ Spinna

Brooklyn's DJ Spinna has a long history rocking Toronto crowds with his wildly eclectic sets, which can span everything from underground hip-hop to vintage funk to deep house. Expect his approach to be even more freewheeling and unpredictable for this party, as the theme for the night is "Anything Goes." Saturday, April 5, Revival (783 College St), 10 pm, $15.

See also

For more dance listings, check out our Top Dance Parties in Toronto in April post.

THEATRE

Trudeau and the FLQ

Even if history isn't your bag, you can't go wrong with a VideoCab production, the best in theatrical Canadian history mashups. And given that his son Justin is attempting to position himself as the golden boy of Canadian politics, the pop portrait of Pierre Trudeau seems particularly fitting at this present moment. Detailing a very dynamic period in Michael Hollingsworth's History of the Village of Small Huts, 1963-1970, this particular segment documents Quebec separatist violence, the rise of our most colourful and controversial leader, and the backdrop of the energetic Sixties. Young Centre, until May 10, various showtimes, $25-$55.

For more events on stage, check out our The top theatre productions in Toronto April 2014 post.

COMEDY

Of Mice and Morro and Jasp

Comedy duo Morro & Jasp are taking on John Steinbeck's classic tale (hehe, tail) of tragedy ( :( ) for one night only, and it's totally free, because the actresses know times are hard now, too. Send in the clowns. Friday, April 4, 7pm, The Great Hall (1087 Queen W), free.

See also

BOOKS

Old Book and Paper Show

If you're a fan of our history posts, you'll want to take a trip through the past at Wychwood Barns on Sunday. There will be seventy tables of old and antique paper, postcards, posters, and other ephemera. You can also get your (not sticky, I hope) hands on some pretty fine rare and antiquarian books. Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie Street), 10am - 4pm, $8.

IDEAS

Spur Festival Toronto

Spur is a festival of politics, art and ideas that's spreading across Toronto this weekend before heading on to Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver. Check out the line up of events, including parties, a brunch, film screenings, a cabaret, walkabouts, readings, and panel discussions, here on their site. April 3 - 6, various venues.

FASHION

Etsy pop-up shop

Etsy, an online platform dedicated to vintage and handmade goods from independent retailers, has come to real life in the form of an Indigo pop-up shop. The Eaton Centre location will play host to a selection of about 10 sellers offering everything from eclectic jewellery to Canada-centric candles. Though the duration of the pop-up shop is unclear, I've no doubt there'll be plenty more where it came from; Etsy's had several stints in stores like West Elm, Nordstrom, and Hudson's Bay. Indigo, Toronto Eaton Centre (220 Yonge St.).

Lavish&Squalor Garage Sale

If the weather has you in the mood to shop, make your way to Queen West this weekend for Lavish&Squalor's, quote, "crazy Renovation Liquidation Garage Sale." The shop is clearing out prop rooms, random furniture, lighting, hangers, clothing, shoes, sunglasses, and more. Friday 11-8, Saturday 11-7, Sunday 11-6, Lavish&Squalor (253 Queen St. West).

See also

For more fashion listings, check out our This Week in Fashion post.

GAMES

4th Annual Level Up Showcase

One for the gamers: Design Exchange will host dozens of team projects from fifteen Toronto institutions. Try games and meet developers, all at no cost. Friday, April 4, 5-10 p.m., Design Exchange (234 Bay St.).

HISTORY

Spur Festival: Massey Hall

Take a guided tour through Toronto's iconic Massey Hall. The building has seen a lot of change in its 120 years. Guide Marianne McKenna, winner of the Governor General's Medal for her work on Koerner Hall, will speak about Massey's redesign and revitalization during the behind-the-scenes walkabout. Sunday, April 6, 10 a.m., Massey Hall (178 Victoria St.).

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Film writing by Blake Williams, fashion writing by Bianca Venerayan. Lead photo by Ali Kamran on Flickr.