Saturday, April 3:

PERFORMANCE | Polydactyl Hearts Collective at the Images Festival
You may know the Polydactyl Hearts as the creators of Le Cyc, a graphic novel bike opera that combined visual projections with music by a six-piece orchestra to tell the story of a dystopia powered by bicycles. The inventive production toured all over southern Ontario, impressing rock club audiences with its originality and complexity. Tonight the Guelph-based PHC returns to help reboot the Wavelength concert series with a brand new performance. When the organizers of Wavelength announced an end to the long-running concert series in February, they promised to relaunch with a different format and commissioning a new piece from PHC was a good place to start. The new production will provide a definite change to the indie band sets that defined the original Wavelength, and uses storytelling to explore the nature of language and communication in a three act show. If its half as entertaining as Le Cyc, we're in for a treat. Presented as part of the Images Festival.
Workman Arts, 651 Dufferin St., $10, 9:30 pm

PARTY | Shit La Merde at the Garrison
If we honoured djs the same way that we honour authors and poets, Shit La Merde would be Toronto's DJ Laureate. He's been providing the soundtrack to our city's nightlife for six years now, and his filthy moniker has become synonymous with sweaty dancing and guaranteed good times. Although La Merde can adapt his style to just about any occasion, tonight he returns to his roots with a indie rock, pop, new wave and hip hop set at the Garrison. He'll be joined on the turntables by the dudes from Holy Fuck and Garrison resident DJs Selector Shaun and David Allen Binette.
The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. West, $5, Free before midnight, 10 pm

MUSEUM | Bamiyan: Artist Talk with Jayce Salloum and Khadim Ali
In March of 2001, a largely unknown Afghan fundamentalist group called the Taliban earned its first taste of international outrage when, in an effort to rid the country of non-Islamic imagery, they began destroying the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Believed to be the largest statues of Buddha anywhere in the world, the massive sculptures were priceless cultural artifacts and footage of their destruction sparked furious outcry from national governments, UNESCO, and Buddhists everywhere. Today the ROM opens a new exhibition called Bamiyan (the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart) which examines the aftermath of the destruction of the 5th century monuments using archival photographs, videos, and miniatures. The exhibit will be launched with a presentation by the creators, Vancouver-based media artist Jayce Salloum and Afghan artist Khadim Ali.
Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queens Park, Free with museum admission, 1 pm

PARTY | Kapisanan Worldwide Launch
The Kapisanan Centre is an industrious cultural centre working out of a storefront in Kensington that seeks to empower Toronto's sizeable Filipino-Canadian artistic community through positive cultural identification. Though focused on the Filipino experience, the art created by its members is universal. Just ask Maylee Todd, the critically-acclaimed indie starlet and frequent contributor to Kapisanan events. Todd (is that her in the new Virgin Mobile ads by the way?) is part of a musical line up that includes Rod Skimmins, Jeremy Glenn, and Tonka Puma that will help launch Kapisanan's online hub Kapisanan Worldwide tonight. The launch will also feature the unveiling of the collaborative exhibit Pasalubong, Pabaon, Padala: The Story of the Filipino Diaspora.
Kapisanan Centre for Arts and Cultlure, 167 Augusta Ave., Free, 7 pm

Continuing:

FILM | Images Festival
For 23 years, the Images Festival has been celebrating the best of independent film and video. Now the largest festival of its kind in North America, the festival has expanded to include all kinds of mediums, and this year's program includes on-screen, off-screen, and live performances. Full of wonderfully interesting works that will never get within a mile of a multiplex, the festival continues this weekend with a jam packed schedule. Saturday night sees the opening party for Untitled Seven, a projection and sound performance that uses visual equipment to make music including a 16 mm leader that strums a guitar and an amplified video projector. On Easter Sunday, a full program of experimental films will be shown at Workman Arts as part of Images On Screen component.
Various venues and times, check calendar for full details, $45 Membership pass

CRAFT SHOW | One of a Kind Spring Show and Sale
Toronto's largest exhibition of original fashion, jewelry, food and home decor continues this weekend. The spring instalment of the One of a Kind Show celebrates renewal with hundreds of made-in-Canada creations, and this year's edition features a special focus green products. Biodegradable throw pillows, serving trays made out of old wine barrels, and peppermills made from tree branches are just some of the items you'll find at the show, which has become the highlight of the Toronto craftlovers' calendars. Runs til Sunday.
Direct Energy Centre, 100 Princes' Blvd., $12, Saturday 10 am - 9 pm, Sunday 10 am - 6 pm

Sunday, April 4:

Easter Sunday will see most of the city shut down, but several major attractions are still open for those looking for a family-friendly day out. The Royal Ontario Museum is open 10 am to 5:30 pm, while the Toronto Zoo maintains regular hours from 9 am - 6 pm. All weekend the zoo is throwing its annual Egg Straganza event, hiding Easter eggs in the animal exhibits for kiddies to find (well, not actually in the exhibits, that would be dangerous). The Ontario Science Centre is also keeping its regular 10 am - 5 pm hours, and time is running out to see King Tut at the AGO, open 10 am - 5:30 pm on Sunday.

All major shopping centres including the Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens, Square One, and the Scarborough town centre are closed. And I hope you stocked up on Saturday because the Beer Store and the LCBO are shut tight on Sunday.

For full listings, head on over to our events calendar.

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO calendar, contact us directly, or use our handy Facebook app.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Photo: "Crocus macro" by louise@toronto, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.