Photo: "Nathan Phillips Square - Night" by Dan 2977, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 and SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2010... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

Saturday, February 6:

COMEDY | An Evening With Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith's career has taken several odd turns over the years. From the heights of disaffected cult hits Clerks and Mallrats his films got steadily worse, culminating in the Bennifer Lopez train wreck that was Jersey Girl, one of the only films in history to destroy the credibility of two actors and a director in one fell swoop. Even though his latest movies suck hard, Smith himself as never stopped being funny, as anyone who has heard his pot-laced podcast or seen his stand-up DVDs can attest. He returns to Toronto tonight to deliver another one of his trademark rambling performances, mixing stand-up humour with anecdotes from his movie-making career.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., $59.50, $49.50 student tickets available only at RTH box office, 8 pm

FESTIVAL | Kuumba
Celebrating Black History Month, the Kuumba Festival is determined to not only look back at the accomplishments of black people throughout history but to also encourage black youth everywhere to create a future worthy of that history. Over the next two weekends the Harbourfront Centre hosts this free youth-focused festival which will feature an interactive celebration of African childhood games with entertainer and radio host Kobena Aquaa-Harrison, drum til you drop djembe sessions, live salsa music and dance lessons from Cuban virtuoso Roberto Linares Brown, a screening of 1974 Kinshasha music festival doc Soul Power, and a funk and raggae skating party.
Harbourfront Centre, York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Free, Saturday February 6 and 13: 1 pm - 11 pm, Sunday February 7 and 14: 1 pm - 6:30 pm

MUSIC | Toronto Jazz Orchestra's Annual Swing Thing
The Toronto Jazz Orchestra plays the swing hits of days gone by tonight at their annual fundraising party. Joined by renowned vocalist Sophia Perlman the 18-piece TJO will channel the spirits of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glen Miller while Swing Toronto gives Charleston and Lindy Hop dance lessons. Make like an F. Scott Fitzgerald character and swing the night away while raising much-needed funds for the TJO, which has been an institution on the Toronto blues and jazz scene for twenty-two years.
Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt Rd., $18 for one lesson and dancing til 1 am, $20 for two lessons and all-night swinging, 7 pm

DANCE | Burlesque Bazaar
With Valentine's Day only a week away, here's a helpful tip for you ladies looking for an extra special gift to give your partner: remember, nothing says "I love you" like Japanese Rope Bondage. The Eastern erotic art is only one skill you can hone at the Burlesque Bazaar's five dollar workshops. You can also learn how to titillate with the tango, do a stocking striptease, or belly dance your man into a trance. A wide array of jewelry, costumes, pasties and lingerie will also be available for sale and swap so you can put together the perfect outfit for your randy rendezvous.
Rancho Relaxo, 300 College St., PWYC entry, $5 workshops, 11 am - 6 pm

PARTY | Brazilian Carnival Fever
Pacha Lounge brings the heat of a Brazilian carnival to dreary Dundas West with its fifth annual Brazilfest tonight. Straight from Rio, Banda Carnavalesco will be pumping out spicy samba, marcha and batucada all night while the club swirls with the vibrant colours and electric energy of one of the world's great party towns. The Axe Groove Dancers will also be on hand to get the crowd in the carnival mood, distracting you from the fact that you'll have to walk out into a wintry Toronto night at the end of it all.
Pacha Lounge, 1305 Dundas St. W., $20 advance, $25 door, 9 pm

MUSIC | 5th Annual Nufunk Bob Marley Tribute
Reggae pioneer and Third World Superstar Bob Marley would have been 65 years old on Saturday had his life not been cut short by cancer in 1981. Some of the city's most talented musicians will celebrate his life and music with a tribute concert featuring reggae collective the House of David Gang, Kidd Rasta and the Peacemakers, and world beat ensemble High Plains Drifter. The concert, which sold out the cavernous Lee's Palace last year, coincides with a ceremony at City Hall on Saturday morning to proclaim February 6 Bob Marley Day in Toronto.
Lee's Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., $10 w/ donation to the Parkdale Food Bank, 9 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Poetry Central Workshop
This workshop offers poets of varying degrees of experience a chance to sharpen their skills. Facilitated by the widely-published David Livingstone Clink, who runs the Poetry Machine website, and ARC Magazine's Poem of the Year Award-winner Sandra Kasturi, the day-long event provides a supportive environment and helpful writing tips to push you to discover your inner bard. The cost of the workshop is a little steep, but you can't put a price on art right?
The Central, 603 Markham St., $75, 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday, February 7:

MUSIC | The Banjo Special
The bagpipes, the kazoo, the banjo: the infamous trio of love 'em or hate 'em musical instruments. While some people would rather bludgeon themselves to death with a corn-cob pipe than listen to a full hour of finger pickin' bluegrass, there are many to whom that five string sound is as delightful as the harps of angels. The four musicians playing Sunday's 10th anniversary of the Flying Cloud Folk Club at least know what their doing. Arnie Naiman and Chris Coole are masters of the clawhammer technique, while Irishman Brian Taheny plays the Celtic style and Chris Quinn excels in classical bluegrass. An all-star team of banjoists if ever there was one.
The Tranzac, 292 Brunswick Ave., $20, 7:30 pm

FASHION | Love and Rummage Trunk Show
Sure you could buy your loved one diamonds this Valentine's Day, but where's the originality in that? Find a gift as unique as your sweetie at this curated craft show bursting with hand-made goodies and original trinkets that just might make your sweetheart's Valentines a special one. Cards, paper goods, jewelry and more will be on offer, all from the creative minds and busy hands of local artisans including Tara Bursey, the Coldsnap Bindery, Shannon Gerard, Cecelia Hayes, Katie Muth, Papersnake Jewelry and many more. Happy shopping.
The Workroom, 1340 Queen St. W., 12 pm - 5 pm

Continuing:

FESTIVAL | WinterCity
The WinterCity festival continues this weekend with events throughout the city. On Saturday and Sunday Kensington's Bread and Circus hosts Temples to Terrabytes, a South Asian-themed spectacle of music and dance. Cosmogonia, the aerial retelling of the story of Genesis, returns for its second weekend on Saturday, while the amazing Angel of the Apocalypse fire spectacle in Nathan Phillips Square will be lit at 6 pm on Saturday and 4 pm on Sunday, and the Flying Lotus Girls will be doing choreographed fire performances both evenings.
Temples to Terrabytes: Bread and Circus, 299 Augusta Ave., $20, Saturday 8 pm, Sunday 2 pm
Cosmogonia: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W., Free, Saturday 6 pm
Flying Lotus Girls performance: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W., Free, Saturday 6 pm and 9:30 pm, Sunday 5 pm, 6 pm, and 7:30 pm

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