THEATRE | Cooking Fire Theatre Festival
With the downtown core being turned into to an impenetrable fortress this weekend, the Cooking Fire Theatre Festival celebrates un-fenced in public space with five days of performances and picnics in Dufferin Grove Park. Each night the Spree Society theatre company will lead visitors from site to site throughout the park to see performances that range from childlike fables to mini-operas by companies from across North America including Theatre Populaire d'Acadie, Milwaukee's The Hinterlands, Montreal's Satellite Theatre, and Toronto's own Theatre Smith-Gilmour. Along the way, fresh vegan meals cooked on the parks two wood-fired outdoor ovens will be served. Runs til Sunday.
Dufferin Grove Park, South of Bloor on Dufferin, PWYC, 6 pm dinner, 7 pm shows

GAY RIGHTS | Sexy Smart 2011 Calendar Launch
Next week Pride will celebrate its 26th year of fighting for gay rights. Not content to stand on the sidelines and watch the parade go by, Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality are adding their voice to the debate by demonstrating that despite what many homophobes would have you believe, the majority of straight people actually support equality for queer citizens. Tonight they launch their 2011 Sexy Smart Calendar, which each month features a different photo of an unconventionally beautiful woman showing her support for gay rights. The launch party features a performances by local forward-thinking female artists including comedian Julia Hladkowicz and showgirl Coco Framboise.
The Tranzac, 292 Brunswick Avenue, PWYC, 8 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Hardly Magazine Fundraiser
Hardly Magazine is a new publication for teen girls looking to fill the gap (and it is huge gap) for intelligent content left by the likes of Teen Vogue and Tiger Beat. Hardly will leave the Bieber-baiting to the pros and present young women with substance and attitude in literary form. The fundraising party tonight will feature some very grown up performances from Hollerado, Give Us the Daggers (still the best hair in indie rock!), and the Black Void. Proceeds go to benefit the Sketch studio, which creates opportunities for street youth to engage in the arts.
Parts and Labour, 1566 Queen Street West, $16, 10 pm

MAGIC | Abracadaberet
I swear to god magic is cool. It's not just for nerds and Gob Bluth anymore. Tonight some of the country's top mystery performers hit up Trane Studio, including Paul Pacific, who claims to be Canada's leading mind reader (hope he can't tell what I'm thinking about that haircut). He'll be joined by hypnotist and tarot reader Mark Lewis all the way from the UK, and Toronto's own sleight of hand master Chris Westfall. Hosted by the world's sexiest sideshow freak Sia Synn.
Trane Studio, 964 Bathurst Street, $10, 7 pm

DANCE | Eros, Thanatos & the Avant Garde Cabaret Series
Since 2005 the Eros, Thanatos & the Avant Garde Cabaret series has taken up residence at the Rivoli every two months to present short, dance-heavy interdisciplinary performances based on themes of love, sex, and death-all the biggies. Giving local dancers an important forum to try out new works or focus on a smaller section of larger piece, over the years the series has seen performances in styles ranging from ballet to modern to flamenco. In an effort to support young performers, the series reaches out to recent graduates embarking on the first few years of their careers. Tonight's line up includes Circus Alchemy, Kyra Jean Green, J-9 Dance Projects, and Kala Fletcher.
The Rivoli, 334 Queen Street West, $12, 8:30 pm

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Photo: "A New Kind of Superhero" by ronnie.yip, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.