MARKET | Friday Night Market: Karaoke Night
This modular marketplace where vendors occupy brightly painted shipping containers launched a month ago and is as popular as ever. To celebrate thriving business, the weekly Friday Night Market is hosting a karaoke event this evening, inviting attendees to belt out their favourite songs in poorly tuned voices. To minimize the ear bleeding, there will be featured performances from talented acts such as Halifax's roots and folk artist Cailean Lewis and indie rock Toronto singer Epaiseurse. With the usual food, drink and retail vendors out selling their goods and the open Street Talk debate engaging audiences on Toronto's hot topics, this Dundas mini-festival will be running well into the night with lots of entertainment.
Scadding Court Community Centre (707 Dundas Street West) 11AM Free

FOOD | Scarborough Rotary Ribfest
When international award-winning "ribbers" attend an event, the food is guaranteed to be delicious. Tonight kicks off the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest and if you're a fan of ribs that fall off the bone and dissolve in your mouth then, yes, it's worth the drive to Scarborough. With the beer garden open all day and endless amounts of vendors serving up the world's best carnival classics like ribs, funnel cakes, doughnuts, blooming onions and philly cheese steaks, this event is sure to draw foodies of discerning and not-so-discerning taste. Rib specialists all the way from the Deep South will be present to compete for the honours of Best Ribs and Best BBQ Sauce with each vendor seeking to gain the top prize: Rotarian Choice. As a family-friendly event should, there will be plenty of activities for those unable to eat their faces off, including rides, games, karaoke and a craft fair.
Thomson Memorial Park (Brimley Road and Lawrence Avenue East) 11AM Free

MUSIC | TD Irie Music Festival
The Irie Music Festival, beginning tonight, may be overshadowed by that other big Caribbean event this weekend but it is where true music lovers will want to be. Focusing not just on reggae and calypso but R&B, soul, African and many other genres, this festival brings the music of the world to Toronto's public squares and parks with performances by Ammoye, Chris Rouse, Progress and 41 other artists. Music-centric activities will play a large role in the Irie celebrations, which will include spoken word and dance performances, and, of course, tropical food and drinks will be a large part of the atmosphere. Come out for the love of music!
Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas Street East) and Queen's Park 11AM Free

ARTS | Vivacity: A Creative Showcase
UforChange is a program targeting at-risk and low-income youth by engaging them in arts and civil projects. Tonight, the program's most recent graduates will present Vivacity, a creative showcase of their artistic works. A short film festival of youth films and the unveiling of a group mural will take place tonight as live musical acts perform. The show will continue through to Sunday with theatrical performances, a fashion show and a multimedia exhibit that explore what young minds can create and achieve when supported by arts education.
St. James Town (Ontario Street and St. James Avenue) 5PM Free

CULTURE | Island Soul Festival
Calypso, soca, rumba and reggae will be blaring at the Harbourfront this weekend as the lake is overtaken by Island Soul. The Harbourfront Centre is getting into the spirit of Caribana with a Caribbean themed weekend to continue their exploration of foreign cultures throughout the summer. Attendees are invited to join in on a game of Ludi by the water as steel drum rhythms are played. Special to this evening, there will be a traditional Trinidad and Tobago mas carnival and Moko Jumbie, the ancient art of stilt dancing. Workshops, storytelling and dozens of musical performances will continue through Monday to round out the long weekend.
Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West) 6PM Free

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

• Pan Alive
• Space Jam at Downsview Park's Movies Under the Stars
• Show and Tell Art Exhibition

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

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Photo by Iainphotos in the blogTO Flickr pool