SATURDAY, JULY 30TH

CULTURE | Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival
The festival formerly known as "Caribana" is in full swing! The three-week celebration of Caribean culture turns 44 this year, and has become the largest festival of its kind in North America. The peak of this fest goes down today - the parade that will begin at the exhibition grounds, travel along the Lakeshore, and return to the CNE grounds around 6pm. This is an eye-popping and traffic-stopping sort of deal that has dancers, masqueraders, a bass-pumping soundsystem, and tons of hangers-on moving slowly and spreading smiles. There will also be tons of smaller parties at various clubs, and public concerts throughout the weekend, so be sure to click the link above for all the deets on this fest that defines Summer in TO!
CNE (200 Princes' Boulevard) 10AM to 6PM FREE

MUSIC | Kid Cudi, Chip Tha Ripper
It's a kickin' night for some Ohio hip hop vibes at the Molson Amphitheatre! Kid Cudi and Chip Tha Ripper, both Cleveland natives, will grace the stage, and deliver some killer verses that will hit you where it counts. Kid Cudi's rise to fame happened as a result of his "A Kid Named Cudi" mixtape falling into the hands of Kanye West. Meanwhile, Chip Tha Ripper had been doing his thing long before Kid, but got a little help from his friend, making appearances on Cudi's mixtapes and albums to get some exposure and due props.
The Molson Amphitheatre (909 Lake Shore West) 7:30PM $29.50 - $45

CULTURE | Poetry Slam Season Opener
If you've never checked out a poetry 'slam,' it's quite a to-do: this isn't a room filled with bookish, awkward types looking to express their innermost feelings (well there could be a few of those in the house), this can be a raucous affair, and it's essentially a competitive poetry reading, where the audience reigns supreme. The Toronto Poetry Slam is a series that takes place at various locations around TO, and tonight is the season opener at the The Drake. If you think you have what it takes, you can sign up for either the slam itself, or the open mic portion of the evening. San Jose poet David Perez will be featured, and Dave Silverberg will be the host.
The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West) 7PM $5

CLUBS | BITCH CRAFT
If hitting a bar with hip hop blasting for a little mingling is your thing, Bitch Craft is where you want to be tonight. Grrl powered DJ sets spinning the baddest rap and hip hop tracks is the order of the eve, and DJs Blonde & Redhead are up to the task!
Parts & Labour (1566 Queen Street West) $5

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR SATURDAY RADAR

• Out Of The Box Fest
• The Thug Brothers Tour: Outlawz & Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
• SUBSPACE "PowerSlave"
• Dirty Mags w/ HotKid, Kill Squares (Montreal)
• The Groove Stew @ The Drake Underground

SUNDAY, JULY 31ST

MUSIC | OVO Fest
OVO Fest returns to Molson Amphitheatre tonight. This is kind of like Drake's Lollapalooza... sort of. Okay, not quite as eclectic, and it will only go down in one venue on one night, but nonetheless - it's a musician/celeb curated fest that generated quite a buzz last year when Jay Z and Eminem made 'surprise' appearances. Rumours are flying as to who might make the scene this year, but officially speaking, the lineup is Drake, The Weeknd, Drizzy, and Rick Ross.
The Molson Amphitheatre (909 Lake Shore West), Sunday (July 31), 7:30 pm. $29.75-$89.75. TM.

CULTURE | Pedestrian Sunday in Kensignton Market
It's another awesome Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market this afternoon. Today's theme is "Water! Streams Of Consciousness." Longboard Living (202 Augusta Ave) will have music all day from 12PM to 7PM with more dubstep, hip hop, and downtempo than you can handle. Aspetta Cafe (207 Augusta Ave) will also have live music worth checking during this time. The market will be buzzing and all doors will be open for you to browze, roam, and savour one of TO's great cultural zones, devoid of traffic noise and exhaust! Enjoy!
Kensington Market 12PM FREE

CULTURE | Whippersnapper Gallery: RRRRR Trash Art and Music Festival
A mixed media, and musical adventure for you to check out this afternoon. This event is dubbed "R.R.R.R.R. - Reused, Repurposed, Re-imagined, Reclaimed, Re-framed." Whippersnapper Gallery, Wavelength, and Snakes and Ladders are collabing on this one, where 'trash art' and live music combine forces to make an unforgettable art experience! Contributors include Japanther (from NYC), Urban Trash Art (from Sao Paulo, Brazil), The Lemon Bucket Orchestra, Lal, Felix Kalmenson, and many more.
214 Augusta Ave (Back Alley behind El Gordo Foods) 3PM FREE

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR SUNDAY RADAR

• Strictly Rockers Caribana Edition
• Vivacity: Multimedia Gallery Event
• Sunday Scene with Marie Collier
• JUMP N' SHOUT

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 Seekdes (Mike in TO) in the blogTO Flickr pool