Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this September 6-8, 2013.

FILM

38th Annual Toronto International Film Festival
Over 300 films from 60 countries will be playing in Toronto over the next ten days and the first weekend of festival is key to securing bragging rights of having seen the best films first. Most of the parties are industry only so purchase a pass or individual tickets and earn you industry cred by going the way of cinephilia. Tickets are selling out fast but there's always the rush line to fall back on and if not that, well, the bars are open late. Check out TIFF's website for the full 2013 schedule.
TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West) passes and ticket prices vary

TO Indie Film Festival
Not into that other bigger festival? If indies and smaller crowds are more your thing, the Carlton Cinema plays host to the TO Indie Film Festival over the next nine days. Each night, two feature films will be screened with six short films for just $8. The festival includes films and music videos from around the globe by a diverse set of directors working within all genres. Go small, go local, go TO Indie.
Carlton Cinemas (20 Carlton Street), September 5-14, $8

For more film and TIFF coverage, check out our Film section.

FOOD

29th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival
Toronto herbivores and meat-despising foodies gather at Harbourfront Centre this weekend for the 29th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival, where a diverse offering of healthy and natural cuisine will be displayed for the public to eat. With three marketplaces, a screening of The Ghosts In Our Machine and even comedy from vegetarian stand-up Jamie Kilstein, this festival has everything to help you learn and relate to the veggie-only lifestyle. The festival begins tonight and runs through Sunday evening. Check out festival.veg.ca for the full schedule.
Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen's Quay West), September 6-8, 2013, 6PM Free

Taste of Kingsway
Bloor West West can sometimes feel like a small town and Taste of Kingsway is the local neighbourhood gathering. This year's festival is more carnival than a culinary feast with midway rides, beer and wine gardens, a dog show and lots of clowns and face painting but the community is so quaint, it's worth a visit. Running all weekend with a full schedule of activities, Taste of Kingsway is family-friendly but undoubtedly entertaining festival. And, of course, there will be foods.
The Kingsway BIA (3029 Bloor Street West), September 6-8, 2013, 9AM Free

Cabbagetown Festival of the Arts
Cabbagetown Festival of the Arts hosts a pre-party of sorts with One Night in Cabbagetown, a food-tasting neighbourhood gallivant. Purchase a $10 ticket and access four different restaurants from a list of ten, sampling their food and drinking their booze. Explore the neighbourhood so you'll be well acquainted with Cabbagetown when the festival begins on Saturday. Festivities run until 11PM tonight.
Parliament Street and surrounding area 7PM $10

For more food listings, check out our Toronto Food Events post.

PARTY

Bellwoods Block Party
This is a new market/party taking place each month just south of Trinity Bellwoods in the back lane behind 198 Walnut Street. Look for a mix of designers, food vendors, vintage dealers as well as live music. Oh, and it's BYOB, so think party as much market, and you're there.
Saturday, September 7, 198 Walnut, Unit 7, Free

MUSIC

4th Annual Toronto Bicycle Music Festival
The 4th Annual Toronto Bicycle Music Festival is a pedal-powered, traveling music festival that goes from The Esplanade to the Grange to Trinity Bellwoods. Performers range from bands like Birds of Chicago to The Strumbellas to a Choir! Choir! Choir! ensemble on wheels. Meet up with other festivalgoers on your bike in David Crombie Park at 12:30PM and spend the next seven hours biking and listening to music as you tour throughout the city.
David Crombie Park (99 Scadding Avenue), September 7, 2013, 12:30PM Free

Cassette Store Day at Sonic Boom
In honour of the first ever Cassette Store Day, Sonic Boom is hosting a cassette fair at which DIY artists and labels will gather to offer up their releases and talk shop. There will also be live performances and a tape exchange. Bring a non-perishable food item, please.
Saturday, September 7. Sonic Boom (782 Bathurst), Free

YLMC's Kubrick II: A Clockwork Orange
Cinephilia is in the air and Young Lions Music Club is feeling it. Doing TIFF the right way, YLMC's annual film appreciation party is an ode to late great filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Setting up shop in Adelaide Hall, this theme party will be like stepping on to the set of the 1971 sci-fi drama A Clockwork Orange, complete with actors playing roles from the movie. Weaves and Omhouse will play sets throughout the evening and Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene will DJ the night. Prepare to be thoroughly creeped out.
Adelaide Hall (250 Adelaide Street West), September 6, 2013, 10PM $17 advance, $20 door

Grolsch Open House
Located at John and Pearl streets, the Grolsch Open House will play host to a variety of performances and installations over the festival's opening weekend (Sep 6-9). Musical guests include Beliefs, Holy Family, Grounders, Choir! Choir! Choir!, and Brendan Canning, who seems to get tapped whenever the words Toronto and music are uttered in the same breath. There will also be food trucks to help fuel hungry festival goers. Check out the full lineup here.

For more music listings, check out our This Week in Music and September Concerts post.

BOOKS & LIT

Fisher Small Press Fair
The Fisher Small Press Fair is a one-of-a-kind, first-time-ever type of fair. A rare look inside a very rare library, the gorgeous Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library opens its doors to the public for an exhibition showcase celebrating the printed book. Small presses like Coach House Books, Porcupine's Quill, The Aliquando Press, BookThug and more will present bookmakers and their rare works in a marketplace-like setting beneath five floors of rare books. If you're really looking for something different to do this weekend, this is the place to spend your Saturday.
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto (120 St. George Street), September 7, 2013, 10AM Free

MARKET

The Junction Flea
This weekend marks the second Sunday of the month which means that the Junction Flea taking place in its home base at 2803 Dundas West. Now alternating each month between its prime Junction spot and Evergreen Brick Works, this little flea market that could has grown into a Sunday favourite amongst craft collectors and antique seekers. The gates open at 10AM if you're on the hunt for records, collectibles or clothing from another era from good people with great prices. The market closes at 5PM.
2803 Dundas Street West, September 8, 2013, 10AM $2

NATURE

Nature and Heritage Hikes
Evergreen Brick Works doesn't really believe in lazy Sundays, which is why they are crazy enough to have started a Sunday morning hiking club. Traveling through the Don Valley trails, Nature and Heritage Hikes injects a little bit of Toronto history into the morning exercise routine with different themes each Sunday. This weekend, the nature hike will explore the Lower Don's floodplain by route of Moore Park Ravine and Rosedale. Tag along by meeting at the Brick Works and be prepared for a 2 hour walk.
Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview Avenue), September 8, 2013, 10AM Free

THEATRE

The Crimson Leaf
Well, this just sounds dramatic: Two women in two eras question love and relationships in The Crimson Leaf, a one-act drama opening at Al Green Theatre this Saturday night. A young woman who is pining for love and searching for inspiration stumbles upon The Crimson Leaf, a collection of works by 19th century Persian poet Maryam, whose story then comes to life onstage. There is only one performance of this play so be sure to grab tickets through the Al Green Theatre box office or online at thecrimsonleaf.eventbrite.ca.
Al Green Theatre (750 Spadina Avenue), September 7, 2013, 8PM $25

For more theatre listings, check out our This Week in Theatre post.

ART

An Te Social
Artist An Te Liu hosts an art party to rival the AGO. This Friday night, the An Te Social will fill the Gardiner Museum with the sculptures of Liu's latest exhibit MONO NO MA as well as boozy guests, food and DJs. Ceramic sculptures created by Styrofoam packaging are the idea behind MONO NO MA, which translates roughly to "thing no space." By using remnants of the contemporary world, Liu explores spaces around the things we consume and discard daily. This opening reception is not quite the usual with the $50 price tag but it is an exclusive party with plenty of perks (beer, wine and food from a la Carte Kitchen are included). If parties aren't your thing, the exhibit remains at the Gardiner until November 11th.
Gardiner Museum (111 Queen's Park), September 6, 2013, 6PM $50

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

Photo by Ben Roffelsen in the blogTO Flickr pool