Toronto events on Thursday, March 28, 2013

MUSIC | Vice Media presents Downtown Sound TO
This Thursday is Friday and before you get stuck spending a long weekend with family, go all out at Wrongbar tonight. Vice Media hosts the epic and very free Downtown Sound party with performances by up-and-comers hip hop jazz trio Bad Bad Not Good, rapper Raz Fresco and DJ Cameron Reed. Come out to party and drink, just be sure to RSVP so you're guaranteed entry.
Wrongbar (1279 Queen Street West) 9PM Free (RSVP required)

BOOKS & LIT | What I LOVE About Being QUEER
Vivek Shraya's What I LOVE About Being QUEER project is one that began as a short film with 34 queer speakers talking about what they love most about their sexual identity. Designed to send a positive message about queer identity to young people struggling with their sexuality, this project operates in the same vein as Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" campaign. In conjunction with the screening of the film at Videofag tonight, Shraya will launch the book, which features international web submissions of regular folk's statements of what they love about being queer along with essays by queer scholars. This beautifully human and equality-promoting exhibit is free and open to the public.
Videofag (187 Augusta Avenue) 7PM Free

THEATRE | RENT
The Tony Award-winning rock musical RENT returns to the Lower Ossington Theatre tonight, bringing audiences back to the '90s when AIDS was still a shadow on the collective public consciousness. Following a group of young artists in New York City's Lower East Side as they struggle to survive amidst hunger, illness and poverty, RENT is based on Giacomo Puccini's La Boheme with original music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. RENT runs at LOT until May 5th.
The Lower Ossington Theatre (100A Ossington Avenue) 8PM $49-$60

ART | Xpace presents: March 2013 Exhibitions
Xpace Cultural Centre has settled into its new Lansdowne address, so tonight the gallery celebrates its three inaugural shows. In the Window Space is Ella Dawn McGeough's Blinded By The Light, a series of collages that use holographic and mirrored vinyl with images of snakeskin and marble. In the Main Space is .site.specific., the FADO Emerging Artist Series featuring the works of four performance artists exploring spatial practices. Laura McCoy's hows the words opens in the Project Space, an examination of how words are used in the physical space around them. The projects will remain on display until the next round of works move in and all artists will be in attendance at tonight's party, where snacks and drinks will be provided.
Xpace Cultural Centre (303 Lansdowne Avenue, Unit 2) 7PM Free

MUSIC | Social Experiment | Art Department, Clive Henry, Shaun Reeves
Techno and dance junkies celebrate the release of Social Experiment, the new CD by Art Department, a house and electronica duo who will be performing tonight at Maison Mercer. Joining Art Department is underground DJs Clive Henry and Shaun Reeves along with electronica act Nitin. Early birds are sold out with only presale and general admission tickets left.
Maison Mercer (15 Mercer Street) 10PM $30-$40

ALSO OF NOTE:

• The Jump Off Battle 2.0
• Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
• Chasing Ice
• Rue Morgue & Unstable Ground present LITTLE TERRORS - Vol. 17 - Twisted Tales

MORE EVENTS THIS WEEK

For more Toronto event suggestions, check out these posts:

• Toronto Food Events
• This week in fashion
• This week in film
• This week in theatre
• This week in comedy
• This week in music
• Toronto concerts, March 2013

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

Lead photo of Rent