Free events in Toronto this week include - don't panic - Nuit Blanche. Toga party disguised as Toronto's biggest art event? Throwback to crafty dress-up sleep-overs past? Important step forward in bridging fine art with the broke, unwashed rabble?

Toronto's free all night, multi-zone party means congested transit, Dollar Store feather boa trails across the city, and large and small, oft-twinkling installations to explore until sunrise. Sadly, there's no "is it art?" number to call this year. Speaking of, this week you can watch the Artsvote debate moderated by Damien Abraham. Hate art? Poutine. Eating. Championship.

MONDAY

• Artsvote Mayoral Arts Debate (TIFF Bell Lightbox)
• True Stories Told Live (Garrison)
• Toronto Palestine Film Festival Art Show: The Photography of Ali Mustafa (AGO Jackman Hall)
• The Nikki Clarke Show (White Elephant)
• The Spoke: LINER NOTES [PWYC] (Videofag)

TUESDAY

• September installment of the Toronto Comic Jam (Imperial Pub)
• SKETCH / PANAMA RED / THE PENSKE FILE / DYSTONIA (Bovine Sex Club)
• Free Live 50s & 60s Music w/ The Dreamboats (Cameron House)
• The Perimeter Series: Design and National Identity [Register] (Design Exchange)
• Somewhere There Presents... Ha!Man/Debaere Clutton/Johnston duo [PWYC] (Tranzac)

WEDNESDAY

• A Night OUT at QueerCab (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre)
• Thierry Gervais in conversation with Louie Palu (Ryerson Image Centre)
• Self Sense: An Insite Exhibition Tour with Jim Drobnick (Onsite [at] Ocadu)
• "wild Beast" unleashed - Opening night reception (Steam Whistle Brewing, The Roundhouse)
• Space-Earth : The new ecosystem (AFT Campus de Spadina)
• Pivot on October 1st: James Arthur, Jonathan Bennett, Guadalupe Muro, & Judith Thompson [PWYC] (Press Club)

THURSDAY

• Amsterdam Oktoberfest (Amsterdam BrewHouse)
• Firesmoke Book Launch (Beit Zatoun House)
• Concert: Fernando Varela (First Canadian Place)
• U of T Varsity Blues Basketball (Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre)
• Unreal Comedy at Placebo - SPACEJAM COMEDY [PWYC] (Placebo Space)

FRIDAY

• NIGHT OF THE LIVING ZINES: Zine-Making Workshop and Pre-TQZF All-Nighter (4th Floor, CSI Spadina, 215 Spadina)
• Live Performance: Canadian Opera Company: Madama Butterfly (First Canadian Place)
• Alzheimer Society of Toronto Choir (Music Therapy Centre)
• WIGAPALOOZA II [Before midnight] (Round)
• The Good Jobs Summit [Register] (Mattamy Athletic Centre)
• Murder Folk Night - The Fun Palace Radio Variety Show Edition [PWYC] (Monarch Tavern)
• Paint - concert film taping [PWYC] (Cameron House)

SATURDAY

• Nuit Blanche
• 5th Annual World Poutine Eating Championship (Smoke's Poutinerie)
• Free Punk Show Slumlord, Terminals, Sofistifucks, Cerebral Scrub (LOLA)
• West Toronto Ride for Renewables (Steamwhistle Brewery)

SUNDAY

• Brains, Words & Voices - Toronto's only monthly poetry recitation contest (109 Niagara)
• Nite Comfort 13 - nwodtleM , the One family, jefftheworld [PWYC] (Handlebar)

Also check out these regular free events

• Elvis Mondays at the Drake
• Foosball Battle Royale, Monday, Disgraceland
• Art Gallery of Ontario free evening, Wednesday, 6-8:30pm.
• IFOA Weekly, free for supporters, students, & youth under 26, Wednesday, Harbourfront Centre
• Skin of My Nuts Comedy Show, Thursday, Sonic Espresso Bar
• Canadian Opera Company's Free Concerts series
• While nearly all art galleries in the city are free to enter, it's worth noting The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) is always PWYC.
• The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) offers discounted tickets on Fridays ($10).

Do you want everyone to know about your kinda random free or pay-what-you-can event? Submit it to our event section. (You can also submit your for-money events here, greedy-pants.)

Photo by Irina No