Weekend events in Toronto will have art and design lovers skipping from Union Station for Villa Toronto to the Gladstone, while music fans won't be left out in the cold whether they want harsh noise or soothing sounds. Toronto's newest flea market also launches this weekend.

Here are my picks for the top events happening in Toronto January 16-18, 2015.

Villa Toronto (January 16-23, Union Station + Multiple Venues)
Over 20 art galleries will take over Union Station this week for a major contemporary art fest that's previously been held in Tokyo and Reykjavik. Events and parties will take place on site and around Toronto, where you'll see predictable sillyness like this kale-focused exhibit, but from stalls to screenings, most programming looks fascinating. Friday's free opening party at the AGO is rush entry only now, so arrive very early. Check out our full preview here.

ART

Come Up To My Room (January 16-25, Gladstone)
Each winter, design installations and unusual prototypes get rolled into public spaces for the Toronto Design Offsite Festival. This year's fest runs January 19-25, but a highlight each year is the Gladstone's Come Up to My Room exhibit, which gives designers free rein to do up one of the hotel's rooms on the second and third floor. CUTMR opens Friday. DF

Propeller! Gallery Launch Gala (January 17, 30 Abell St)
West Queen West's Propeller Gallery has is uprooting, but they're not moving far - just a few blocks away to 30 Abell St to the ground floor of the Artscape Triangle Gallery Lofts Building, near 99 Sudbury. Celebrate the new space with this members-only exhibit.

PARTY & MUSIC

Class of 2015 (Silver Dollar)
No need to mope around after the NYE fuss is over - live music fans will have more fun launching 2015 with the New Year's Indie Music Honour Roll series at Silver Dollar. On weekends from January 1 - 30 catch seven different line ups including CROSSS, Vallens, Brave Shores, VOTIIV, Whimm, and more. Check out our preview here.

Pharmakon (January 17, S.H.I.B.G.B's)
S.H.I.B.G.B's on Geary is the place to be again on the 17th. Venue pacing noise artist Margaret Chardiet AKA Pharmakon (Sacred Bones) ruined my hearing last summer and this time I'm going to wear earplugs. Oh god I hope I wear earplugs. Believe the hype: few solo noise artists put on such an immersive show.

Weyes Blood (January 19, Smiling Buddha)
Dreamy psych music is setting up camp at Smiling Buddha as new weird America artist Weyes Blood is joined by Toronto's Petra Glynt, Anamai, and Schnsee. If you forget to buy stick-on Dollar Store rhinestones on the way over, someone will have some to lend you.

SHOPPING & LIFESTYLE

Bellwoods Flea (January 17, Magpie)
The first ever Bellwoods Flea will take over the Magpie on Saturday in what will become a monthly event. They'll be hosting 15 vendors focusing on vintage and locally-made goods, including WildCraft, Shop Wanderlust, and The Common-Folk. Organizers promise music, drinks and classic movies, admission is free, and dogs are welcome. NM

THEATRE

Next Stage Theatre Fest (January 7 - 18)
The Toronto Fringe's annual Next Stage fest is a smaller version of the warm-weather Fringe, a smaller version of the warm-weather Fringe that showcases 10 shows mandated to showcase the best of Canadian indie theatre. Check out our preview here. Tickets and schedule are available via Next's website.

FOOD

Prunes, Arrowroots, Soup, Good (January 16, Artscape Youngplace)
Toronto artist Lewis Nicholson bought Mr. N. Sakaliuk's 1929 food diary at Toronto book shop Monkey's Paw, and took a significant amount of inspiration from its pronouncements of certain dishes as "'good' or conversely 'not very good'" - enough to put together an artist talk and sampling event based on the tiny diary. The 6pm soiree is free, but RSVP to ayp@torontoartscape.on.ca.

FILM

Video Fever 2015 - Sceening and Opening Reception (January 17, Trinity Square Video)
401 Richmond's Trinity Square Video will showcase the work of nine emerging video artists on Saturday: Maya Ben David, Julia Huynh, Alvin Luong, Iqrar Rizvi and Rosalie H. Maheux, James Rollo, Tiffany Schofield, Jordyn Stewart, and Blair Swann. I am unaware of what the snack situation is.

For more events this weekend click on over to our Events section. Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit it for free using this form.

Contributions by Natalia Manzocco, Derek Flack

Photo via the AGO