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š¦ Trivia, RoseĢ, and Ice Cream
What's happening in the West End August 14th to 18th.
Xavier W
August 14, 2025
Happy Thursday West End and welcome to the West End Raccoon, the only newsletter with enough spelling and grammatical errors that you know itās not AI generated.
This edition of the Raccoon will be slightly shorter than usual. I had some life stuff going on this week (nothing bad) and so I had a little less time as usual to build out the Raccoon. Still a full slate of events down there, and weāll be back to our normal programming next week!
Letās get into it.
West End Updates
Popular Cabbagetown Ice Cream Moves West
āGood Gang Ice Creamā is an ice cream and dessert shop that was a big local favourite over in Cabbagetown. They have a large menu of scoops that rotate based on whatever local ingredients are in season. Weāre talking serious flavours here folks - their current menu features things like Jasmine Nectarine Sorbet and Majicha Brownie.
Earlier this summer they moved to a new location on Annette a bit East of Jane. An unfortunate loss for residents out East, but a happy win for us :) Check out their menu here.
West End Breakfast Battle
Itās West End Breakfast Battle time and weāre moving closer to crowning our neighbourhoods best breakfast. All of the match-ups so far have been super close, and last weekās Battle of Parkdale was no different.
The result wasā¦.
ā¦.drumroll pleaseā¦.
ā¦.
Skyline Restaurant DEFEATS Easy Restaurant!
With hundreds of supporters on each side Skyline emerged victorious by just 2 votes! Theyāll go on to face Good Fork in our first semi-final next week.
Thereās still one spot left in the Final Four up for grabs. Battling for it will be The Junctionās Dirty Food against Round of 16 winner The Federal.
Who will win? Thatās up to you to decide by voting below. (Clicking the link will take you to the restaurants website)
Dirty Food - CLICK HERE TO VOTE
The Federal - CLICK HERE TO VOTE
Fancy House of the Week - Presented by CARGO CABBIE
Moving soon? With a 4.9 star rating on Google, CARGO CABBIE is your West End go-to for packing, moving, and storage. Get up to 20% off with code LOCAL20 from your neighbours at CARGO CABBIE. Book your move today: cargocabbie.ca
Five thousand square feet. French inspired design work by a leading architectural firm. An enormous kitchen island. This is most certainly a fancy house. 30 Dacre Crescent is a behemoth of a home, tacking on a wine bar, a sauna, and a full gym to its roster of 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. I donāt want to go too far but I would definitely live here. $6.9 million - check it out.
Events
If you have an event youād like included in the West End Raccoon, please submit it here.
Thursday and Friday
Blackout Anniversary Party @ Christie Pits - Thursday 6PM
A big picnic/party to celebrate the anniversary of the magical 2003 blackout, all are welcome. Details
English Conversation Club @ Runnymede Library - Thursday 630PM
"Are you new to Canada or looking to improve your English? Enjoy casual conversation on various topics and make new friends in a relaxed environment." Details
The Office Trivia @ Snakes & Lattes - Thursday 7PM
Demonstrate your Dunder Mifflin knowledge at this Office-themed trivia event. I'll get you started with a hint - the main guy's name is Micheal. $14
Yee-Ha! Comedy @ Comedy Bar - Thursday 8PM
"Every 2nd Thursday of the month, we round up some of Toronto's funniest comedians for a hoedown throwdown of HAHAs." $20
Trivia Night Fever @ Shakey's - Thursday 8PM
Pop culture trivial in Bloor West Village where you can win concert tickets. $14.50
Let's Go To The Ex @ Exhibition - Starting Friday
A little-known underground festival called the CNE starts this Friday. You probably haven't heard of it. Details
India vs Pakistan Comedy Show @ Desi Food Junction - Friday 9PM
Funny comedians from both sides of the border coming together for a playful roast battle. $14
Too Much Karaoke @ See-Scape - Friday 9PM
Karaoke night hosted by Misha Glouberman, who also hosts Trampoline Hall and is always running fun events in the city. Details
Wax Candy Disco @ The Piston - Friday Night
Very fun disco night with all the best playbacks from wayback. Free before 11PM, details.
Saturday
Saturday Morning Cartoons @ Revue Cinema - Saturday 10AM
"3 Hours of Retro Cartoons, Commercials and PSAs ā and all the cereal you can eat!" Seriously - all you can eat cereal. Details
Bloor West Village Quest @ BWV - Saturday 10AM
A neighbourhood scavenger hunt run by the BIA. Complete the list for a chance to win $1000! Details
Weedy Weekend @ High Park Nature Centre - Saturday 10AM
Volunteers wanted for a morning of removing invasive plants in the park. Details
Hackathon: GPT-5 @ New Stadium - Saturday 1PM
For smart people: "GPT-5 just launched and we want to test its capabilities and build some cool stuff with it." Details
RosƩ Disco @ Fort York - Saturday 2PM
"Sip on over 30 local and international RosƩ Wines, indulge in charcuterie, food trucks and more; all while vibing to live DJ sets from world class DJ's with headliner Felix Cartal." $52
Founders Connect - Saturday 2PM
One-day event for Black and African founders, professionals, creators, and operators. Details
Toronto Bike Rave - Saturday Night
Big DIY group event where a bunch of people will cycle around with decorated and glowing bikes while enjoying techno music. Details
Sunday and Monday
Run, Reset, and Connect @ Revive Wellness - Sunday 10AM
For the girlies - a peaceful 5K followed by a coffeeshop hangout and then an optional cold plunge. $15
Toronto Hot Dog Run @ Toronto West High School - Sunday 130PM
A race where participants will run 1 mile and eat 5 hotdogs. Racing registration is closed but it may be more enjoyable as a spectator anyways. Details
The Edible Path @ Dundas & University - Sunday 2PM
A bicycle food tour through the West End. $100
The Writer's Stage @ Burdock Music Hall - Sunday 230PM
A country music writers round where six artists will perform their original songs and then discuss their writing process and inspirations. $17
Garden Garden @ 248 Ossington - Sunday 3PM
Fun outdoor party on Ossington with wine, rotating food options, and DJs. This week features Portuguese food from Mercado. Details
Sunday Social @ Dovercourt House - Sunday 630PM
Salsa and Bachata lessons followed by a night of dancing. $15
Outdoor Movie @ Christie Pits - Sunday Sunset
Only two weeks left of free outdoor films at Christie Pits! This week's film is "Flow", an animated movie about a cat on a journey. Details
Mad Science @ Runnymede Library - Monday 1PM
Fun science performance for kids. Stuff will bubble, stuff will change colour, many ooh and ahhs will be had. Details
šµ Live Music Report šµ
šµ Jesse Whiteley (Pianist) @ Old Mill - Thursday 630PM
šµ Jess Knights (Soul/Roots) @ Burdock Music Hall - Thursday 730PM
šµ The Hip Machine (The Hip Cover Band) @ Junction Underground - Thursday 8PM
šµ Lisa Krystina Trio (Songwriter) @ Bluebird Bar - Thursday 8PM
šµ The Boom Shaka Lakas (Boogie) @ Monarch Tavern - Thursday 8PM
šµ Elliott Barenthin (Jazz) @ Old Mill - Friday 630PM
šµ Tak Arikushi Trio (Jazz) @ La Rev - Friday 8PM
šµ Luella (Dream Pop) @ Burdock Music Hall - Friday 830PM
šµ North Atlantic Drift (Irish) @ The Local - Saturday 2PM
šµ Marry Kelley (Jazz) @ NeuLokal - Saturday 530PM
šµ Orchestra Salsotika @ Rosario's - Saturday 8PM
šµ Sour Stew Jazz @ La Rev - Saturday 8PM
šµ Groove Marmalade (Salsa) @ Old Mill - Saturday 8PM
šµ RUUTED (House) @ Junction Underground - Saturday 10PM
šµ Mike T. Kerr (Country Guitar) @ The Local - Sunday 2PM
šµ Andy Stochansky & MaĆÆa Davies (Acoustic) @ Burdock Music Hall - Sunday 8PM
šµ TBA @ The Local - Sunday 9PM
šµ Sean McCarthy (Jazz) @ Steadfast Brewing - Monday 7PM
šµ Juliet & Yalene (Indie) @ Burdock Music Hall - Monday 8PM
Thank you!
Thanks for reading the West End Raccoon!
As always, if you know a friend or family member who might be interested, please share the newsletter with them: www.westendraccoon.ca
Have a great weekend, and talk to you next Thursday!
Xavier