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🦝 More Street Festivals, Father's Day Fun

🦝 More Street Festivals, Father's Day Fun

What's happening in the West End June 12th to 16th.

Xavier W
June 11, 2025

Good morning Toronto and welcome to this week’s West End Raccoon!

This weekend is gonna be a great one. Tell your friends to stick their cottage trip you-know-where, the West End is where it’s at this weekend.

Also - this newsletter has passed the five thousand subscriber mark! This is really crazy haha, I was not expecting a number like that that when I started this three months ago. That growth has come in large amounts from referrals, so thank you to everyone who has passed the newsletter along!

The Raccoon is in no way a finished product. It has and will continue to evolve with time and feedback. If you have a vision for what this newsletter should become, please respond to this email.

Again, THANK YOU EVERYONE! Let’s get into it.

Featured Events

(Full list of events at end of newsletter)

🇮🇹 Taste of Little Italy

Friday Saturday and Sunday on College

That’s right folks, street festival season is truly upon us. If you liked what you saw last week at Do West Fest, or if god forbid you missed out, Taste of Little Italy is here for you. Expect music, dancing, fun, and great food. Extra emphasis on great food as some of the best bites in the whole city can be found along this stretch of College.

Honestly, at this point I’d rather visit Little Italy than Italy. It’s next to impossible to get a sausage farmers wrap in that country. Details.

🤼 Father’s Day Wrestling

Sunday 3PM @ Rainhard Brewing

A big, family-friendly, dog-friendly, outdoor wrestling event just north of the Junction. Craft beer on tap for the dads and of course some tasty food available from local vendors. Bring your own chairs. $25, kids 3 & under get in free.

West End Updates

Tutto Panino Opens on Sorauren

It’s a great time to be a sandwich lover in the West End. Tutto Panino joined an illustrious list of Toronto sandwich shops as it opened its doors last weekend. The restaurant, co-founded by Grammy nominee Charlotte Day Wilson, has a small menu of Italian-style sandos and desserts. Highlights include cannolis, tiramisu, and the Florentine Bollito sandwich (beef brisket, salsa verde, and chilli oil). For more info, visit their Instagram.

Outdoor Pools Opening

Summer is officially here as 15 of Toronto’s outdoor public pools open this Saturday. The pools opening near us are:

Christie Pits
Alexandra Park
Gus Rider Outdoor Pool (off Lakeshore)

I’m not sure what’s special about them but these spots get to open first, all the other pools will open next Saturday.

Line 2 Closure This Saturday

Line 2 between Jane and Keele will be closed this Saturday for track work. During this period, High Park and Runnymede stations will be completely shut down as they’ll have no trains running. Don’t worry though, those super duper fun shuttle busses will be available to get you to your destination 😃

Fancy House of the Week

Welcome to the boldly-named “High Park Manor” of 59 High Park Boulevard. This place boast 6 beds and 8 bathrooms spread over more than five thousand square feet of space. The backyard is described as a “private oasis”, with a vortex swim spa, in-ground heaters to melt the snow, and a pool house complete with a gas fireplace.

It’s listed for $4.8 million dollars, but it’s been on the market for more than a month so I think they’re ready for a lowball offer. I recommend starting with “Hi, is this still available?” Works every time. Listing here.

Fancy House of the Week is brought to you by your West End neighbour of over 20 years: Chris Alward, BMO Mortgage Specialist. Is your mortgage coming up for renewal or are you planning to buy? Don’t just take the first mortgage offer you receive. Contact Chris for expert advice and solutions to make your mortgage work for you, no matter where you bank.

Events

I took some feedback this week and tried to add more free and PWYC events. As always reader ideas are incredibly helpful, please respond to this e-mail with any you have,

Thursday and Friday

Book Sale @ Danu Social House - Thursday 6PM
Browse a curated selection of used books (at great prices). Maybe grab a drink while you’re at it. Details

English Conversation Circle @ Runnymede Library - Thursday 630PM
Learning English? This is a low-key friendly environment to come practice with a bunch of other learners. Details

Trivia Night @ Old Mill - Thursday 7PM
Pub-trivia meets classic game shows like Family Feud and Name That Tune. $30 minimum spend

Pride: Native Plant Diversity @ High Park Nature Centre - Thursday 7PM
Free guided walk through the park where you'll observe native plants and hear how their experiences mirror those of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. Details.

Parkdale Presents @ The Bell & The Beacon - Thursday 9PM
This is a musical variety night featuring a ton of quick sets from local performers. No cover, PWYC.

Bakery 80th Anniversary @ Harbord Bakery - Friday 12PM
Harbord Bakery in the Annex are celebrating their 80th birthday with live music, giveaways, and free samples from their suppliers. Details

Beer and Chocolate Tasting @ Something in the Water - Friday 7PM
Wanna to dominate Father's Day weekend? Bring dad (or hubby) to this event where you'll drink craft beer and then taste a pairing chocolate. $26

Party at the Museum @ ROM - Friday 730PM
Okay it’s not West West End but I think it’s worth including. It's basically a big party with DJs and a dance floor inside of the ROM. Full on Night At The Museum. You can twerk on the t-rex skeleton. $40

Saturday

Algonquin Park Canoeing and Hiking @ Dufferin Mall - Saturday 7AM
Want to experience the great outdoors but you don't have a car? Get picked up in a bus at Dufferin Mall for a guided canoe and hiking trip. $175

Strawberry Social Fundraiser @ Irene Parkette - Saturday 10AM
The Children's Storefront on Bloor are celebrating their 50th anniversary with some free children's programming including facepainting, music, and a bake sale. Details

Plant & Learn @ High Park Nature Centre - Saturday 10AM & 2PM
The High Park Youth Rangers are running an event where you'll go through the park to view some restoration sites and then work together to do some community planting. Details

All The Small Things Market @ Northern Contemporary - Saturday and Sunday 11AM
A market where you can grab some fun little handcrafted things (Final weekend). Details

Superdad Saturday @ BIA Curbside Patio - Saturday 11AM
Following their Mother's Day flower extravaganza, Bloor West Village is putting on something for the dads. Take a photo with Batman, get a free family caricature, and enjoy some some smooth jazz. Details

Humber Archaeology Walk @ Etienne Brulé Park - Saturday 11AM
"Step back into the layered history of the Baby Point neighbourhood, where traces of Indigenous presence shape the area. Led by archaeologists from ASI, this tour follows a section of the ancient Carrying Place trail" $10

Shop Local Pop-Up Market @ Stockyards Village - Saturday 12PM
Pop-up market north of the Junction featuring "makers, bakers, handmade artists, candles, jewelry, crafts, apparel, candy and more!" Details.

U2 Day @ Cat's Cradle - Saturday 3PM
You talkin' U2 to me? This bar is playing U2 music videos all afternoon and night. Dad’s into this kinda music, right? Details

Welcome to Hipsville @ Owls Club - Saturday 7PM
A giant night of music and dancing. 5 bands going up plus 5 DJs spinning vinyl. Surf rock, rockabilly, and more. $25

House Party at a Bar @ Danu Social House - Saturday 9PM
Danu in Parkdale run this thing every once in a while where it's a night at the bar, but it's treated like a house party. There's a host walking around and guests are encouraged to talk to strangers and have fun. Details

Consent Couch Comedy @ The Comedy Lab - Saturday 10PM
"Think Kill Tony, but less douchey." Details

80's Dance Party @ The Piston - Saturday 10PM
Every second Saturday is 80's night at The Piston! Dance like nobody's watching and Brian Mulroney is PM. $15

Sunday and Monday

Toronto Artisan Market @ Christie Pits - Sunday 11AM
Outdoor market! Local vendors! Vintage clothes! We all love this! Details

Queer Toronto and the Austins @ Spadina House Museum - Sunday 11AM
Organized by a reader: "It is a one-day opportunity to forgo formal house tours at Spadina Museum and explore the museum at your own pace. Guides will be stationed throughout the house to share Toronto 2SLGBTQIA+ histories." Free

Bookstore Grand Opening @ Book People on Queen - Sunday 12PM
New Parkdale bookstore celebrating their official grand opening. Free bookmarks, donuts, and coffee, plus 15% off all books! Details

Stand-up Comedy Special @ Teddy Beer - Sunday 6PM
Dan Pan performing a full length special on what it's like to be dating in Toronto. $15

🎵 Live Music Report 🎵

🎵 Frank Rooney Quartet (Jazz) @ Bluebird Bar - Thursday 8PM
🎵 Magpie, CGSW, Porflavor (Jazz Fusion @ Junction Underground - Thursday 8PM

🎵 Peter Mathers (Spanish Guitar) @ Old Mill - Friday 630PM
🎵 Don Valley Drifters (Bluegrass) @ Steadfast Brewery - Friday 7PM
🎵 Tak Arukushi Trio (Jazz) @ La Rev - Friday 8PM
🎵 Saul Torres & His Band (Rock-Pop) @ Rosario's - Friday 8PM
🎵 Laura Hubert and Friends (Rock) @ The Mezz - Friday 830PM
🎵 Vadim Khan & Michael Krochak (Techno) @ Junction Underground - Friday 9PM

🎵 Donné Roberts (Juno-Winning Singer/Guitarist) @ The Local - Saturday 2PM
🎵 Salsa Orchestra @ Rosario's - Saturday 8PM
🎵 5th PROJEKT (Psychedelia) @ Junction Underground - Saturday 830PM
🎵 Turkish Night @ NeuLokal - Saturday 9PM
🎵 New Jazz Army @ La Rev - Saturday 9PM
🎵 Memblem (Dance) @ Sounds Good - Saturday Night

🎵 Julie Lawson Trio (Trad Trio) @ The Local - Sunday 2PM
🎵 Evan Corneil (Guitar) @ Shakey's - Sunday 8PM
🎵 Natalie Muzos (Indie Pop/Rock) @ The Local - Sunday 9PM

Thank you!

Thanks for reading the West End Raccoon! I hope you all have really awesome Father’s Day weekends.

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