Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.
Psusennes I’s funerary mask. Photo by Sandro Vannini, courtesy of the AGO.
ART: As we previewed last week, “King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” opens today for the general public at the Art Gallery of Ontario. There will be over fifty objects from the boy king’s tomb (though no Tut himself) and a further fifty from other important pharaohs. Along with the numerous special hotel packages being offered to coincide with the exhibit, the CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame, and Casa Loma will all be lit up in gold tomorrow night for the opening. Attendance for this exhibit is expected to be huge (the last time a Tut exhibit hit the AGO it attracted record crowds of 750,000 people), so plan on standing in line for a bit. Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas Street West), 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. , $14.50–$32.50 (includes admission to the permanent collection).
BENEFIT: After thirty-five years of helping parents in Toronto, the Children’s Storefront was destroyed in a fire last October, putting the future of this Bathurst Street staple into question. Today, they are asking for your help to rebuild with a day of fun and a night of music at the Tranzac. During the day, there will be a silent auction featuring items donated by Coach House Books, Fancy Pants Kids, Agent Mommy, Random House, and much more, while magic tricks, games, and stories are set to entertain. Tonight, Chris Reed of Small Print will host a concert featuring Related, Bellwoods Trinity, Abigail Lapell, Flashlight Radio, Ninth Planet, The Strumbellas, and Suzy Wilde and Nancy White. Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Avenue); drop-in from 1–5 p.m., concert at 7 p.m.; pay-what-you-can ($5 suggested) for the drop-in, $10 for the concert.
MUSIC: Starting tonight, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Drake Hotel are offering up an interesting course for both food and classical music enthusiasts. The TSO Offstage Dinner Series will pair an intimate conversation with some of the TSO’s greatest musicians, with a delicious prix fixe meal created by the Drake’s executive chef, Anthony Rose. Tonight’s talk is with Grammy and Juno award–winning violinist James Ehnes. The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West); dinner at 6 p.m., talk at 8 p.m.; FREE (or $29 to guarantee seating with prix fixe menu meal).
POLITICS: The changing policies on immigration in Canada is a huge issue within the immigrant communities in Toronto. No One Is Illegal: Toronto is working to bring these issues to the forefront for everyone else, questioning everything from the sharp increase in deportations, to the policing practices in schools that serve areas with large immigrant communities. The Jane and Finch Community Forum on Immigration will be held today to discuss these issues and more, and they’re asking community members to come out and talk about the state of the immigration system, and what they can do to fix it. Palisades Cineplex (15 San Romanoway), 6:30 p.m., FREE.
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