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🌟 FIVE EVENTS WORTH CHECKING OUT
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🏳️🌈 The Yalla Barra Extravaganza – Pride Toronto 2025
“Yalla Barra” literally means “let’s go outside” in Arabic, a playful nod to coming out and taking up joyful space. Now in its 9th year, this high-energy showcase merges Middle-Eastern sounds, dance, and queer brilliance on Pride Toronto’s big stage.
🌟 Curated by Anoush Ellah & Madee Lovegood
💬 Language: English / Arabic / Multilingual
🗓️ Date: Friday, June 27 – 7:00 to 10:00 PM
📍 Venue: Mill Street Wellesley Stage – Pride Toronto 2025
🎟️ FREE Event: Pride Toronto
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📚 Maktaba Pop-Up @ Peace Collective
Books, beats, and bold designs! Maktaba returns to the Distillery District with a curated summer pop-up featuring their third anniversary capsule, a new vinyl launch by Thanks Joey, and live painting by Bîstyek.
🌟 Maktaba Bookshop
💬 Language: English / Multilingual
🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 28 – 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
📍 Venue: Peace Collective – 7 Trinity Street, Toronto, ON
🎟️ FREE Event: Instagram Event Post
📚 Storytelling Time: Citrus the Smoothie
An interactive bilingual storytime featuring Citrus the Smoothie Sloth — a lovable sloth with a passion for rainforest smoothies and big dreams of sharing them with his sleepy friends! Enjoy a cozy reading session in Arabic and English, followed by fun, story-based activities for kids.
🌟 BookBridge Bookstore & Coffeeshop
💬 Language: Arabic / English
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 12:00 to 2:00 PM
📍 Venue: BookBridge – 135 Sixth Street, Etobicoke, ON
🎟️ RSVP: Email bookbridgeinc@gmail.com or WhatsApp 647-528-8985
🎥 TAF25: Co-Existence, My Ass
Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi brings her one-woman show to the screen, dismantling the myth of coexistence with biting humour and raw honesty in this bold documentary.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025. Co-presented by The Documentary Organization of Canada & Toronto Palestine Film Festival
💬 Language: Arabic, English, and Hebrew (with subtitles)
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM
📍 Venue: The Revue Cinema – 400 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
Looking for more? Every issue of 🖐🏽 khamsa features five staff picks plus even more events organized by day. If you’re a member, keep scrolling. If not, sign up (it’s free!) to unlock the full list.
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Thursday, June 26
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🧵 Tatreez Time with Leila
Stitch, sip, and socialize! A cozy Thursday evening of tea, treats, and tatreez embroidery with Leila in Mississauga.
🌟 Afternoons @ Azka
💬 Language: English / Arabic
🗓️ Date: Thursday, June 26 – 6:00 to 8:00 PM
📍 Venue: Azkadenya Mediterranean – 6111 Erin Mills Pkwy Unit 3, Mississauga, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Google Form Registration
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Friday, June 27
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🎥 TAF25: Aïcha
Set on the edge of the Tunisian desert, Aya’s world is shaped by tradition—until an unexpected twist changes everything she thought she knew about her life.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025
💬 Language: Tunisian Arabic (with subtitles)
🗓️ Date: Friday, June 27 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM
📍 Venue: Innis Town Hall – 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: TAF25 Eventive
🎶 Rouh and Rhythm at the Aga Khan Museum
A live mystical concert where Arabic calligraphy, poetry, and improvised music come together in a one-night-only celebration of contemporary Islamic art.
🌟 Majd Sukar and Sham Blues
💬 Language: English / Arabic
🗓️ Date: Friday, June 27 – 8:00 to 9:30 PM
📍 Venue: Aga Khan Museum – 77 Wynford Drive, North York, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Aga Khan Museum
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Saturday, June 28
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🎥 TAF25: Place(un)making
From post-war Syria to uprooted Palestine, six short films explore how memory, displacement, and resistance shape the places we lose and the ones we reimagine.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025. Co-presented by Regent Park Film Festival
💬 Language: Arabic Dialects (with subtitles)
🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 28 – 2:00 to 4:00 PM
📍 Venue: Innis Town Hall – 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
🎥 TAF25: Dysfunctional Destinies
A cross-cultural slate of short films where fate, family, and fractured realities collide. Expect time travel, ghosts, and Tunisian teachers walking backwards.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025. Co-presented by The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto
💬 Language: Arabic Dialects, French, and English (with subtitles)
🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 28 – 4:00 to 6:00 PM
📍 Venue: Innis Town Hall – 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
🎥 TAF25: Barzakh
When Farah visits her ailing uncle on a rural Tunisian farm, psychic visions and mysterious forces unravel her reality. A haunting thriller about destiny, family, and the spaces in between. Q&A with the director after the screening.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025
💬 Language: Tunisian Arabic (with subtitles)
🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 28 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM
📍 Venue: Innis Town Hall – 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
🎧 Narcy & Thanks Joey: The Internet’s Deep Fake
Not just another DJ set — this is a genre-blurring, mood-setting experience by Canadian hip-hop icon NARCY and his partner in crime, producer Thanks Joey. Under their duo name The Internet’s Deep Fake, they’ll take you on a late-night ride through hip-hop, jazz, R&B, electronic, and international sounds.
🌟 NARCY & Thanks Joey
💬 Language: English / Arabic
🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 28 – 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM
📍 Venue: Evangeline, Ace Hotel – 51 Camden Street, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: RSVP– Ace Hotel Toronto
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Sunday, June 29
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🎬 TAF25 Masterclass: The Art of Editing with Amber Fares & Rabab Haj Yahya
Step into the editing room with the duo behind Co-Existence, My Ass! — director Amber Fares and editor Rabab Haj Yahya. Expect real-world examples, behind-the-scenes insights, and collaborative strategies for building trust and making tough editorial calls.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025
💬 Language: English
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
📍 Venue: CSI Annex – 720 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
🧺 The MENA Room @ Trinity Bellwoods
A laid-back afternoon picnic for the MENA (Middle Eastern & North African) community — come soak up the sun, share snacks, and connect with good people. Everyone’s welcome to bring a blanket, some food, and that signature Toronto energy 🌞
🌟 The MENA Room
💬 Language: Arabic Dialects / English / Multilingual
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 1:00 to 7:00 PM
📍 Venue: Trinity Bellwoods Park – 790 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Info: Instagram Post
🔥 Arab Hangouts: Summer BBQ
It’s not just a BBQ — it’s a whole mood. Join Arab Hangouts for a Sunday full of sunshine, grilled food, music, games, and new friends. Open to anyone in their 20s and 30s looking to kick back with good vibes.
🌟 Arab Hangouts
💬 Language: Arabic Dialect / English
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 4:00 to 8:00 PM
📍 Venue: Erindale Park – 1695 Dundas St W, Mississauga, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Buy here
🎥 TAF25: Dis/Enchantment
A gripping shorts program exploring memory, resilience, and revolution across the Arab world, co-presented by Breakthroughs Film Festival.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025. Co-presented by Breakthroughs Film Festival
💬 Language: Arabic Dialects (with subtitles)
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 4:00 to 6:00 PM
📍 Venue: The Revue Cinema – 400 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
🎉 TAF25: Festival Finale Celebration
Wrap up the Toronto Arab Film Festival with music, food, and good company at Darna — a cozy Middle Eastern spot just steps from The Revue.
🌟 Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025
💬 Language: English / Arabic Dialects / Multilingual
🗓️ Date: Sunday, June 29 – 9:00 to 11:30 PM
📍 Venue: Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen – 413 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Tickets: Eventive
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Monday, June 30
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🧺 Meem م Toronto Picnic
A casual hangout for queer and trans folks from Arabic-speaking regions. Bring your blanket, snacks, drinks, or shisha, and enjoy a cozy evening at the park.
🌟 Meem م Toronto
💬 Language: Arabic Dialects / English
🗓️ Date: Monday, June 30 – 6:00 to 8:00 PM
📍 Venue: Christie Pits Park – 750 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON
🎟️ Details: Instagram
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Tuesday, July 1
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🎤 Narcy @ Rhythms of Canada
Close out Rhythms of Canada with a powerful set from Iraqi-Canadian MC, educator, and cultural visionary Narcy, known for his sharp lyricism and global sound.
🌟 Aga Khan Museum
💬 Language: English / Iraqi Arabic
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, July 1 – 9:30 to 10:30 PM
📍 Venue: Aga Khan Museum – 77 Wynford Drive, North York, ON
🎟️ Free Event: Aga Khan Museum
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Wednesday, July 2
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🧵 Tatreez Circle @ Starving Artist
A cozy weekly gathering to stitch, share stories, and connect through the art of Palestinian embroidery. Bring your own aida cloth & embroidery floss. Beginners welcome!
🌟 Watermelon Seeds Collective
💬 Language: English / Arabic Dialects
🗓️ Date: Wednesday, June 25 – 6:00 to 9:00 PM
📍 Venue: Starving Artist – 833 Runnymede Road, Toronto, ON
🎟️ PWYK: $5 Suggested Donation
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