📬 In This Week | December 11–17
👋🏽 Ahlan / Hello
📣 Community Partner: Retro FM - Majd Sukar & the SHAM Blues
🌟 Five Events Worth Checking Out
🫶🏽 Let’s Bring Our Community Together
Bikes on Wheels in Kensington Market, Toronto, on a slushy winter day | Photo by Kevin
👋🏽 Ahlan / Hello
Another week with more fundraisers, book launches, films, and music across the city. If you are organizing or attending something that should be on the radar, reply to this email, and I’ll add it to the online community calendar. Stay warm!
Nassar
Editor @ khamsa🖐🏽
📣 Community Partner: Retro FM - Majd Sukar & the SHAM Blues
Retro FM is a new live performance featuring Arabic pop songs that defined the ’90s and 2000s.
The show brings together iconic hits from across the Arab world in a 2.5-hour set, creating a nostalgic, high-energy night for anyone who grew up with these tracks or still plays them on repeat. It is an all-ages, in-person concert with free parking, making it an easy choice for a winter night out with friends or family who love Arabic music. Grab your tickets in advance!
🌟 Five Events Worth Checking Out
💻 Immigrants in Sales: The Insider Path to
6-Figure Roles
An evening for newcomers and emerging professionals to learn how B2B tech sales works in Canada, featuring real stories, insider advice, and practical strategies shared by industry leaders in Toronto.
🌟 Scale Without Borders with Nouhaila Chelkhaoui, Ryan Nahas, Lauren Murray, Riya Rao, Roshni Dattagupta
💬 English
🗓️ Thursday, Dec 11 · 4:30 pm
📍 700 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 1X6
📚 Gaza Biennale T’karonto: Palestine & Feminist Liberation Community Book Launch 🇵🇸
A Space Gallery and Between the Lines are hosting the closing reception of the Gaza Biennale T’karonto with a community book launch for Palestine and Feminist Liberation, featuring a live-streamed conversation with scholar-activist Nada Elia and a screening of the feminist freedom film Tell Your Tale Little Bird, plus books, zines, and art for sale in downtown Toronto.
🌟 A Space Gallery
💬 English
🗓️ Thursday, December 11 · 6:00–9:00 pm
📍 A Space Gallery, 401 Richmond St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
🎶 The Grand Arabic Jam – The Anniversary | سنوية
Celebrate one year of The Grand Arabic Jam with a big night of SWANA sounds, community vibes, and a special anniversary set where the crowd helps pick the songs, all in the heart of Toronto’s Arabic music scene. 40% of ticket sales donated to Sudan Emergency Appeal and the Hind Rajab Foundation
🌟 The Grand Arabic Jam
💬 Arabic & English
🗓️ Thu, Dec 11 · 7:00 pm
📍 Cafeteria, 1650 Dupont St, Toronto, ON M6P 3T2
🎶 Yallah Habibi Arabic Disco – Toronto Debut
A late-night Arabic disco takeover in the heart of Toronto, bringing classic and modern Arabic hits, belly dance performances, and a high-energy dance floor made for all the habibiz.
🌟 Yallah Habibi
💬 Arabic
🗓️ Saturday, Dec 13 · Doors 9:30 pm, Performances 10:00 pm
📍 Nomad Toronto, 725 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1H1
🍴 Arabic Holiday Cookies by Rahaf Alakbani 🇸🇾
A cozy, hands-on baking class where you’ll learn how to make traditional Syrian holiday cookies like barazek, “Lady’s Bracelets” baklava, and ma’amoul-style date rings, with stories, songs, and Arabic coffee or mint tea.
🌟 The Depanneur with Rahaf Alakbani
💬 English / Arabic
🗓️ Sunday, Dec 14 · 12:00 pm
📍 The Depanneur, 192 Spadina Ave. #501, Toronto, ON M5T 2C2
Don’t miss out on 19 other events this week!
With the community events calendar, you can see the latest events happening this week, share an event’s link with a friend, and get driving instructions from where you are.
🌡️ Weekly Vibes Check
🫶🏽 Let’s Bring Our Community Together
👉🏽 Have something cool happening in the community? Share it with me, and we will get the word out together with a free listing or a sponsorship.
👋🏽 If you’d like to support this work directly, you can buy me mint tea so I can keep curating and sharing these events.
I’ll see you on Thursday, December 18, for the next issue. Until then, salaam / peace!