Entertainment in Canada
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Club XS
One of Toronto's newest clubs, XS is a sexy venue where the dress code is strictly observed. With bottle service and VIP rooms (natch), XS caters to the elite. Though reservations aren't mandatory, if you want to make certain you're on the guest list you'd be wise to make them via the website.
reviewed
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A
Les Voûtes de Napoléon
Another jubilant boîte à chanson. Its impossible-to-find-on-your-own entrance means it will likely be just you and the locals – it’s underneath the Restaurant Bonaparte. If you can’t find the entrance, just ask a local to point you in the right direction.
reviewed
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B
Bovine Sex Club
Don't worry, this isn't some kind of twisted fetish establishment. BSC is a maverick punk, metal and retro rock room that's been here since the 1991, one of the first venues to latch onto the Queen West arts explosion. A rusty tangle of scrap metal spews down over the front wall to the doorway.
reviewed
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C
Scanner
Ask any local between the ages of 18 and 35 to suggest a cool place for a drink and this is where they might send you. Come see if you can figure it out. Live rock bands play every Saturday from September to May. There’s a terrace outside in summer, Foosball and pool inside year-round.
reviewed
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D
Madison Avenue Pub
Consuming three Victorian houses in The Annex, the Madison is positively elephantine. A 25-to-35 crowd is lured through the doors – billiards, darts, a sports bar, polished brass, antique-looking lamps lighting the curtained upper floors at night, five patios and plenty of hot babes.
reviewed
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E
Factory Theatre
This innovative theater company – 'Home of the Canadian Playwright' – has been busy for 35 years. The independent SummerWorks Theatre Festival stages plays at the Factory Theatre too, as do performers from the Toronto Fringe Festival. Sunday matinees are 'Pay What You Can.'
reviewed
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F
Smokeless Joe
Buried below street level in Clubland, this narrow 'where everybody knows your name' bar sells more than 250 different beers (the menu is a book). Some of the rarest brews aren't sold in stores, so stop by for a pint or three. It was one of the first places in TO to ban smoking. Thanks, Joe.
reviewed
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Theatre at UBC
UBC's drama students, grads and faculty stage their biggest shows here, but they also have two studio theaters where they try out more challenging fare. The season usually runs September to March, with each production lasting around a week. Expect a roster of classics and contemporary plays.
And if you want to hang out at the other end of the age range, check out the Performing Arts Lodge Theatre, located in a swanky new Coal Harbour condominium block reserved for retired performance artists. While the building's smashing upper-floor studio space hosts an eclectic array of visiting, sometimes-challenging shows throughout the year, the audience is often full of old luvvies…
reviewed
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H
Chez Son Père
One of the city’s best-loved boîtes à chanson, this spot boasts a great atmosphere and is probably the first place locals will send you if you’re interested in seeing this rollicking kind of French folk music. Cover charge varies; sometimes it’s free.
reviewed
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La Petite Idée Fixe
Tucked inconspicuously among cheap apartments, swanky cafés and discount stores is your new favorite dive bar. It’s got no frills but all the essentials: affordable drinks, genial staff, dim lights, barstools, a pool table and, best of all, a jukebox (a rarity in Montréal).
reviewed
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Ship & Anchor
The Ship is an uberclassic Calgary institution, an all-time favorite of uni students, people who think they're hip and indie music fans. With plentiful beers on tap, the shadowy interior is a cozy winter hideaway, while the picnic table-filled patio is Posing Central come summertime.
reviewed
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K
Music Showbar
Off to one side at C'est What ?, Music Showroom is a small-capacity live venue with a stellar sound system. Expect intimate pop-rock with an edge – Jeff Buckley, The Tea Party and Wilco all played here. Tickets are sold at the door – first come, first served.
reviewed
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Pub St-Paul
In the heart of Old Montréal’s most touristy drag is this rock pub, a hit among students, jocks and passersby. A lunch and dinner menu of upscale pub fare (think yummy chicken wings) is served, live bands rock out weekend nights, and drink specials complete the Top 40 formula.
reviewed
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Agora de la Danse
Based in the striking old Palestre National building in the Plateau, this university dance troupe with a growing reputation focuses on modern and experimental forms. Two studios are open for instruction to the public; its student and independent dance companies stage regular performances.
reviewed
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N
Exit
Exit is one of those clubs where what's exciting is the people who fill it and not the space itself. This house and R&B mainstay doesn't look like much on the inside with its sparce interior, but when the star DJs show up this place is packed - it's one of the best nightclubs around.
reviewed
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Café des Éclusiers
This Old Port summertime staple is open from May to September only. Always crowded, it has a restaurant, bar, lounge, sprawling outdoor terrace and beach club of sorts. Although the scene can be a bit much, the after-work crowd adores the lounge, house music DJs and elaborate cocktails.
reviewed
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P
Black Eagle
A charred-out, lawless tomb, Black Eagle lures leather-men, uniform fetishists and denim boys. Hard-core gay porn plays on big screens; the art on the walls is well hung in all senses of the expression. Check your clothes at the door for gritty theme nights (not for the mild-mannered).
reviewed
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Q
Bar Salon la Porte Rouge
This historical old saloon has been fancied up into a trendy hangout. Old-fashioned decor pays tribute to the space’s illustrious past, as do drink names like Scarlett O’Hara and Pink Lady. Sunday nights, electro DJs draw a trashy-glam fashion crowd, both gay and straight.
reviewed
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R
Vancouver Whitecaps
Rejected in its attempts to build a new waterfront stadium, the Whitecaps team will be moving from its old Burnaby home to downtown's BC Place once it's been refurbished. Until then, the team that's been promoted to the MLS from the 2011 season plays at the temporary Empire Field venue.
reviewed
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Yuk Yuk's
A bit like the brass plucked chicken door handles, acts here are sometimes funny and sometimes just a joke. Canadian and international touring acts appear regularly, with famous faces on some weekends. Jim Carrey cut his comic teeth here. Cover for Tuesday's 'Amateur Night' is just $3.
reviewed
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Päaeez
The Apostrophe Police wouldn't approve of the 'Martini's' on the menu, but don't let a little wayward grammar stop you from slurping them down. Try a 2½oz 'Belvedere Beauty' (vodka, lychee liqueur, passionfruit juice and cinnamon; $11). Tapas helps postpone your alcoholic demise.
reviewed
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U
Terrasse 701
The rooftop terrace above the boutique Hôtel Place-d’Armes is a requisite stop on the nightlife circuit if you’re around during the summer. Nicely mixed cocktails, eclectic cuisine and a fantastic view over Old Montréal never fail to bring in the beauty crowd.
reviewed
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V
Sneaky Dee's
Spangled with graffiti on the prominent Bathurst/College St corner, Sneaky Dee's isn't so sneaky-looking. The downstairs bar has battered booths with skeletons painted on them; upstairs is a darkened breeding ground for new TO rock talent. Fill up on Tex-Mex while downing cheap beer.
reviewed
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W
Tribe Hyperclub
Celebrity guests like P-Diddy and Paris Hilton, house, trance and techno DJs, and sexy patrons make this very hyper nightclub the go-to spot of thousands. Don’t forget the monstrous 100,000-watt sound system. If you’re ready for bottle service, book a table in advance.
reviewed
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X
Mad Hatter Saloon
With happy-hour specials and a kooky, anything-goes feel, this longtime Rue Crescent tavern is so uncool it’s cool. Concordia and McGill University students have been flocking here for years, and during summertime its 2nd-floor terrace is a lo-pro, affordable spot to unwind.
reviewed