October 19, 2026 | 7 Free Events in Toronto Today

Two Cello concerts on a Monday (and more with links). The weekly newsletter comes out in 2 days, get on the list if you'd like it delivered. Here are today's picks:

Cinema Ras: Def by Temptation (1990)
It's Ok Studios | 7p

James Bond III's 1990 horror cult classic screens tonight at the best community spot in the city. The movie is campy, sharp, and genuinely unsettling.

Book Talk: David Treuer's The Savage Mind
Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library | 7p-8p

A reckoning with the history of North America told from an Ojibwe perspective. He's a precise and unsparing writer, and this one is already drawing serious attention. Walk-in's welcome at 6:45p

The Information Battle: Elections, Journalism and Misinformation
Toronto Reference Library | 6p-7:30p

With Toronto's municipal election a week away, this panel looks at how misinformation, AI-generated content, and the fractured media landscape are reshaping how voters actually get their information. Nick Hune-Brown, political scientist Valérie Kindarji, and Deputy City Clerk Tobias Novogrodsky are on the panel, moderated by Anita Li of The Green Line. Worth showing up for.

Free Underground Concerts: VC2 Cello Duo
The Performance Hall At Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre | 6p-7p

Amahl Arulanandam and Bryan Holt of VC2 Cello Duo bring two cellos into conversation.

Palimpsest Fall Launch: Kirby, David Ly, Cameron Anstee
Another Story Bookshop | 7p-8:30p

Anstee discusses his essay collection Footnotes about Canadian small press book makers, Ly presents Ritual, Interrupted exploring mental health through poetry, and Kirby shares essays from Fairy continuing their queer poetry advocacy.

COC Lunchtime Concerts: Confined in Everyday Scenes
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts | 12p-1p

Cellist Joann Whang performs Frank Horvat's Confined in Everyday Scenes, nine pieces for solo cello and fixed electronics, each drawn from the true stories of survivors of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

Weird Fiction Writing Workshop
Hart House | 6:30p-8:30p

Two UofT English professors talk through weird fiction, horror, speculative, science fiction, and the stuff that lives at the edges of genre. Then everyone writes some. Food included. U of T students get priority but anyone can come.

Ongoing Events

1p-2p | Mimico Centennial | Adult Knitting Club
2p-3p | Eglinton Square | Knitting Circle
6p-7p | St. Clair/Silverthorn | Bad Art Night

Art Exhibits
8a-6p | Ascent Gallery | Ritual / Still
10a-5p | Lillian H. Smith Library | Set Phasers
10a-5p | University Of Toronto Art Museums | U of T Art Museum
11a-5p | Twist Gallery | Contour
11a-5p | Cedar Ridge Creative Centre | Introspection
12p-5p | Onsite Gallery | Returning to Ourselves + Michael Massie

Farmers' Markets
3p-7p | Sorauren Park | Sorauren Farmers' Market