The top dance parties in Toronto this September come as the festival season is wrapping up, but the cooling temperatures also mean that the clubs are starting to get hot again, as university students return to the city for school and cottage owners stop fleeing the downtown every weekend. Still, there are a few more opportunities to party under the stars, if you didn't already get your fill of trying to dance in the dirt outdoors over the summer.

Electric Island / September 1 / Olympic Island Park / 1:30 pm / $35
A long summer of quality electronic music picnics on Toronto Island comes to an end with the season finale of the popular series. Headliners for the blowout include Jamie XX (of the band The xx, but also a great DJ), Italy's A Tale Of Us, and a return appearance at Electric Island for Hot Since 82.

Art Department / September 5 / Maison Mercer / 10 pm / $20
For some people TIFF is an opportunity to spot celebrities and see films, but for others it's an excuse to take advantage of extended last call and dance until dawn. Toronto house heavyweights Art Department play an all-too-rare local gig, and will put Maison Mercer's high-powered Funktion-One sound system through its paces.

Dirtybird BBQ / September 7 / Sherbourne Commons / 12 pm / $25
San Francisco deep tech house label Dirtybird throw their first ever Toronto afternoon BBQ party, featuring Justin Martin, J. Phlp, Christian Martin, label boss Claude Von Stroke and many more. If the beats aren't enough to get you there early, maybe the free burgers will (until supplies run out).

Andy Stott / September 18 / Adelaide Hall / 9 pm / $22.50
Late night warehouse party promoters breakandenter have partnered with MRG Concerts to bring back Modern Love label boss Andy Stott for a return performance of his menacing avant garde dub techno experiments. Stott will also be performing with Miles Wittaker (aka Demdike Stares) for the Toronto debut of their collaborative project Millie and Andrea.

Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa / September 27 / Phoenix Concert Theatre / 9 pm / $30
Two living legends of hip hop come together on one night, with a special appearance by DJ veterans Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. DJing has changed a lot since they started chopping together breaks in 1970s NYC, but both can still rock a party like few other with their eclectic genre-hopping mixes.

Photo: Alejandro Santiago