Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this October 11-13, 2013.

2013 X Avant Music Festival
It's difficult to call a festival "interesting" in a city filled with so many intriguing fests, but X Avant Music Fest is one that is definitely unique. Avant-garde by name and experimental by nature, this festival combines jazz, pop, noise and classical music into seven shows spread out over ten days. Charlemagne Palestine plays trance on piano and the FLUX Quartet will perform a six-hour slow motion rave. See? Interesting. Tickets are available through MusicGallery.org. Various locations, October 11-20, 2013, various prices

MUSIC

Goblin
Cult legends Goblin finally cross over into Canada with their 40-years belated first North American tour. Playing the Opera House this Friday night, the Italian progressive rock band is joined by Secret Chiefs 3 for their historic reunion. Unfamiliar with their work? Check out their score on the Euro version of Dawn of the Dead. Tickets are available through TicketFly. Opera House (735 Queen Street East), October 11, 2013, 8:30PM $27.50-$75

BOY
BOY, the gorgeous Hamburg duo whose indie pop songs provide the perfect soundtrack to summer bonfires and teenage first kisses, return to Toronto for a show at the Mod Club on Friday night. Tickets are still available to hear BOY's debut album, Mutual Friends, live (and it's so, so good). Grab them at Soundscapes and Rotate This. Virgin Mobile Mod Club (722 College Street), October 11, 2013, 6PM $18.50

For more music listings, check out our This Week in Music and October Concerts posts.

FOOD

The Toronto Chocolate Festival
Why fall victim to the flashy yet tasteless chocolates in Halloween displays at the Dollar Store when the Toronto Chocolate Festival starts this Saturday? Leave the sucky stuff to the trick or treaters and get decadent. See the official site for a full list of chocolatey events. Various venues, Oct. 12th to Nov 3rd.

For more food listings, check out our Toronto Food Events post.

FILM

Land|Slide 3D Film Screening
With the resurgence of 3D comes experimental 3D filmmaking. Landslide is a program opening at Markham Museum with two recent stereoscopic 3D works that use the Occupy Wall Street movement to capture the technology while examining space, mobility and spectator-ship. The exhibit opens this Saturday for the holiday weekend only. Read our review of Land|slide here. Markham Museum (9350 Markham Road), October 12, 2013, 7PM

Objects of Desire: The Cinema of Claire Denis
French auteur Claire Denis gets her first retrospective in over a decade at the TIFF Cinematheque with 14 of her films screening over the next month. Introducing her own work and engaging audiences in Q&As, Objects of Desire: The Cinema of Claire Denis begins with the director's debut, 1988 film Chocolat. The retrospective ends November 10th with tickets getting harder to come by. Visit the TIFF box office for more details. TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West), October 11-November 10, 2013, 6:30PM $12

Eastern Breeze International Film Festival
Short and mid-length films spanning all genres opens this Friday at the Carlton for a 3-week run. Designed to highlight eastern arts and cultures in Canada, the annual festival screens work by filmmakers experimenting in eastern philosophies and subjects. Tickets are available through EasternBreeze.ca with screenings happening daily. Carlton Cinema (20 Carlton Street), October 11-29, 2013, 9PM $10

For more film listings, check out our This Week in Film post.

ART

The Annual Contemporary Art Fair
Nineteen artists present works on the theme Shifting Ground at the Gladstone Hotel's Annual Contemporary Art Fair, continuing through Sunday. Responding to the theme with literal pieces about natural disasters and borders, or by exploring the metaphorical topics of reinvention and disruption, this show is a deeply personal crossing of many mediums. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) 7PM $5 general, free for students

Edward Burtynsky - Water
This is your last chance to see Edward Burtynsky's latest body of work at Nicholas Metvier Gallery. The Toronto photographer has turned his lens away from the more predictable topic of oil consumption to the human relationship with water, and it's his his most accomplished work yet. His huge colour photographs are stunning as ever, but it's the sensitivity with which he handles his subject that's so compelling. If you can't make the exhibition, the Jennifer Baichwal-directed film Watermark gives the Manufactured Landscapes treatment to Burtynsky's latest work. Nicholas Metiver Gallery (451 King Street West) Saturday October 12, 10AM - 6PM

FASHION

WORN Fashion Journal & Type Books Presents: Dressed as in a Painting Launch
Author Kimberly Wahl launches her book on the relationship between fashion, art, and aestheticism with a little help from her friends at WORN Fashion Journal and Type Books. "Dressed as in a Painting: Women and British Aestheticism in an Age of Reform" is the first book to examine the visual cultures of Victorian Britain and to celebrate, the author and friends will discuss the book at Type Books on Friday night. The event is open to all with an appreciation of fashion and its history. Type Books (883 Queen Street West), October 11, 2013, 7PM Free

For more fashion listings, check out our This Week in Fashion post.

MARKETPLACE

The Bazaar of the Bizarre Halloween Extravaganza
A crafty freak show, the Bazaar of the Bizarre hosts its Halloween arts fair this Saturday. Not your average craft show, there will be several guests roaming the event, including stilt walkers and zombie dancers. This macabre little marketplace will be open until 8PM with free entry. 918 Bathurst Comunity Center (918 Bathurst Street), October 12, 2013, 11AM Free

Toronto Indie Arts Market
The Gladstone's monthly Indie Arts Market fills the halls of the hotel this Saturday with 50 vendors selling local and handmade items. Jewelry, zines and art will be up for sale beginning at 10:30AM, when admission is still free but the cocktail bar is not yet open. After 11AM, admission will be charged but it's for a good cause, with proceeds going to Nellie's shelter for women and children. Stay and check out the Contemporary Art Fair while you're there. The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), October 12, 2013, 10:30AM $5

THEATRE

Soulpepper's Farther West
Prostitute May Buchanan moves west during Canada's gold rush in John Murrell's Farther West. Pursued by two men desperate to possess her, May ventures off on the advice of her father, relying on her wit and talents to find herself. Farther West opens this Friday night and runs until November 9th. Young Centre for the Performing Arts (50 Tank House Lane), October 11-November 9, 2013, 7:30PM $51

For more theatre listings, check out our This Week in Theatre post.

SPORT

Archery at Casa Loma
Just because it's awesome, Casa Loma is offering archery classes with history lessons this holiday weekend for those that would rather hunt turkey than eat it. NCCP trained archery coach Shawn Adams will lead the class in learning the techniques and history of the sport with Toronto's "castle" as a backdrop. Register by phoning 647-725-0707.
Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace), October 13-14, 2013, 11:30AM $42.50

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Photo from Land|slide's Facebook