New Year's weekend events in Toronto for 2016

Weekend events in Toronto will help you cope with your NYE hangover. Thankfully, most of the city shuts down on Friday, allowing you to revive yourself with plates of carbs (or some fitness events, if you're up for a challenge). You'll still be able to salvage your weekend with some solid events on Saturday and Sunday, like the Sound Academy's final rager and Class of 2016 at the Silver Dollar.

See also: Toronto New Year's Eve Party Guide 2016. For more events this weekend click on over to our Events section.

ENTERTAINMENT

DJ Skate Nights Soul on Ice (Jan. 2)
Head to the Harbourfront Centre on Saturday for another DJ Skate Night. Kevin "Kid Kut" Keith, Jester and Ian Andre Espinet will be providing your skating soundtrack; expect to hear hits by everyone from Aretha Franklin to Justin Timberlake as you sharpen your skills on the ice.

6 God Drake Dance Party (Jan. 2)
If you fell in love with Drake in 2015 (and let's face it, who didn't?) you'll want to be at the Gladstone on the 2nd. There will be drink specials, live dance performances and all the Drake music you could ever want. Remember to brush up on his discography before attending, there will be plenty of die hard fans singing along.

One Last Party at Sound Academy (Jan. 2)
The time has finally come for Sound Academy to shut its doors for good. If you want to wish the venue one final farewell before it morphs into a club complex, hit up its closing bash on Saturday. Expect plenty of DJs, dancing and debauchery.

MUSIC

Class of 2016 (Jan. 2)
If you didn't get your fill of indie music at What's In The Box, hit up the Silver Dollar on Saturday. The venue's indie music honour roll series is returning and bringing out The Lifers, ColinResponse, A Fellow Ship, The Luke Austin Band and The Paramount Kings for the first show of the year. If you can't make it tonight, no worries - the series continues throughout January.

FILM

Magnificent 70mm (Dec. 31-Jan.3)
Head to the TIFF Bell Lightbox to catch classic films on the big screen. This weekend the theatre is screening The Wild Bunch (Jan. 1), Vertigo (Jan. 2), West Side Story (Jan. 2) and Spartacus (Jan. 3) in 70mm.

2015 Cannes Lions Awards: The World's Best Commercials (Dec. 14-Jan. 4)
Bloor Hot Docs is showing the world's top advertisements (you know, the one's you probably wouldn't skip after five seconds on YouTube) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you want to catch the show before it's gone, now's the time to snag tickets.

COMEDY

Festival of New Formats at Comedy Bar (Jan. 2-6)
Comedy Bar's Festival of New Formats brings Toronto's funny men and women to the stage for five nights of performances beginning this weekend. You'll get to catch experimental sketch, improv and stand-up shows without dropping a dime. It may not have the star power of JFL42, but you'll probably get in a few laughs.

OUTDOORS

Polar Bear Dip (Jan. 1)
While it's pretty much a tradition to spend New Year's Day gorging on piles of home fries and bacon, that's not going to do your body any good. If you want to stick to the "new year, new you" resolution, opt to wipe off last night's make up and take a dip in the lake at 11 a.m. Proceeds from the event go to Habitat for Humanity GTA, so you'll also be doing some good.

36th Annual Hair of the Dog Run (Jan. 1)
If you're serious about committing to your New Year's fitness resolutions, kick off 2016 with a 9k run in the Beaches. The race starts at noon, so you'll be able to sleep off whatever you drank the night before. For those who partied a little too hard on NYE, there's also a 3k walk starting at 11:30 a.m.

For more events this weekend click on over to our Events section. Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit it for free using this form.

Photo by Christian Bobak

by Alice Prendergast via blogTO