Mirvish Village set to go out with a bang on New Year's

All of the stores, restaurants, galleries, studios and bars in Toronto's Mirvish Village with shut down by the end of January. Already, artists and business owners are moving out; they're hauling all of their stuff to new locations or are closing up shop entirely.

Some - like the Butler's Pantry with its newcomer's brunch, for instance - are using their final days on Markham Street to leave their mark on the city. Others are taking advantage of New Year's Eve to throw one final party, ensuring they don't go down quietly.

“It’s nice to go out on a bang. I don’t want to go limping out the door. I want to have good events, I want to have good times," says Lucan Wai who owns The Central.

Along with hosting a week-long series shows before he dims the light on his nearly ten-and-a-half-year-old bar and music, he and his team are throwing a big New Year's Eve celebration.

It'll include two different dance parties with 90s tunes and hip hop as well as appetizers and a champagne toast. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Wai says lots of former staff members and patrons are planning to come out for one last hurrah.

Afterward, The Central will remain open until the end of January, afterward, Wai hopes to move some of The Central's programming over to his other Toronto spot, the Smiling Buddha.

There's another big New Years party happening a few doors down at Southern Accent. It'll mark the Cajun-style restaurant's final night on Markham Street.

"And although it’ll be sad, we have to look forward, right? It’s a new year and we have a new spot that we’re going to that is pretty neat," says Frances Wood, who opened Southern Accent in 1984.

She's moving the restaurant to 839 College St., and hopes to imbue it with the same quirky and vintage vibe it has in Mirvish Village.

For New Years, she's throwing a house party-type event with lots of finger food, drinks, dancing and live music. While she says she won't move the next day (she and her team need to nurse their hangovers), they'll probably make their way to College Street a few days later.

"I feel like we should just go out with a big party," she says, "and then make the move to the other place."

by Amy Grief via blogTO