Flash Mob at Eatons Centre

A group of young dancers got together to form a flash mob just outside the Eaton Centre on November 23, 2010. They numbered around twenty and danced to celebrate the launch of a perfume from Nada. The mob quickly gathers from bystanders who are part of the existing crowd, does some type of action or dance and then moves on once the small performance is over. Mobs are done to protest, promote or just have fun.

Across the street a group of Toronto bicycle police gather in Yonge-Dundas Square. At first I thought they were the flash mob, then I thought that they were on the lookout for flashers, but nothing made sense.

Graffiti on the walls

Artists and gangs tag the walls wherever they have even the slightest access. Cans of spray paint litter the alley, leftover from a day of painting. The artists get mad when taggers wreck their work.

Someone adds a graphic symbol to the graffiti mural.

Most of the graffiti is stylized words and letters, a vomit of colours and easily forgettable. Along railway tracks and in long alleyways the words tell a story that is hard to decipher.

Sometimes graffiti is simple and shares a message.

And sometimes it is cute.

Posters in the street

Posters fill many of the building surfaces along the downtown core of Toronto, some in places where they should be - such as the special light poles, and some on anything that doesn't move. The posters go up in such numbers that they soon are inches thick. Weathered posters become torn in patchwork quilts and take on a life of their own.

Most of the posters are advertisements, some even advertisements for poster companies.

Winter Carnival - Bonhomme

Big, bad Bonhomme, spokes rep for the Quebec Winter Carnival, was hanging in the heart of Toronto. He was giving hugs and chatting up Torontonians as he talked about his upcoming festival January 28 to February 13, 2011.

Even more Santa

Yes, that's right, even more 2010 Toronto Santa Claus Parade pictures. You can see my previous post here. See lots more pictures after the jump.

MLS Champ Show - Matthew Good

Matthew Good was a major part of the Major League Soccer (MLS) Championship free pre-game show held down at BMO Field.

We were also glad to see that the Toronto Sun had a number of Sunshine Girls - especially the beautiful Bud Girl.

Toronto Santa Claus Parade 2010

Update: See more photos of the parade on my blog post here.

The 2010 Toronto Santa Claus Parade is huge, taking several hours to make the journey from Christie Pits down to the St Lawrence Market area. Floats and bands, horses and a lot of clowns moved down the route while onlookers several layers deep watched on both sides of the road.

Mayor elect Rob Ford walked in the parade as did Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair.

Santa came last, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas riding a float with reindeer flying high above the streets.

HO HO HO. See tons more parade pictures after the jump.

Toronto ComiCON 2010

The small scale, one day Toronto ComiCON filled up one of the small halls with thousands of comics. Many of the comics could be had for around a buck or two but some of the displayed comics were hundreds of dollars. Special guest stars included Jamal Igle, artist for Supergirl.

There weren't very many people dressed for cosplay, which was disappointing. They do plan to have Hall Cosplay during December 12th's Toronto AnimeCON so keep that in mind.

Photo Vault - African Lion Safari

It is great fun to go to the zoo and two of the best zoos are the Toronto Zoo and African Lion Safari. You can take a bus or drive through the zoo getting up close to lions, zebras and a whole lot of other animals. Don't forget about those damn monkies.

See some ferocious lions after the jump and no they aren't lazy lions - these guys are ready to chew your ass off in a moments notice.

Photo Vault - fun in Toronto

For a photographer, life in Toronto is full of fun and so many great photo opportunities. The people of the big smoke get behind and support so many worthwhile causes - from gay rights to charity drives. One of the biggest celebrations and show of support is for the many LGBT marches during PRIDE week. The Dyke March  is one of my favourites and I always like when they bring out the big rainbow flag. Brim Stone #21:8 is from the mighty Gore-Gore Rollergirls of the Toronto Roller Derby League.

See more pictures - including some more photos from the Ms Chin Bikini Pageant, after the jump.

Plane pictures

Planes are cool, see more after the jump.

Polar Bear Dip 2011 - get ready to freeze your ass off

Update: See photos of the January 1, 2013 photos here and the photos of the Jan 1, 2012 Polar Bear Dip here.

Update: See my photos and coverage of the 2011 Habitat for Humanity Polar Bear Dip and the Sears Great Canadian Chill on my post here. Here are a few more pictures of the excitement of the cold weather dip from January 1, 2011

Oh my god, we are just starting to go beyond cool and into chilly territory, soon it will be full fledged cold followed by frigid, bitter winter - just in time for the 2011 Toronto Polar Bear Dip! New Years Day will be time to put on your fur lined thong and join the swimmers jumping into Toronto Harbour at Sunnyside Beach and also the new Sears Great Canadian Chill at Ashbridges Bay.

Raising money for Habitat for Humanity Toronto the more than 200 swimmers expected for the dip will need to register at 11:30am and jump into the water at noon. Last year they raised more than $15,000. Bring more than $20 in pledges or make a minimum $20 in donations to participate. They plan to have musical guests this year along with free coffee and hot chocolate from sponsor Starbucks and give-aways for each participant.

See lots more pictures after the jump.

Salvation Army 2010 Christmas Kettle Campaign Launch

Yonge-Dundas Square plays host to the launch of the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign. They have the world’s biggest kettle that you can throw your donation into and, believe me, it would take a lot of money to fill so maybe you could bring two handfuls of change – at 8 feet in diameter they say it can hold almost a million dollars worth of quarters! They hope to raise at least $3 million within the GTA this year to continue their work to restore hope and dignity and help those who are vulnerable throughout the year. You can even donate online at: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/, look for the donate online in the red box on the right side of the page.

The Salvation Army Christmas Brass Ensemble was making beautiful music and Redpath Sugar "Acts of Sweetness" was giving away sweet cookies (mmmm, they were good). Sadly, I missed the Raptors Dance Pak.

Brian Melo in the Eaton Centre

Singer, Songwriter Brian Melo (http://www.brianmelo.com/) gets into the holiday spirit as he performs in Toronto’s Eaton Centre during the Swarovski Crystal (http://www.swarovski.com) Christmas Tree unveiling on Thursday, November 18, 2010. The former 2007 Canadian Idol winner went gold with his first album “Livin’ It” and he just released his second album called “The Truth”. Today they drop the curtain to reveal the extremely large and sparkling Wish Tree while a number of recording artists help to celebrate the event; from the Eaton Centre’s website:

THE SWAROVSKI

CRYSTAL WISH TREE

UNVEILING NOV 18TH 

HOSTED BY

Dina Pugliese and Kevin Frankish
from Citytv’s Breakfast Television

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT BY:

Brian Melo ~ 12:30 pm
Meaghan Smith ~ 2:00 pm
Andy Maize ~ 4:00 pm
Suzie McNeil ~ 6:00 pm

DON'T MISS
an exclusive Canadian-first
during the event unveiling!
6:00 – 7:00 pm

Hi Yo Silver, Away

That is all.

Even more derby

Can you ever get enough Toronto Roller Derby pics? The answer is a resounding no! Here are more pictures of the adventure that is flat wheel roller derby. Tired of seeing your favourite sports team lose? Come to the derby games at the Hanger and see one of the great Toronto teams win (or at minimum tie).

The girls at TORD are planning one more bout in 2010: The Blood and Thunder All-Stars on Saturday December 4th.

See more pictures after the jump.

Exhibitions - show a little in T.O.

It is always a treat when a show or exhibition comes to town and I recently attended the 2010 CSDA Stamp Show in the Queen Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place. Yah! I know how to party. (But seriously my wife loves to collect stamps so if you have any unloved, unused stamps just send me an email and I will give my address and you can send them to her with our thanks).

If stamps are not your thing we have the Everything to do with sex show from November 19 to 21 at the Direct Energy Centre, also at Exhibition Place. I love their tagline: "Admit it....you're curious". It would be cool if they had a sex stamp show. (But seriously I love porn so if you have any unloved, personal sex photos just send me an email with my thanks).

Keep an eye on these additional trade show/exhibition/convention locations in Toronto for upcoming events that you can get excited about.

Better Living Centre - Exhibition Place.
Toronto Congress Centre - Airport area.
International Centre - Airport area.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre - downtown.

Santa is coming to town - you better be naughty

The good folks at the North Pole are finishing off the latest toys and Santa is gone off cookies and milk in anticipation of all the treats he gets on Christmas Eve. Around Toronto we see that the traditional signs of the holiday season are starting to go appear. Santa and his Reindeer are in the Eaton Centre near Sears, a large evergreen has show up in Nathan Phillips Square and in Yonge-Dundas Square there is a large silver ball tree from the magical silver ball forest.

You can see more of the Christmas preparations, including the upcoming unveiling of a crystal Christmas tree after the jump.