Festival Music House is one of the most sought out parties of TIFF. This exclusive, invite-only event features an impressive array of Canadian musical talent, performing privately for TIFF delegates, producers, directors, writers, actors and music supervisors in an intimate setting and its back for the third year in a row.

Taking place on September 10-12 at the Virgin Mobile Mod Club, this year’s performers include songstress Kathleen Edwards (September 10), Adam Cohen, son of Canadian music legend Leonard Cohen (September 10), indie Dan Mangan (September 11), and Grand Analogue (September 12), among many others.

Jeffrey Remedios, co-founder of Arts and Crafts, which produces the event, has said of the Festival Music House (FMH) “Having created a laid-back, up-close environment, the FMH showcases to visiting TIFF delegates just how amazing Canadian music truly is.”

If you haven’t been able to score a lucky invite, this year Rdio will be the official music streaming destination of the Festival Music House.  Stay tuned each night for some beautiful music.

As always, Pink Mafia has your back. In the case of TIFF 2012, we want to make sure you know exactly where you will be able to pour vodka down your throat until 4am. There are a few really great events, that you should not even consider missing, which I will tell you all about in a minute.

First though, for those all star drinkers who just need to know right away every single place you can get your drink on until 4am over the next 10 days, here is a comprehensive list. There are 44 bars an restaurants with approved extended licenses compared to last year’s 25, which means one thing only: you need to drink THAT much harder.

IMG takes over World Mastercard Fashion Week

Like most of the fashion frontier in the Great White North, we have a few rumors flying around our Toronto Fashion Week. I was greeted with an early morning email with the subject:  “FDCC and IMG Fashion, jointly announce IMG as the owner and producer of World MasterCard Fashion Week“. Yup, that’s right: The big guns have stepped in to takeover TFW now joining the likes of New York, London, Milan, Berlin, Australia, Tokyo, Mumbai, Istanbul, Miami, Russia, etc. This takeover shake-up has some great benefits for the designers and really the whole industry, I just hope it doesn’t get too big and crazy!! Just in case you’re wondering, Robin Kay will be stepping down as executive director, but will still remain president of the FDCC.

A$AP Rocky has finally announced a Toronto tour date to go along with the September 11 release date for his album LONGLIVEA$AP.

Tuesday October 2nd at the Sound Academy, he will be joined by special guests Danny Brown and A$AP MOB.

Over the weekend Toronto was not only packed with people for Caribana, but also with non-stop fun at The Hoxton. If you missed out on Caribana (like most of us here did), you may have checked out the first ever performance of Snoop Lion, and the official after-party to HARD Fest with Erol Alkan.

We are so excited that in its fifth year the amazing MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY (presented by Puma®) has included Toronto, not only as a destination, but as their kick-off destination.

Toronto indie supergroup Eight And A Half played the first event in a series of eleven called inTO. These monthly events are focused on bringing Torontonians closer to local arts and culture. I had heard nothing but incredible things about inTO and what they had done during NXNE, so I was incredibly excited to check out their first “official” coming out with Eight And a Half. This intimate and interactive show, which was held at Kitch (229 Geary Avenue, Toronto), was offered up at pricetag of $100/ticket. Included in this ticket price was the performance, some drink tickets and finger foods passed along the crowd.

One of Toronto’s hottest new restaurants has teamed up with one of Toronto’s hottest new bands to bring you the most unique event of the summer!

The inaugural inTO event is the Living Room Jam, taking place Thursday, July 19 at 8 p.m. at the new bar and restaurant Kitch (229 Geary Ave.). Co-hosting the evening is CityNews entertainment anchor Mary Kitchen and Jeffrey Remedios, co-founder of Arts & Crafts Productions. Special guests for the evening will include indie sensation Eight and a Half. Comprised of Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene and Dave Hamelin and Liam O’Neil of The Stills, Eight and a Half will treat guests to a musical performance and give an insider’s glimpse into the production of their self-titled EP, featuring the single Go Ego.

This week marks one of the newest festivals to come to Toronto, Locals Only, an event celebrating the city’s best music, art and food.  In the last year, Toronto has grown it’s food trucks and food truck culture with thousands of foodies, entrepreneurs and creatives hopping aboard this nu-wave of cheeky food philosophy.

At the Locals Only festival (Saturday, July 7), some of Toronto’s up and coming mobile diner restauranteurs will be serving up their goods and I had a chance to preview their wares and ask them some questions.

Pride swept through Toronto this weekend and it was F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. If you weren’t here or didn’t make it out to the parade, check the photos after the jump. Images courtesy of Samantha Wood.

“I like to bring the heat with me from New Orleans” Big Freedia said casually on the phone yesterday. I’d love to report so much more, but I was all flustered and fan-girl about it and she had such lovely manners that I just kinda got stuck in the awe of it all. Here’s what I managed to muster: She’s excited to play Toronto tonight at the Drake Hotel and promises a “very exciting and energetic show” as usual, and she has fond memories of her last trip to Canada, when “Toronto and Montreal both came out to support”, and she has mad love for Lesbians on Ecstasy who were the first ladies to bring her here.

That’s all I got.

But for serious, do you need any more? Big Freedia is gonna set the Drake on fire tonight. You know it, I know, and she sure as hell knows it. Tickets are 80% sold out, so you should scramble to handle that right here.

Brenmar is also on the bill, it’s 4AM last call for Gay Christmas, so start doing your stretches now.

Make it clap

We are so excited about the new collaboration between  1 Love T.0. and Roots Canada on the “Show Your Roots” campaign. Their first release is this cute and cozy limited edition Vintage Heather Grey T-shirt featuring the iconic 1 Love T.O. logo.

On July 7, 2012, the Amsterdam Brewery is hosting Locals Only, and indoor/outdoor festival celebrating the best food, music and art this city has to offer. There will be two stages hosting over 15 of the city’s best bands & DJs. With 10+ artists and 10+ food vendors, there will be plenty for both your eyes and your mouths to feast on.

Hosted by comedian and food critic Jeff Danson, this is a 19+ event that will run from 2pm – 2am. See you there!