Register for Event

Register for Event

Venus Fest is turning 10 this year!

Join us for the first night of live music. Sounds by PYNE, LAL & Prado Monroe on September 18, Doors at 9 PM.

+ Live ASL Interpretation by Phoenix The Fire
+ Live Visuals by Tara Morris
+ Visual Art by Aedan Corey
+ Interactive Installation by Christina Dovolis

+ Drop-In Mahjong by All-Flowers Mahjong
+ Market by Kabuté & Friends, in Collaboration w/ Friends of Allan Gardens

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PYNE

Alanna Stuart (pka PYNE) is Caribbean-Canadian music artist-scholar. In sound and scholarship, she is in the thick of what she dubs a ‘Femmehall’ praxis: exploring the libratory possibilities of a feminine approach to dancehall reggae music production. As producer-vocalist PYNE, Stuart has collaborated with Beverly Glenn Copeland, Bambii, U.S. Girls, Equiknoxx Music, Jeremy Dutcher, and Junior Boys. Outside of the studio, Alanna Stuart is a SSHRC Doctoral Fellow and Gender Studies PhD student at Queen’s University. Her research can be read in Socio-Economic Review, Work, Employment & Society, and the tekhnē journal.
Instagram @pynesound


LAL

Rosina Kazi and Nicholas Murray are LAL. The Toronto-based, Bengali-Bajan duo have been holding down Canada’s underground DIY / DIT (do it together) music scene for decades. Having started performing separately in hip hop and spoken word, they came together as music and life partners, bonding over the shared ideal of making electronic music that puts community first. Drawing on the transcendent and transgressive roots of house/electronic music, LAL use each successive album as a chance to explore further and further into the future. They will be releasing a new album here at Venus Fest!
Instagram @lalforest



PRADO MONROE

Born in Vancouver, BC, the Afro-Métis artist signed her first label agreement in 2020 with TMWRK Records (LA, NY) and, in 2021, with ZDBT, for the collaboration instant classic “Elastic”. These two projects, released in 2021, marked the start of Prado's artist development, as she took programs to enhance her career and businesses in Toronto, ON, in 2022. Throughout this time, she gained skills in Grant writing, research, performance and song development, project planning, and project management. Since returning to Vancouver, she has been dedicated to nurturing the communities that raised her and contributing as an artist, friend, and leader in the underground music community.
Instagram @pradomonroe


LIVE VISUALS - TARA ROSE MORRIS

Tara Rose Morris is a mixed desi new media artist, creative technologist, and educator based between Toronto and Montreal. Her installations, films, and performances explore how technology intervenes in our relationship with ourselves, each other, and our environment. Morris has shown works with arts institutions across North America including Gray Area, InterAccess, SXSW, VIFF, Nuit Blanche, and MAPP. She has a BA in Media Studies from Pomona College and a MSc in Fiction & Entertainment from SCIArc.
Instagram @taramoves


ALL FLOWERS MAHJONG

Founded in 2024, All Flowers Mahjong is an inclusive, grassroots social club in Toronto's Chinatown where people gather to play, learn, and share a love of mahjong. Rooted in the East and Southeast Asian diaspora, we create a third space that brings together generations across cultures.

As a feminist club, we recognize that culture and community are shaped by the realities of people's lives. From Turtle Island to Palestine, we stand against colonialism, imperialism, racial capitalism, displacement, and genocide, and move in solidarity with struggles for liberation.

We believe strong communities are built locally, one table at a time. All levels welcome.
Instagram @allflowersmahjong