It took 19 months to give a green makeover to the Automotive Building, built in 1929, which has been renamed the Allstream Centre.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
Find Toronto's inner strength
Discover the inner lives of buildings that you walk by every day of your life. A selection of fire stations, houses of worship, businesses and old factories are admitting visitors for the weekend as part of Doors Open. Gawk at the art-deco glory of the Allstream Centre or admire the whacked-out decor inside a Masonic Temple. (Saturday and Sunday. www.toronto.ca/doorsopen)
Explore the world
Remember Caravan, the wonderfully dorky city-wide celebration of multiculturalism that let you circumnavigate the globe with nothing more than a bike and an empty and undiscerning stomach? At Carassauga, you can capture the same spirit, but you'll probably need four wheels, since it's in the 'Saug. Visit a range of pavilions, from Serbian to Iraqi to Guyanese and get familiar with their food and folk dances. (Saturday and Sunday. www.carassauga.com) If McCallionstan is too remote for your downtown sensibilities, immerse yourself in the South Asian music during Desifest, which takes place in Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday, 11 a.m. onward (www.desifest.ca).
Find Godspeed You! Black Emperor spin-off
Chamber punk? Psych-metal curmudgeons? Indie rock? Whatever the case, the band Thee Silver Mt. Zion is giving Pitchfork music critics a good workout trying to classify them. An offshoot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, they bring their uncategorizable sound to Lee's Palace this weekend. (Saturday, 11:30 p.m. $15, 529 Bloor St. W.)
Enjoy some wheel tough girls
The super-bruisey sport of roller derby kicks (and we means kicks) off this weekend at Downsview Park. Scream at really tough girls on wheels pushing each other around. If this feels cathartic for you, imagine about how they must feel! The Gore-Gore Rollergirls go up against the Smoke City Betties in the season opener. (Saturday, Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $18, www.torontorollerderby.com)
Order the wing special
Next to the roller-derby gals, the pastime of plane-spotting seems positively genteel. Hornets, Griffins and Silver Darts, among others, will be on display, in the air and ground, at the Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival, also at Downsview Park. (Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $15 adults; $10 children, www.wingsandwheelsfestival.com)