t's happening again. Another long weekend is upon us and disloyal urbanites are skipping town like they're in Independence Day. The weekend in question is the most bittersweet of them all: Labour Day. I implore you not to eschew your dear city for the temporary allures of sylvan sitting and staring. Leave the woods to the trees, you live in a bustling metropolis for a reason: a wealth of cultural attractions palpitate, calling you like a proverbial siren. Musicians, artists, fellow revelers, and Lisa Loeb -- albeit for a different reason -- all want you to stay. The city holds a special charm of a summer long weekend. Paradoxically, a conversely halcyon and frenetic air settles over the bars, shops, and buildings. It's like the entire town is a speakeasy of urban joy. It's your last weekend to wear white; get out there and sully your clothes. Here's what's going on.

Summer ends when the Canadian National Exhibition closes its doors (forget September 21st). One final tumultuous thrust before summer unofficially hits a roadblock in the form of a smoking-feet coda (i.e. Labour Day), the Ex is your last chance to win prizes and brave perennially invigorating (terrifying?) rides. Good luck.

Nothing titillates a blurbist like a great play on words; the people behind the annual Labour of Love party know what they're doing. Staying up all night staves off the day and, in this case, the forthcoming end of summer. Taking over the Guvernement for a night of deck and beat sponsored revelries, a cabal of world renowned DJs throw down. This year's event takes place Sunday night and features Benni Benassi, MSTRKRFT, Steve Aoki, Nasty Nav, Armin Van Buuren, and many, many others. Wear extra deodorant. Doors open at 9:00pm and stay ajar for twelve hours.

I didn't really want to tell you about this one, but I'm feeling altruistic. On Sunday night, Kevin Quain and the Mad Bastards return to the Cameron House. Quain et al take a summer sabbatical from their hallowed weekly in Toronto's greatest venue. However, they're back with the finest cabaret troubadour barfly art pop in the world. The first of two sets begin at 10:00pm. You can expect musical saws, spirited balladry, and sublimity from the renowned raconteur and his compatriots. Disclaimer: if you talk during the performance or take my seat I will blurb you to death.

With the unfaithful out of town, it's the perfect weekend to throw on a pair of fishnet stockings and belt out some campy (see the irony?) tunes. Friday night at 11:30pm, the Bloor Cinema will show the oft-contentious (see Spaced) Rocky Horror Picture Show.

While some people associate acoustic guitar strums with summer, I think of klezmer music. Okay, maybe I don't but I may after this weekend's Ashkenaz Festival. Closing out Harbourfront Centre's season-long World Routes series, this final party celebrates Jewish culture through music, food, and sundry other attractions (all of which are more interesting than staid lakes and desperate mosquitoes). It's on now and runs until Sunday.

If you must skip down -- not a good idea -- at least do something cool. Try the Come Together Festival. Taking place in Frontier Ghost Town (sounds cool already, doesn't it?), the fest brings together (apropos) a huge variety of musicians, many hippie placating, others skinny jean wearing. Look for genre hopping, acoustic plucks, distortion pedals, and extended jams. -S.T.