Citywide Canada Days music festival
TORONTO, July 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Beginning at 2 p.m. today, Toronto residents can celebrate Canada's 150th birthday at the free Canada Days festival in four communities across the city – downtown at Nathan Phillips Square, in Scarborough at Scarborough Civic Centre, in Etobicoke at Humber Bay Park West, and in North York at Mel Lastman Square. The full performance lineup for each site is available at http://www.toronto.ca/canadadays.
Canada Days is part of the City's TO Canada with Love year-long program of more than 30 celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions marking Canada's 150th birthday.
Date: Saturday, July 1
Time: 2 p.m. opening remarks, Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremonies (various times, across all locations), fireworks at 10:55 p.m. across all locations.
Location: Nathan Phillips Square (100 Queen St. W.), Scarborough Civic Centre (150 Borough Dr.), Humber Bay Park West (2225 Lake Shore Blvd. W.), and Mel Lastman Square (5100 Yonge St.).
Media logistics note: Arrangements for artist and spokesperson interviews must be made in advance through the media contact listed below. Media access varies at each location.
Each festival site features multiple stages offering music, dance, circus and street arts for the public to enjoy. Main Stage performers for July 1 are:
• Nathan Phillips Square – Born Ruffians (2 p.m.), Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony (2:45 p.m.), Kid Koala Vinyl Vaudeville Show (4 p.m.), Cuban-Canadian Jazz Collective (5:15 p.m.), Bixiga 70 (6:30 p.m.), Charlotte Day Wilson (8:15 p.m.), and Ron Sexsmith and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with special guest Rose Cousins (9:45 p.m.)
• Scarborough Civic Centre – Les Filles de Illighadad (2:15 p.m.), Lan Shin Band (3:30 p.m.), Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs (4:45 p.m.), Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony (5:45 p.m.), Bonjay (7 p.m.), Kingston All-Stars (8:15 p.m.), Horsepowar (9:45 p.m.), and Deen Squad (10:10 p.m.)
• Humber Bay Park West – Diely Mori Tounkara (2 p.m.), SATE (3: 15 p.m.), Iskwé (4:30 p.m.), Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony (5:45 p.m.), Bareto (6:45 p.m.), DakhaBrakha (8:15 p.m.), Basia Bulat with Cold Specks (9:45 p.m.)
• Mel Lastman Square – Zuze (2:15 p.m.), Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony (3 p.m.), The Jerry Cans (3:45 p.m.), Noreum Machi (5 p.m.), Shauit (6:15 p.m.), The Lytics (8 p.m.), Busty and the Bass (9:45 p.m.)
A hospitality area offering food and beverage for purchase will be available. Alcoholic beverages will be available for individuals 19 and older. Valid photo identification must be provided.
Special TTC services on July 1
In addition to regular service, the TTC will add additional trains on Lines 1, 2 and 3 to assist with crowding on July 1. Several bus/streetcar routes will divert around road closures due to Canada Day events. A shuttle bus service will operate from Old Mill Station to the festivities at Humber Bay Park West. A Wheel-Trans vehicle will be available at Old Mill Station to provide accessible service to/from Jane Station (for the Humber Bay shuttle). More information about all routing changes can be found at http://www.ttc.ca.
Accessibility at the festival
The City of Toronto is committed to presenting an accessible event. An accessible viewing area and a sign-language interpreter will be provided at each site. Information on Wheel Trans pickup and dropoff locations, accessible parking, and dedicated accessible viewing areas at each site is available at http://ow.ly/WInN30cYV8c.
Road closures on July 1
A series of roads will be closed for the Canada Days festival at Nathan Phillips Square, Humber Bay Park West, Scarborough Civic Centre and Mel Lastman Square. These roads include:
• Bay Street between Dundas Street to Richmond Street from noon to 1 a.m.
• Queen Street from Yonge Street to University Avenue from noon to 1 a.m.
• Elizabeth Street, Hagerman Street and Albert Street from noon to 1 a.m. due to the nightly fireworks display.
• York Street between Queen Street and Richmond Street (local traffic only) from noon to 1 a.m.
• Borough Drive between Borough Approach East and Borough Approach West will be closed.
• The Yonge Street southbound lanes between Park Home Avenue and North York Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• The Yonge Street northbound lanes between Elmwood Avenue and Empress Avenue from noon to 1 a.m.
• Humber Bay Park Road West (south of Lake Shore Boulevard West) from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Additional road closures may be required to manage pedestrian traffic during the event. A full list of road closures for the Canada Day long weekend is available at http://www.toronto.ca/roadrestrictions.
Part of the TO Canada with Love program, Canada Days is produced by the City of Toronto in partnership with the Province of Ontario's Ontario150 Program and the Government of Canada, and with financial support from National Sponsor, CIBC; Premier Sponsor, Tim Hortons; Official Beer Sponsor, Steam Whistle Brewing; Official Wine Sponsor, Barefoot Wines & Bubbly; Official Beverage Sponsor, Pepsi; Official Volunteer Sponsor, Vistaprint; and Hospitality Partner, Barque.
Social media updates on Canada Days are available at @SpecialEventsTO on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SpecialEventsTO, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/specialeventsTO, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/specialeventsTO, and on Snapchat at https://www.snapchat.com/add/specialeventsto. The event hashtag is #C150TO. A custom Canada Days Snapchat geo-filter for Nathan Phillips Square will be available from June 30 at 5 p.m. to July 3 at midnight.
About TO Canada with Love
TO Canada with Love is the City of Toronto's year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions honouring Canada's 150th birthday. The program is Toronto's cultural love letter to the country, offering a rich tapestry of more than 30 City-produced events taking place across the city throughout 2017. For more information, visit http://www.toronto.ca/canada150.
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. In 2017, Toronto will honour Canada's 150th birthday with "TO Canada with Love," a year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto.
S
|
Justine Palinska 7/1/2017 |
Contact: |
|
|
