MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OH, CANADA! Harbourfront Centre releases festival lineup for Canada Day Extravaganza – June 27-July 1 Featuring over 60 events, 24 free concerts, 50 vendors, OLG Canada Eve Fireworks and more! TORONTO, ON (June 3, 2014) – Today, Harbourfront Centre announced a birthday celebration of spectacular patriotic proportions with the release of the Canada Day Extravaganza lineup. The festival, which runs June 27-July 1 in celebration of Canada Day and Harbourfront Centre’s 40th anniversary, boasts a diverse range of multidisciplinary celebratory festivities for patrons and patriots of all ages. From food to fireworks, music to movement, crafts to cupcakes and more, Harbourfront Centre invites the city of Toronto and its visitors to take part in an epic 5-day celebration of Canadian arts and creativity. Uniting visionary artists, thought-provoking ideas, multidisciplinary projects and Toronto’s diverse communities, this year’s Canada Day Extravaganza will mark a special moment in Harbourfront Centre’s history. In true anniversary spirit, the festival programming will explore the idea of legacy, looking at ideas surrounding what it means to be Canadian and how Harbourfront Centre has helped shape and shift ideas around Canadian identity in the last 40 years. “This year’s Canada Day Extravaganza is going to be a lavish weekend filled with spectacle and celebration,” shares Melanie Fernandez, director of Cultural Engagement and Activations at Harbourfront Centre. “If you’re staying in the city for the long weekend, there’s no better place to celebrate than Harbourfront Centre. Bring your family and friends, watch the fireworks, sit by the water and experience the very best in Canadian arts, culture and community.” Canada Day Extravaganza – Highlights at a Glance: • OLG Canada Eve Fireworks – a spectacular, two-barge 20 minute firework display timed to music • Rapper’s Delight with special guest Maestro Fresh Wes • Sundown @ 40: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot with Tom Wilson and Friends • Late Night Queer Cabaret- A World Pride Major Partner Event! • Jim Galloway- Jazz legend and long-time Harbourfront Centre House Band leader Jim Galloway brings back the Wee Big Band • Celebrate 40 with the Toronto All Star Big Band • The Maple Leaf Forever • Common Steps Dance Battle • World’s Largest Round Dance • Food competitions, including The Great Canadian Butter Tart Bake-off and Porkapalooza • Marching bands, arts and crafts, films, puppets and more! MEDIA CONTACT Chrissi Forte Office: 416-973-4342 | Cell: 416-523-0018 [email protected] 1 MEDIA RELEASE For additional information and complete event listings, please visit harbourfrontcentre.com or call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000. Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West in the heart of downtown Toronto’s waterfront. For information about visiting Harbourfront Centre during the Queens Quay revitalization, visit harbourfrontcentre.com/gettinghere. ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE Harbourfront Centre is a Canadian charity operating the 10 prime acres of Toronto’s central waterfront as a free and open public site. We celebrate the multiplicities of cultures that comprise Canada and enliven the city through the creative imaginations of artists from across the country and around the globe. -30- CANADA DAY EXTRAVAGANZA LINEUP FIREWORKS: OLG Canada Eve Fireworks Monday, June 30, 2014 from approximately 10:40 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. – along Harbourfront Centre’s waterfront Thanks to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), Harbourfront Centre will once again present an extravagant 20-minute firework display, timed to music, along Toronto’s central waterfront. Fact! All air traffic along the harbour will be suspended for the duration of the fireworks. MUSIC: Deep Fried Global Bass Friday, June 27, 2014 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. - Redpath Stage Globe trotting DJ/Producer Uproot Andy returns to his hometown of Toronto with a suitcase of dance floor gems to kick off the DJ Deep Fried Fridays series. Recently, Andy travelled and toured through Mexico, so for this installment of the DJ Deep Fried Fridays series we turn to La Mexicana Restaurant for delicious Chimichangas Vox Sambou Friday, June 27, 2014 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – WestJet Stage Vox Sambou is a founding member of the Montreal hip-hop crew Nomadic Massive, which has been wowing crowds at home and abroad since 2005. His work bridging Canadian and Haitian musicians and scenes is a testament to the kind of long-term vision contained in The Big Idea: Legacy, one of international and collaborative scope. Rapper’s Delight with special guest Maestro Fresh Wes Friday, June 27, 2014 from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. – WestJet Stage MEDIA CONTACT Chrissi Forte Office: 416-973-4342 | Cell: 416-523-0018 [email protected] 2 MEDIA RELEASE Wonder Mike and Master Gee, two of the three original members of the Sugarhill Gang bring the legacy of Hip-Hop to life on the stage of Harbourfront Centre as part of the Canada Day Extravaganza! Hosted by Michael Williams (Rap City/Soul in the City). Dancing Through the Decades: Swingin’ Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Ontario Square The Toronto All-Star Big Band takes audiences swingin’ through the years, presenting a celebration of the sounds of swing through the decades and beyond. Dancers from Bees’ Knees Dance will lead a workshop to ensure audiences can follow their urges to move along to the music. Dirty Dishes Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – North Exhibition Commons Head west toward Edmonton with the Dirty Dishes, a talented trio who blend country, bluegrass, and gospel to create their unique sounds. King Cobb Steelie Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – WestJet Stage Formed in Guelph in 1991, King Cobb Steelie combines a variety of global sounds – dub, Afrobeat and more – with pop, punk and rock sensibilities to create a new sound that is socially and politically conscious. They have a long performing and recording career working with innovators like Bill Laswell, Steve Albini, Mad Professor & Guy Fixsen; in addition to celebrating the re-issue of 1994's critically acclaimed Project Twinkle, late 2013 saw the release of their first new material in nearly a decade. Fritz Helder Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. – WestJet Stage The future looks bright for Fritz Helder as he returns to his performance art roots, preparing to take you on another aural and visual adventure. Helder will debut new music and a dynamic stage show that brings together over 10 years of FRITZMANIA, at the Harbourfront Centre’s WestJet Stage! Late Night Queer Cabaret - A World Pride Major Partner Event Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 10:30 p.m. (doors) to 2:00 a.m. – Brigantine Room In celebration of World Pride, Harbourfront Centre proudly presents an LGBTQ lineup of DJs and dancers that are sure to inspire you to jump up and express yourself. Featuring Light Fires, Fritz Helder, Nightbox DJs, Boylesque T.O. and more! Hosted by Miss Conception. Admission at the door: $10. Jim Galloway and the Wee Big Band Sunday, June 29, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – WestJet Stage As the long-time leader of the original Harbourfront Centre house band, Galloway – a highly- acclaimed jazz musician with a long and storied career – puts the band back together. Join him and the Wee Big Band in celebration of Harbourfront Centre and Canadian jazz. Pan Fantasy Steelband Sunday, June 29, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – North Exhibition Common MEDIA CONTACT Chrissi Forte Office: 416-973-4342 | Cell: 416-523-0018 [email protected] 3 MEDIA RELEASE There is no better reason to pull over in Toronto than Caribana, now in its 48th year. Become part of the celebration with Pan Fantasy Steelband, an impressive collective of vibrant musicians. Njacko Backo Sunday June 29, 2014 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Redpath Stage Since 1989, Njacko Backo & Kalimba Kalimba have been making people dance and have fun. Drawing from the rich rhythmic roots of Cameroon (Ben Skin, Bikutsi, Makossa, Manganbeu) and branching out to other popular African genres (Sabar, Kavacha, Soukous, Rhumba), the two create a unique, groovy blend of Afro Pop. SoundClash Music Award 2014 Saturday, June 28 - Sunday, June 29, 2014 – Redpath Stage Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. – Redpath Stage Sunday, June 29, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – Redpath Stage Come check out our shortlisted SoundClash Music Award finalists, as selected by our jury of industry professionals, who will perform for the chance to win up to $10,000 in Cash and Prizes. Dancing Through the Decades: Kids Today! Sunday, June 29, 2014 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Ontario Square Continuing our celebration of Harbourfront Centre’s four decades, we turn to the next generation who prove that a new musical legacy is being built upon solid foundations through soundtracks that’ll make you move. The Kid Mitchell Band, put together by the iconic Canadian guitarist Kim Mitchell, began as a one-song contest. Since then, the band has blossomed into a full-on rock band celebrating all that is classic in rock while aiming to create new classics.