4 h. ago Cowboys Park improvements struck wrong chord with Blues Festival organizers

It was in early February that Calgary International Blues festival producer Cindy McLeod received a map from the city detailing significant changes coming to Cowboys Park. The annual outdoor music festival was to run from July 31 to Aug. 3 at the venue on the west edge of downtown — the same location where it […]

Culture

4 h. ago ‘This was sprung on us’: Festival organizers feel bulldozed by Cowboys Park transformation

It was in early February that Calgary International Blues festival producer Cindy McLeod received a map from the city detailing significant changes coming to Cowboys Park. The annual outdoor music festival was to run from July 31 to Aug. 3 at the venue on the west edge of downtown — the same location where it […]

Culture

50 h. ago Steve Earle to headline Saturday night mainstage at Calgary Folk Music Festival, British funk pioneers Cymande will perform Friday

Singer-songwriter and activist Steve Earle will headline the Calgary Folk Music Festival on Saturday, July 26 at Prince’s Island Park. Earle, whose music career goes back more than four decades, will perform with American country rockers Reckless Kelly. Earle joins headliners CAKE, Los Lobos, Patrick Watson and Sierra Ferrell, who were previously announced by the […]

Culture

4 d. ago Barnside Harvest Festival, Salmon Arm Roots and Blues and Vancouver Jazz Festival series announce lineups

Colin James and Arkells to play B.C. summer music festivals.

Culture

8 d. ago Toronto's buzziest new party series is turning into a music festival this spring

The Coffee Party, perhaps the most-buzzed-about party series to hit Toronto's social scene in the past year, is only continuing to gain popularity, and this spring, they're taking their approach to new heights.It's only been about four months since friends (and, now cofounders)  Zohaib, Matt, Jeff, Greg and Matty turned their shared love of coffee, tunes and day parties into their first-ever event, which drew in a whopping 250-person crowd, at Baro.In the months that have followed, the concept, which centres around good, sober fun, in a club-like daytime atmosphere with complimentary coffee, pastries and DJ sets keeping the vibes up, has blown up in every sense of the word.Their most recent Toronto event (they've also since expanded to Miami) was held at Nodo Liberty Village and drew a lineup that covered a block and a half of Liberty Street, on top of the 1000 people already packed inside by 10:30 a.m.Suffice it to say, the boys have struck gold, tapping into a shift...

Culture

2 w. ago Canadian Music Week founder launches legal action against Departure Festival

TORONTO — The founder of Canadian Music Week is taking the new owners of Departure Festival to court, alleging they’ve breached their contract and failed to pay fees tied to their acquisition of his music industry conference. Former CMW president and creator Neill Dixon filed a notice of action in an Ontario court earlier this […]

Culture

2 w. ago New things coming to Ontario this spring and summer that you should get excited about

There's no end to the exciting recurring events, from street parties to music festivals, which happen in Ontario during the spring and summer, but what about all the new stuff we can look forward to as warmer temperatures return?From raucous new concert venues to breathtaking million-dollar projects finally nearing completion, Ontario is brimming with brand-new buildings, attractions and activities that might just make this spring the best one yet.Here are a few of the new things coming to Ontario this spring and summer for you to start getting excited about.Rogers StadiumStep aside, Rogers Centre, there'll soon be a new kid in town, and it's poised to be Toronto's largest concert venue to date, boasting a 50,000-person capacity and a growing lineup featuring some huge names.Taking over a 44-acre vacant lot at YDZ, formerly Downsview Airport, the stadium is already slated to host Blackpink, Coldplay, Oasis and Hozier, to name just a few.Rogers Stadium will be Tor...

Other

2 w. ago '50s and '60s dance parties are about to be Toronto's new favourite way to let loose

A brand-new retro dance party series from a pair of veteran DJs is about to leave Toronto's party set no other choice but to shake, rattle and roll with the best tunes from the 1950s and '60s.Though I think we're past the point of yearning for the mid-twentieth century based on any preconceptions that it was a simpler or more innocent time (it wasn't, they just didn't have the internet,) there's really no arguing that the music, culture and style that arose from that era is, quite simply, really enjoyable.It's that exact premise that's led practiced Toronto DJs Brittney Townson, better known among the event circuit by her musical moniker DJ Blush, and musical partner Derek Brunelle (or DJ Derek B), to come up with Soul A Go-Go, their brand-new party series which kicks off next week."People resonate with '50s and '60s music because it's packed with raw emotion, unforgettable melodies, and a sense of authenticity that still feels fresh today," Brittney, who frequently p...

Culture

last month SkirtsAfire festival offers music, comedy and more at slimmed

It’s a rough time to be an artist, but SkirtsAfire is stepping up to the plate to help as much as possible. “We’re getting more and more submissions,” says artistic producer Amanda Goldberg about the SkirtsAfire, Edmonton’s only theatre and multidisciplinary arts festival featuring women-identifying and non-binary artists. “They definitely passed a hundred this year. […]

Events