GET READY TO DANCE AS TD IRIE MUSIC FESTIVAL COMES TO TORONTO, MISSISSAUGA AND OSHAWA!
Wayne Wonder, Richie Stephens, Half Pint & 2 New Showcases at IRIE 2013
TORONTO, ON (Monday, June 17, 2013) – Get ready to eat, dance and sing along with the best reggae, salsa and world music artists and dancers this summer as TD Irie Music Festival returns for an eleventh year of FREE, family friendly fun. This year, IRIE invites music lovers right across the GTA to celebrate summer at the inaugural Oshawa showcase on Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21, 2013 at Oshawa Memorial Park, at last year’s popular new downtown Mississauga location Celebration Square on Saturday, July 13 & Sunday,July 14, 2013, and at the original TD IRIE Music Festival location in downtown Toronto at the newly revamped Nathan Phillips Square, Friday, August 2 through Monday, August 5, 2013.
“IRIE Fest is a fun, free, family friendly showcase of the best in Reggae and world music, dance, great food and other artistic endeavours,” says co-founder and Artistic Director, Phil Vassell. “That is what Irie Music Festival has always been about. This year, we’ve consolidated our downtown Toronto festivities at the newly revamped and renovated Nathan Phillips Square, and branched out to include Peel and Durham and better connect with culturally diverse populations in those regions as well.”
IRIE has made a name for itself as THE premiere music festival to see the most exciting performers in Reggae, Salsa, SOCA and world music, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever with a program that includes:
MISSISSAUGA - Leading international reggae sensation ETANA headlines the first IRIE Women's Showcase in downtown Mississauga at Celebration Square on the evening of Saturday, July 13, 2013. ETANA will be joined by a who’s who of rising Canadian female artists including Belinda Brady, Ammoye and Dahliain this special prime time spotlight.
OSHAWA (Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 21, 2013)- Reggae, R&B, Hip Hop triple threat WAYNE WONDER introduces Oshawa to IRIE style
TORONTO (Friday, August 2 to Sunday, August 5, 2013)- Former Soul II SoulerRICHIE STEPHENS and HALF PINT bring their dancehall grooves to Nathan Phillips Square this Simcoe Day Long Weekend
ALL Critically acclaimeddance companyDANCE IMMERSION returns once again for all three IRIE weekends, with lively, energetic performancesshowcasing the dancers and dances of the African Diaspora.
With over 100,000 festival visitors in the festival's biggest year and growing, TD Bank returns as title sponsor of the Toronto and Mississauga IRIE Music Festival celebrations for the seventh straight year, and City, OMNI and Rogers Television will provide coverage of the festivities as Official Media Partners IRIE is also pleased to welcome back Public Mobile, alongside Canadian Heritage, Celebrate Ontario, Ontario Arts Council, City of Toronto, City of Mississauga and various regional tourism bodies.
About TD Irie Music Festival
The TD IRIE Music Festival is produced by IRIE Music Festival Inc., a non-profit organization. The festival produces a free, multi-day, multi-city, family-friendly festival program, featuring some of the top musical and dance artists locally , nationally and internationally each summer and provides an opportunity to promote a greater understanding between diverse cultures and traditions of Toronto and the GTA– the world's most culturally diverse region. In 2012, the annual tradition expanded to include Mississauga, and the 2013 inclusion of Oshawa makes IRIE a one of a kind GTA experience.
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Saturday, July 13th - Sunday, July 14th- Celebration Square, Mississauga (near Square One)
Weekend 2: Saturday, July 20 - Sunday, July 21st at Memorial Park in downtown Oshawa
Weekend 3: Friday, August 2 to 5th at Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto
Media Please Contact: Metropolis Agencies
Lowell Hall 416-887-1636 or Nadia Sandhu 647-907-0171