Results tagged “virginfestival”

MUSIC: The squeaky wheels of Toronto get the grease this weekend. Poor ticket sales and feedback were enough to prompt Virgin Festival organizers to bail on Burl's Creek and settle on the Molson Amphitheatre as the festival's new venue. That means there won't be any tents or toasted marshmallows, but your concert ticket will garner you free same-day admission to Ontario Place and the CNE. V-Fest is boasting a line-up of more than thirty bands, with Ben Harper and Relentless7, Pixies, and Franz Ferdinand taking the stage on Saturday. Sunday's notables include Nine Inch Nails, Pet Shop Boys, and Our Lady Peace. There will also be plenty of Can-con this weekend with Sloan, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Thunderheist, Plants and Animals, and The D'Urbervilles. Molson Amphitheatre (909 Lakeshore Boulevard West), Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m., $39.50 and up.

ART: There are two cool art openings today. The first is StreetSpeaks, a new photo exhibition by May Karp, a 30-year advocate of expression through street art. The exhibit showcases the street art photographed by Karp while travelling through France, Portugal, Miami, New York, Spain, the Canary Islands, and Toronto. Until September 27 (The Moore Gallery at 404-80 Spadina Avenue, 2 p.m., FREE). The second is The Artillerist, an installation by Pixel Immersive Gallery, featuring many artists including Neil Collyer, Derrick Hodgson, Niko Stumpo, and Janis Kun, among others. The show boasts an interactive premise, with visitors using Nintendo Wii controllers aimed at digital canvases in order to output graphics previously created by the show's artists. Each visitor will be able to view their unique composition on the exhibit's Flickr gallery, and will also be able to purchase hi-res prints of their work. Until October 4 (Pixel Immersive Gallery at 156 Augusta Avenue, 7 p.m., $5).

While the rest of the city ferried their way to Toronto Island for this weekend's Virgin Festival (Torontoist will have more on that later!), art-rock darlings Animal Collective stopped by at the Phoenix (early!) last night on their world tour for their latest album, Strawberry Jam.

Photo of Tokyo Police Club by Conway L.

The confirmed headliners were announced today for Toronto's second Virgin Festival, happening September 9 and 10, on Olympic Island. The top spots this year go to the (sort of) newly reformed Smashing Pumpkins, who will headline the festival on Day 2, and Iceland's most eccentric citizen, Bjork, who will close Day 1. Other bands announced include The Killers, Interpol, Jamie T., Paolo Nutini, Amy Winehouse, and we're happy to say, Toronto's own Tokyo Police Club! Over the next few months the remaining 30+ acts will be announced once confirmed.

On any given weekday, around 5 p.m., you can expect to find a bit of a mob gathered around the corner of Queen and John. That’s when MuchMusic's Much on Demand airs live and excitable teens like to gather to catch a glimpse of a celebrity—any celebrity. And since it's March Break this week, you can expect double the crowds as guests like Christian rock band Relient K and High School Musical's Jordan Pruitt drop by to plug their products.

If this weekend's Film Festival, Virgin Festival, Ring Festival and Taste of Toronto Festival don't excite you as much as a good vegan quiche, head down to the Harbourfront Centre for the annual Vegetarian Food Fair, which features cooking demonstrations, vendors, and guest speakers.

Just about one year after the last major Toronto (areaish) concert, Richard Branson announced that the Toronto Islands will host the Virgin Festival over a weekend in early September. This is the first time the Virgin Festival crosses the pond outside the UK. Note that this is the first time that Centre Island will be closed to the public.