Harbourfront Centre World Routes Summer Events

(June through September)

Event Descriptions and Dates

Harbourfront Centre WORLD ROUTES 2008 Summer Events (June through 

September)

Also including summer events for The Power Plant, Summer Music in the 

Garden, Luminat�Eau and Franco-F�te

Harbourfront Centre presents top Canadian and International artists in 

music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film at each World Routes weekend 

starting June 26 to September 1. All festivals are FREE and suitable for 

all ages. World Routes is presented by RBC. Visitors can also shop and 

eat at the International Marketplace and at The World Caf� nestled 

alongside an extensive waterfront boardwalk.For World Routes 2008, 

Harbourfront Centre engages an exploration into the idea of borders. 

Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto.

For more information on all events the public can call 416-973-4000 or 

visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

A Rocky Mountain High: The Banff Centre (June 27 to 29) - Presented by 

Banff Lake Louise Tourism - Part of World Routes

Celebrate The Banff Centre's 75th anniversary with a festival of dance, 

theatre, music and film inspired by this world-renowned arts centre and 

its spectacular mountain setting.

World Routes Concerts (June 30, July 2 and July 3)

Rare free weekday evening concerts at the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Stage 

by internationally known performers like Dub Reggae legend Lee Scratch 

Perry (June 30), Afrobeat royalty Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 (July 2) and a 

performance by Senegalese Afro Soul and Jazz icons Orchestra Baobab 

(July 3).

Canada Day (Tuesday July 1) - Part of World Routes

In the spirit of history and family, this festival celebrates all that 

Canada has to offer. Featuring live music, film, visual arts and family 

events all day and into the night. 

Beats, Breaks & Culture ( July 4 to July 6) - Presented by NOW Magazine 

- Part of World Routes

The fifth anniversary of one of North America's leading electronic music 

and culture festivals plugs into the latest currents of modern musical 

expression.

Ritmo y Color (July 11 to July 13) - - Part of World Routes

This long running biannual Latin American festival visits the vibrant 

cultural arts scenes of Latin artists from abroad and from across 

Canada.

Celebrating tIRgAN (July 18 to July 20) - Part of World Routes

This inaugural festival reveals the diversity and vitality of Persian 

culture with performances from prominent international, Iranian and 

Canadian artists.

What Is Classical? (July 25 to July 27) - Part of World Routes

This new festival beckons audiences to question definitions of classical 

music with performances from a variety of global classical music genres 

and styles.

Island Soul (August 1 to August 4) - Part of World Routes

A kaleidoscope of cultures that is the Pan-Caribbean diaspora. Food 

demonstrations, dance and music from renowned Reggae, Soca. Crep;e and 

Calypso artists.

South Asia Calling (August 8 to August 10) - Part of World Routes

Showcasing the diversity of South Asian culture through music, film, 

dance, theatre, literature and comedy. With a focus on contemporary 

performance, South Asia Calling will incorporate all generations by 

presenting the icons of the region and their impact on the greater South 

Asian culture.

Hot and Spicy Food Festival (August 15 to August 17) - Presented by NOW 

Magazine - Part of World Routes

The 11th edition of this popular festival features local, international 

and celebrity chefs dishing up hot, sweet and spicy cuisine in 

demonstrations and at workshops, panel discussions and tutored tastings. 

Live music and dance enrich the palette of food events along with the 

return of  the fifth annual Iron Chef Competition and the Red Hot 

Market.

TELUS TAIWANfest: World in an Island (August 22 to August 24)- Part of 

World Routes

Celebrate the cultural treasures of this beautiful Island with 

performances from artists directly from Taiwan and from Canadian artists 

of Taiwanese heritage. This year the festival explores in performance 

and in exhibitions the intermingling of Dutch, Canadian, Japanese, 

Indigenous Peoples and Chinese heritage into the cultural history of 

Taiwan.

The Ashkenaz Festival (August 26 to September 1) - Part of World Routes

One of the largest and most prestigious festivals of its kind anywhere 

in the world, The Ashkenaz Festival 2008 will once again feature the 

best and brightest of the global Yiddish/Jewish culture scene: from 

traditional and boundary-breaking Klezmer, Yiddish, and Mid-eastern 

music, to diverse offerings in theatre, film, visual arts, and 

literature, plus family programming, interactive music and dance 

workshops, and the famous Ashkenaz Parade! Co-produced by the Ashkenaz 

Foundation. More information at www.ashkenazfestival.com

Additional Exciting Summer 2008 Events at Harbourfront Centre:

The Power Plant Summer exhibitions (June 7 to September 1) - Not Quite 

How I Remember It

Highlighting forms of reenactment and reconstruction, Not Quite How I 

Remember It combines the work of Canadian and international artists to 

investigate how we channel, mediate and memorialize history. Through 

projects that reanimate and recreate iconic and obscure events, cultural 

artifacts and artworks, the exhibition explores the anachronistic place 

of the past within the present. Works in the exhibition build on 

modernist strategies of montage and appropriation as well as cultural 

practices of sampling and remixing. Recognizing the slippage between 

fiction and documentary which underlie all historical accounts, they 

treat the past as a work-in-progress.  In so doing, they throw light on 

timely issues of authorship, ownership, subjectivity, identification, 

influence, and collectivity. For more information on this exhibition and 

on The Power Plant's hours and ongoing events please visit 

www.thepowerplant.org

Luminat�Eau: Carnival H2O (June 13 to June 15)

This weekend-long spectacular finale festival for the 2008 Luminato 

festival will transform the waterfront into a nexus of creativity and 

celebration. Free events for all ages on multiple outdoor stages draw 

inspiration from a range of water carnivals, celebrations and imagery. 

Luminat�eau will focus on the universal themes of: Birth and Rebirth, 

Sacred, Life Force, Journey. Coproduced with Luminato.

Franco-F�te 2008 (June 21)

Francophones, francophiles and French culture lovers come in large 

numbers to this free event par excellence for the Greater Toronto Area: 

La Franco-F�te. For the 26th edition, celebrate and share French culture 

with a day of festivities for the entire family and a unique evening 

show (www.franco-fete.ca).

Summer Music in the Garden (June 29 through September 14)

Summer Music in the Garden showcases an eclectic array of music and 

dance performances that reflect the exuberance, poetry and fantasy of 

the Toronto Music Garden, and of Johann Sebastian Bach�the composer who 

inspired it. Summer Music in the Garden presents 20 free outdoor 

concerts and dance performances with approximately 80 performers, taking 

place on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. and on most Sundays at 4 p.m. The 

popular free guided garden tours led by volunteers from the Toronto 

Botanical Garden return for another season, taking place on Wednesdays 

at 11 a.m. from June 4 to September 24, and on Thursdays before every 

concert at 5:30 p.m. from July 3 to September 11. Self-guided audio 

tours are also available for a nominal fee. 

The 2008 season opens on Sunday June 29 with music for cello ensemble - 

a tribute to the venue, which “translates” Bach’s first suite for solo 

cello into horticulture. This year presents Paul Widner (director), 

Garrett Knecht, Peter Cosbey and Alastair Eng in an eclectic program to 

launch the concert series. Summer Music in the Garden is programmed for 

Harbourfront Centre by Artistic Director, Tamara Bernstein. Toronto 

Music Garden programmes are produced by Harbourfront Centre in 

partnership with City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation. Summer 

Music in the Garden is made possible through the generosity of Toronto 

Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Toronto Culture, and Jim and Margaret 

Fleck.  The Toronto Music Garden is a City of Toronto park, located on 

the city’s waterfront at 475 Queens Quay West (on the water’s edge 

side), between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. It is 

wheelchair-accessible and open year-round.

Media Contacts:

Shane Gerard (416-973-4518 or sgerard@harbourfrontcentre.com)

Summer Music in the Garden - Linda Liontis (416-973-4381 or 

lliontis@harbourfrontcentre.com)

Luminat�Eau: Carnival H2O � Cary Mignault 

(cmignault@harbourfrontcentre.com)