It’s that time of year again when not only Canadians come together to celebrate Canada Day but all of London too. Not London, Ontario but London, England might I add. Any Canadians travelling overseas or anyone with maple leaves in their blood can spend an action packed July 1st with heaps of fun, games, good food and drink and live music to make them feel right at home. You might even remember VO covering the big day in 2010 right here.
Now in its 6th year, Canada Day in London is an initiative of the Canadian Community in the United Kingdom. The event is endorsed by the Canadian High Commission, advised by a Steering Committee drawn from the Canadian community, made possible with the support of the London Mayor’s Office, and produced by Rainmaker Global Business Development. In 2010, the event attracted a record crowd of 50,000 making it the largest Canada Day celebration outside of Canada’s borders. The event garnered media coverage in the United Kingdom and coast to coast coverage in Canada from the CBC, CTV, Global National and other news and media agencies. Many key events of the day such as the Trafalgar Cup street hockey tournament and the Canada on Stage live concert are not only fixtures at Canada Day in London but have become important parts of the city’s summer event calendar.
2011 is shaping up to be an even BIGGER and BETTER Canada day for everyone to enjoy….and all for FREE. The event will be hosted by Tanya Kim, from CTV’s entertainment show “etalk” and highlights will include the increasingly popular annual Trafalgar Cup street hockey tournament along with a variety of Canadian food and drink such as Tim Hortons timbits and delicious “poutine” and “bison burgers” as well as refreshing Canadian beer from Sleeman’s and wine from the world renowned Mission Hill winery. Cooking demonstrations will be taking place throughout the day with celebrity chef David Adjey host of “The Opener” on the Food Network. Stop by the Experience Canada Pavilion to learn more about all the travel hot spots in Canada. Added to all this will be plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy such as face painting, street performers, cultural exhibits and the regular Canadian ‘Mounties.’
The fun doesn’t stop there either. As the sun begins to set, Canada on Stage will be the entertainment until the end of the night showcasing the amazing musical talent to come out of Canada. This year will see some of Canada’s finest bands to perform including Jill Barber, Alex Cuba, 2010 Polaris winner Karkwa, Devon Sproule, Justin Hines, Lennie Gallant, Oh My Darling, Tammy Weis with James Bryan and music gods Blue Rodeo. This is set to be one of the main events of the summer.
“It has been very rewarding to watch Canada Day in London grow so rapidly over the last few years and we are looking forward to 2011 with an exciting line-up of activities and entertainment,” said Chad Molleken, UK Managing Director, Rainmaker Global Business Development. “The success of this event illustrates how strongly Canadian culture and the business community are embraced in London. Rainmaker is proud to produce such a high caliber event.”
VO will be in London to celebrate July 1st so keep checking back for a full update and photos captured on the day. In the meantime, you can find more information on Canada Day in London 2011 at www.canadadaylondon.com , on Facebook and Twitter.
