I can’t decide which of the Cultura Festival’s musical acts I’m most excited about presenting this year. The festival launches its fourth season July 5 and continues Friday evenings for the rest of July at Mel Lastman Square. This year’s lineup is the best yet.
As part of its Canadian tour, Chinese reggae band Long Shen Dao — winner of Best Band at last year’s Chinese Music Awards — will kick off Cultura on July 5.
On week two, starting July 12, expect the audience to be on its feet for top Quebec band La Bouttine Souriante.
On July 19, we present acclaimed female a cappella band Madrigal.
Cultura closes July 26 with a return engagement for Juno Award– winner Amanda Martinez, a crowd favourite two summers ago.
These free concerts are made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture as well as mainstage sponsorship from TD Canada Trust.
The acts perform a one-hour set, starting at 8 p.m. each week. Before the concert, we have two hours of great street entertainment, street food and assorted surprises.
Afterwards, our world-class buskers put on a show that leads into each week’s outdoor movie.
Our most popular food vendors — La Fiesta, Pondicherry and Sunshine Shakes — are back. We’ve also recruited some new ones, including Banjara, which was named Toronto’s Best Indian Restaurant, and Zaytoon Persian Kitchen.
For full program details, go to the Cultura website, at culturafestival.ca, or sign on to our e-mail list for weekly updates by going to my website at johnfilion.ca.