Set among the brick-laid streets of Toronto’s Historic Distillery district, the Fan Village drew hockey fans from all over. There was food and drinks of all kinds to celebrate the cultures of all the participating hockey nations and a massive second site with hockey-inspired games that would put any carnival to shame. While the fun and games drew the crowds, the music was the key element that set the celebratory mood and it, of course, drew tens of thousands of its own fans too.
It was pretty straightforward: the NHL required the best. Not only did they want to feature re-nowned international marquee artists, the artists also couldn’t have performed in Toronto in the last six months or have plans to play the city in the next six months either. A whole year with-out a gig in Toronto is a long time, especially with all the festivals the city hosts each summer. But we did what we always do and delivered a stellar line up, and in record time.
The festival opened with a performance by renowned singer/songwriter Daya and throughout the ten days featured appearances by River Town Saints, The Proud Sons, NEFE, Dube, Jor-dan Alexander, Tim Hicks, Eric Ethridge, Dwayne Gretzky Francesco Yates as well as Grammy-winning sensations Lenny Kravitz and The Killers. Fans and the NHL alike agreed the talent did not disappoint.