|
Press Releases & New stories about the event S: (n) festival (a day or period of time
set aside for feasting and celebration) The third annual Parkdale Youth Festival takes place on Saturday August 25th from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Masaryk-Cowan Park, Queen and Cowan. It’s a day of family entertainment to raise awareness for various Parkdale youth service organizations. There’s definitely a need for awareness of available youth service organizations within the city, whether this be for help in finding a job, finding a place to stay, or getting the next meal. The goal of the Festival is to create awareness by providing a fun interactive community based event. The end result is to create an accessible reference database of services that are available to youth. The website currently has a list of past organizations. The Festival will be comprised of various components, including an "Interactive Art Zone" where individuals can contribute to a “mural of street art". At the end of the day these pieces will be offered to various community organizations in hopes that they are proudly displayed. Throughout the day there will also be a variety of performances, a children’s activity area and wading pool, a Marketplace of local artisans and vendors, and a Community Information Fair with displays of materials from various youth organizations. This is the last weekend before youth head back to school which makes it all that much more important to get this information out. Musical performances on the Mazaryk-Cowan Park Stage starting at 1PM, with The Ugly Bug Band, Box Full of Cash, Fred Spek/Camp Combo, Janet Whiteway, Laura Repo, Chris Bottomley, Spacecraft 7, The WG's, The Apollo Effect, The Old Soul.
University of Toronto’s CIUT-FM will be doing a
Live-To-Air broadcast for the full duration of the Festival. Tune into
89.5 FM or www.ciut.fm on the internet if you are unable to attend,
and hear all the Park Stage performances. Official sponsors include NOW Magazine, CIUT FM 89.5, Woolfitt’s Art Supplies, Babbleweb, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Pizza Pizza, Long and McQuade, Metalworks Studios Inc, Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri Dinovo and Ward 14 Councillor Gord Perks. With support from Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation, Parkdale Liberty Newspaper, Gleaner Publications, and Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre Again this year there will be an After Party featuring several performances and DJ’s as part of P-Fest, presented by Triple-X Productions. Rhino Bar, 1249 Queen Street West, 9PM, $10 - DJ's: General Ready and Triple-X - Guest DJ Set : Countess Christsmasher (Procon) - Live Sets: Put The Rifle Down and Dirty 30. .Presented by Triple-X Productions - more info at www.themarsbar.com Come out and support the leaders of tomorrow and enjoy a great day of entertainment for everyone. Media Inquiries, Volunteers, Performers, Artists and Vendors Festival Media Stories 2006 A slice of the real Queen Toronto Star
Not quite. The Second Annual Parkdale Youth Festival (noon to 8 p.m. today at Masaryk-Cowan Park, Queen St. W. at Cowan Ave.) is a slice of the real Queen St. W. — at least when it comes to art — now that almost everything farther east along Queen St. has been so thoroughly gentrified. Some real finds can be had in the art marketplace at the festival that includes live performances and an "Interactive Art Zone" where visitors can add to a street mural. In case of rain, many events will be moved inside to the gymnasium in the Masaryk-Cowan Centre. An after-party follows the end of the day's events. Eye Magazine
Parkdale Festival generates interest in youth service organizations CYNTHIA REASON - THE VILLAGER The second annual Parkdale Youth Festival is set to descend upon the neighbourhood next Saturday featuring a wide range of musical acts guaranteed to bring out area youth. The goal of the day-long music and art festival is to generate interest in youth service organizations by providing a community-based event, said Bryen Dunn, festival innovator. "We really want to make this a fun interactive day for everyone, with the main focus on bringing awareness to what's available in the area for youth, along with providing a full day of great entertainment," he said. With that in mind, a Community Information Fair with displays of materials from various youth-oriented organizations will be on location at the festival for participants to check out. Some of the organizations involved will include the Parkdale Community Information Centre, Riverdale Immigrant Women's Centre, the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, the Newcomer Youth Centre at CultureLink Settlement Services, Parkdale Community Health Centre, Planned Parenthood of Toronto, the Gay and Lesbian Youth Line, St. Stephen's House youth employment services agency and Mazemaster youth employment website. Peggy Nash, MP for Parkdale-High Park, and Ward 14 Councillor Sylvia Watson, (Parkdale-High Park), will also make an appearance. Dunn said he hopes the end result of the festival's collaborative efforts will be the creation of an accessible, all-in-one online directory of services available to local youth. "Right now, there's no one area for youth to go to for information on services available to them," he said. "It's not cohesive or under one umbrella, so that's the main focus of what we're trying to do." To draw young people down to the festival, Dunn has lined up a variety of musical acts to perform throughout the day, including some out-of-town acts. "The lineup is quite diverse, a direct reflection of the Parkdale community," Dunn said, adding that the free event will also offer a children's activity area complete with kids' sidewalk chalk and face-painting stations, wading pool and storytelling sessions. "It's a day of entertainment for the whole family." The Parkdale Festival will run from noon until 8 p.m. at Masaryk-Cowan Park, at the corner of Queen and Cowan, on Aug. 26. The event is rain or shine, and will relocate to the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre in the event of showers. Following the day's events will be P-Fest, the official Parkdale Youth Festival After-Party at Rangzen Cafe, 1600 Queen St. W., presented by Triple-X Productions. Doors open at 9 p.m. with limited capacity for this licensed event. Things get heated up early with Toronto's own Bad Robots, Evil Doer (cyberoptic electronics) hitting the stage at 10 p.m. followed by now-defunct kQuattro (ghettotech) playing a one-off performance. Funky Brooklyn hip hop duo, Mad Happy will shake things up around midnight, followed by Montreal electro masters, Duchess Says, closing the showcase. For information go to www.parkdalefestival.com or www.themarsbar.com Parkdale Festival gears up for fun CYNTHIA REASON - THE VILLAGER Jul. 28, 2006
Dunn said youth often have difficulty accessing the services they need – whether it is assistance with finding a job, a meal, a place to stay or language and school upgrading – simply because they don’t know where to look. “Right now, there’s no one area for youth to go to for information on services available to them,” he said. “It’s not cohesive or under one umbrella, so that’s the main focus of what we’re trying to do.” Dunn said he hopes the end result of the festival’s efforts will be the creation of an accessible, all-in-one directory of services that are available to local youth. With that in mind, a Community Information Fair with displays of materials from various youth-oriented organizations will be on location at the festival for participants to check out. Some of the organizations involved will include the Parkdale Community Information Centre, the Riverdale Immigrant Women’s Center and CultureLink’s Newcomer Youth Centre. “We’ll be providing a complimentary table to any service organization that has a youth component and wishes to be involved,” Dunn said. The festival will also feature a variety of musical performers that will take to the outdoor mainstage over the course of the event, from the African jazz stylings of Uhuru Inception, to the blues and rockabilly chords of Tight Like That, to the pop, funk and hip hop beats of Brooklyn’s own Mad Happy. “It’s a day of entertainment for the whole family,” Dunn said, adding that the free event will also offer a children’s activity area complete with sidewalk chalk and face-painting stations, wading pool and storytelling sessions. In addition, the festival will contain an Interactive Art Zone where festival-goers can contribute to street art murals over the course of the day. By the end of the festival, these pieces will be donated to various community organizations in the hopes that they will be proudly displayed, Dunn said. For those in a shopping mood, the festival will also boast an open marketplace of local artisans and vendors. The Parkdale Festival will run from noon until 8 p.m. at Masaryk-Cowan Park, at the corner of Queen and Cowan. The event is rain or shine, and will relocate to the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre in the event of showers. For information on how to volunteer or for an updated
schedule of performances and a list of participating organizations and
activities, visit www.parkdalefestival.com NOW Magazine-T.O. Music Notes - Upcoming, the Parkdale Youth Festival, August 27, 2005 Sometimes when you're young and need help, you know that community services must be out there somewhere but you don't know how to find them or whether they have anything to offer you. In Parkdale, they're remedying this predicament through the first annual Parkdale Youth Festival. Meant to raise awareness about youth services in the Parkdale neighbourhood, the fest brings together music, including rockabilly guy Ian Fitzgerald and dance rock project KQuattro , street art, kids' activities, vendors and more, with donations and raffle proceeds to be distributed among area organizations for youth. Most importantly, there will be a community information fair where local organizations can get the word out about their services. All activities are free. Promoters hope the festival will lead to the creation of a database of area youth services so that a meal, a place to sleep or help getting a job won't be so hard to find. The Parkdale Youth Festival happens Saturday (August 27, 2005) from 2 to 8 pm in Masaryk-Cowan Park at the corner of Queen and Cowan. In case of rain, all activities move to the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre gym (220 Cowan). Festival raises money for Parkdale Youth 24 Hours Toronto - Jennifer Bill, August 26, 2005. Lend your ears and eyes to a music and art festival to raise awareness and funds for Parkdale youth services. The first annual Parkdale Festival takes place on Saturday from 2-8 p.m. at Mazaryk-Cowan Park, at Queen and Cowan. There will be heaps of community information and vendor tables for local artists to display their works. Interested performers and volunteers can contact info@themarsbar.com. Best Bet - Parkdale Youth Festival Eye Magazine, Kate Lacey, August 25, 2005. You’re still stuffed with souvlaki from Taste of the Danforth. Hell, you’re still shaking glitter out of your ears from Pride, but no matter - it’s time for another community party. Parkdale, the lakeside neighbourhood where gentry meets grunge, is having its first annual festival to raise money and awareness for various Parkdale youth services. Local vendors will sell arts and crafts (bowls from Inspirations Studios pictured) while community-information tables offer the lowdown on available programs. You can also test your hand at street art at the Interactive Art Zone, where the public is invited to add to murals-in-progress. The finished products will then be displayed at different organizations through the community. There will be a new spinner every hour at the DJ Station, as well as 15-minute performance pieces in between. Rain or shine, head to Masaryk-Cowan Park at Queen and Cowan. The event is free but proceeds from donations and raffle tickets go toward supporting kids looking for jobs, homes and meals. Sat, Aug 27, 2-8pm. Queen and Cowan. Parkdale festival looks to raise money and awareness The Villager, Lisa Rainford, Aug. 19, 2005. Raising money and awareness of area youth centres in the goal of next weekend's first annual Parkdale Festival. "The hope for this festival is to put these organizations together to create a database for youth," said Festival Innovator Bryen Dunn. There is a need for awareness of available service organizations within the Parkdale area, to help kids find employment, a place to live (temporarily or permanently) or finding their next meal, Dunn said. Festival organizers hope to generate awareness through a fun interactive community-based event. Dunn would like to see the creation of a database of services accessible to youth. The festival, which takes place from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Masaryk-Cowan Park at Queen Street and Cowan on Aug. 27, will be a day of music and art. It is a family-friendly event with an "interactive art zone," where festival-goers can contribute to a mural. At the end of the day, the art will be offered to various community organizations. Throughout the day there will be a rotation of DJs at the "DJ station," spinning an array of musical genres; a variety of performances; face painting; a wading pool a marketplace of local artisans and vendors and a community information fair with displays from different youth organizations. The festival is a free event that will take place rain or shine. If it does rain, the festival will be moved indoors to the Masaryk-Cowan Centre. Funds will be raised through donations and raffles with proceeds going directly to benefit services for youth. ©
2007, Parkdale Youth Festival. Site by Toronto DigitalQ Designs
|
