Oh! yes, a free music fest is coming to town
This weekend, downtown
London will be host to something
that is sure to thrill the music
community in the city: a free
music festival. From September
16 to 18, the weekend of the Car
Free Festival, Dundas Street
between Ridout and Wellington
will feature a number of bands
playing free shows on outdoor
stages in an event known as Oh!
Fest.
A ton of local acts including Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Wild Domestic, Say Domino and Handsome Dan will play alongside larger acts like DDMMYYYY, Deep Dark Woods, Wooden Sky, Meligrove Band, Bry Webb and more in this fantastic free fest.
According to Paterson Hodgson, Artistic Director of Oh! Fest and one of the founders of the first festival three years ago, Oh! Fest began as the Open House Arts Collective back in 2009. "The idea behind the event was to fill a serious void in London's music festival landscape," he said. "We wanted to create a festival that was small, DIY and showcased many of the amazingly talented bands local to London." While there were festivals previously in the city that showcased Canada-wide talent, "London was missing a festival that stayed close to home."
"I'm looking forward to seeing so many bands playing for free in downtown London, both touring and local. I think the highlight will be the sense of community everyone feels on Dundas Street," said Hodgson. "It will bring together many people."
In addition to the outdoor stages that will be erected on Dundas, the Met Market (140 Dundas St.) will be the home to a rainbow cave, a makeshift cave created from cardboard boxes, where performances will take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoon during the festival.
Matt Trocchi, one of the organizers of the 2011 Oh! Fest, said the event "gives local musicians a chance to play alongside some of Canada's most noteworthy touring musicians right now. It also gives them an opportunity to play in front of a lot more people than they are used to."
"This is a musical event that brings together the musical community, but also a larger community in London," he continued.
For music lovers and local community supporters alike, Oh! Fest is sure to be an entertaining, enriching and fun-filled weekend of cool tunes in downtown London.
For more information, including ticket sales, performance schedules and the full lineup of acts, visit ohfest.blogspot.com.
A ton of local acts including Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Wild Domestic, Say Domino and Handsome Dan will play alongside larger acts like DDMMYYYY, Deep Dark Woods, Wooden Sky, Meligrove Band, Bry Webb and more in this fantastic free fest.
According to Paterson Hodgson, Artistic Director of Oh! Fest and one of the founders of the first festival three years ago, Oh! Fest began as the Open House Arts Collective back in 2009. "The idea behind the event was to fill a serious void in London's music festival landscape," he said. "We wanted to create a festival that was small, DIY and showcased many of the amazingly talented bands local to London." While there were festivals previously in the city that showcased Canada-wide talent, "London was missing a festival that stayed close to home."
"I'm looking forward to seeing so many bands playing for free in downtown London, both touring and local. I think the highlight will be the sense of community everyone feels on Dundas Street," said Hodgson. "It will bring together many people."
In addition to the outdoor stages that will be erected on Dundas, the Met Market (140 Dundas St.) will be the home to a rainbow cave, a makeshift cave created from cardboard boxes, where performances will take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoon during the festival.
Matt Trocchi, one of the organizers of the 2011 Oh! Fest, said the event "gives local musicians a chance to play alongside some of Canada's most noteworthy touring musicians right now. It also gives them an opportunity to play in front of a lot more people than they are used to."
"This is a musical event that brings together the musical community, but also a larger community in London," he continued.
For music lovers and local community supporters alike, Oh! Fest is sure to be an entertaining, enriching and fun-filled weekend of cool tunes in downtown London.
For more information, including ticket sales, performance schedules and the full lineup of acts, visit ohfest.blogspot.com.
