MISSISSAUGA: Hosted by the high end Aielli Ristorante, the media launch for The Mississauga Waterfront Festival got under way.
Attended by dignitaries Jim Tovey (ward councillor), Charles Sousa (MPP) and Mississauga mayoral candidate Bonnie Crombie, the chair of the festival, Pat Anderson, announced that the festival in its 18th year has loads of new and different attractions, set to make it bigger and better than ever.
Known to be the premier Father’s Day weekend festival in the Greater Toronto Area, this amazing event is to be held from June 13-15 at the Port Credit park and memorial arena. It will have everything for the whole family including a regular carnival with children’s games, rides, sandboxes, cooking, create and take crafts, face painting, treasure hunts, roller skating…you name it. In keeping with the FIFA world cup the Greece vs Colombia game will also be televised on Saturday June 14.
To stimulate the patrons hunger pangs, chef Amy Smith will hold court on a culinary stage giving out free samples and holding competitions including a black box contest where one gets a closed box and has to drum up a gourmet appetizer with ingredients in it. The tastiest one wins! There will be oodles of other fun activities centered on food including a burger eating contest. And of course which Father’s Day weekend can be complete without a beer garden?!
Coming back again after her artful presentation, Checkmate, last year, is Colleen Snell. This time she brings another creative and original idea called the “Café Noisette”, where one can go and relax with a beverage or two and go back in time to the roaring 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s as dancers show off their prowess in doing the Charleston, Swing and Jive. A real throwback delight!
Not to be missed will be the premiere of an art-house film called “Shipwrecked on a Great Lake”. This will be a grand first for the festival.
You can also sit down, relax as an ice show begins! YES, an ice show outdoors in June! This is one you will want to see! The Glisse Troupe will bring with them, gorgeous costumes, incredible acrobatics and snazzy dance moves. Combine it with a unique and entertaining skating performance and you will without a doubt be totally dazzled.
If all that isn’t enough, there will be loads of music throughout the festival from Ecuadorian flutes to Celtic songs and dances to club music by the famous DJ Starting from Scratch who has worked with Usher and guitarist extraordinaire Carlos Santana but is most “notoriously” known for opening up all Russell Peters’ tour shows.
However, the piece de resistance will be the signature show of the festival, The Monster Rock Orchestra that won the MARTY people’s choice award this year, an honour conferred by the Mississauga Arts Council.
The artistic director for this out of the world extravaganza is none other than Vikas Kohli of Fatlabs, who is passionate about rock and pop music and sets top billboard hits to an orchestra of mind blowing strings and horns and an even more spaced out laser show. This has to be seen to be believed! In the past he has put the Beach Boys, Otis Redding, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf and several other granddaddies of rock to the orchestra. Says Vikas with enthusiasm, “This is a face-melting show, with enough lasers to bring down the starship Enterprise!”
Food vendors with mouth watering delicacies and a panoply of kiosks offering curios completes the roundup.
