Departure Festival + Conference – a “reimagined Canadian Music Week” – has made its first lineup announcement spanning music, art, comedy, and tech.
Set to take place May 6-11 in Toronto at Hotel X on the Toronto waterfront and concert venues across the city, the Conference portion of Departure will see industry professionals come together across music, tech and media, with Radiodays North America to run concurrent to the event, May 6-8. The Festival portion will encompass musical performances, comedy and culinary experiences.
Those confirmed for this year’s festival include Bryan Adams, Mustafa, Tia Wood, Death From Above 1979, renowned restaurateur Matty Matheson, record producer T-Minus in conversation with Brian “B.Dot” Miller, Snap Inc. Canada General Manager Matt McGowan, and crisis communications expert Molly McPherson.
“Our first edition of Departure is about honouring our roots in music and growing into other creative spaces while fostering the relationship between artist and industry,” said Kevin Barton, Executive Producer at Loft Entertainment, which acquired Canadian Music Week last year, alongside Oak View Group (OVG). “This year’s lineup showcases a wealth of established and emerging talent from across the country and beyond, creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue, sharing innovative ideas and building deeper connections within Canada’s dynamic arts community. We look forward to sharing more programming announcements in the weeks to come.”
Aiming to bridge the gap between tech and entertainment, Departure is joining forces with tech and innovation event Elevate. It’s also recruited Bruce Hills, the former president of Just For Laughs, as the Executive Producer of Departure Comedy. Hill’s focus will be on curating a comedy slate and spearheading Canadian industry showcases for the festival, set to take place at venues like Meridian Hall, Comedy Bar, The Second City Toronto, and Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The festival has also enlisted Don’t Tell Comedy, the secret pop-up comedy show phenomenon, which will bring its stand-up showcase to Toronto.
Departure will additionally host special film presentations, including Alex Ross Perry’s (Golden Exits, Her Smell) latest film Pavements about iconic ’90s indie band Pavement, starring Jason Schwartzman and Joe Keery. More film programming, guests and events will be announced in the coming weeks.
