Elevate Festival, the technology and arts festival, announces Block Party details and new speakers, including musician Raine Maida, who will give a special performance to Elevate Festival pass holders with JUNO Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk. Maida is the lead singer of Our Lady Peace & co-founder DRROPS. Returning in person September 20-22, 2022, Elevate Festival will host change-making conversations in the heart of downtown Toronto at Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for Arts, and the Design Exchange, while the Festival’s Block Party will take over Front St.
Taking place between Yonge St. and Church St., Elevate Festival’s free, multi-night Block Party is anticipating 15,000 attendees. Starting at 4 p.m. ET during the Festival evenings, Front St. will transform into the Block Party, where attendees can access classic festival fare from food trucks and a beer garden to art displays and artisan shops. The Block Party will also include musical entertainment with Elevate Block Party x Lemmon Stage, showcasing Canadian talent with performances by celebrated JUNO award-winning artists alongside emerging, must-hear voices, including:
- Haviah Mighty, Hip Hop Artist and 2022 JUNO Award Winner for Best Rap Album
- 4KORNERS, Toronto Raptors DJ, with special guests Zenesoul, EverythingOShauN, and Bolu Ajibade
- Francesco Yates, Diamond Selling International Recording Artist
- DJ SHUB, Mohawk DJ, Music Producer, and Former Member of A Tribe Called Red, presents WAR CLUB LIVE
- Neon Dreams, JUNO Award-Winning, Alt-Pop Duo; and more
“Building on the success of the event in 2019, we’ve imagined new possibilities for the Elevate Festival, and the Block Party is a big component of that,” says Co-Founder and CEO of Elevate, Lisa Zarzeczny. “The Festival and Block Party embody the intersection of technology and the arts, truly offering something for everyone. The daytime events will inspire networking and forward-thinking discussions; meanwhile, the evenings are an opportunity for pass holders, families, friends, and colleagues from across the city and beyond to come together to enjoy the first glimpses of fall.”
Taking place from 5 – 8 p.m. ET on opening day and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET the remainder of the Festival, pass holders will join panels, Q&As, and fireside chats that touch on topics spanning the following ten content themes: Think 2030, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Planet Preserve, Metaverse & Me, Scale Up, Game On, Secure & Protect, Workshift, Radical Retail, and Fintech. Stage content will tackle today’s most pressing issues, inspiring conversations that will shape the future of tech, arts, and social innovation.
“If these last few years have taught us anything, it’s that we are collectively bigger than the problems we face, even those that force the whole world to pause,” says Astronaut and Elevate co-chair Chris Hadfield. “By imagining the impossible, we can better ourselves, including the Earth we live on. Fearlessly innovation is the solution and path forward, whether it’s solving climate change or unveiling the next digital world. Elevate Festival is a part of that path, celebrating advancements, but ultimately envisioning what’s still to come.”
