Toronto Festivals

• March 13 – 21
  March Break is a great time for Mississauga’s Award-Winning Maple Syrup Festival
  The sweet smell of maple syrup, mingled with that of wood smoke, along with the sounds of jingling sleigh bells and the crackling of a fire, will fill the air around Bradley Museum during the March Break as that marks the return of the annual maple syrup season and Mississauga's own maple syrup festival — Maple Magic!
• March 24 – 28
  FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FILM PROGRAM WITH STAR-STUDDED TALENT
  The 8^th Annual Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) is thrilled to announce a stellar line-up of films including the Opening Night Gala Feature Film Presentation, A WAKE by Canadian director Penelope Buitenhuis.
• May 1
  4th Annual Toronto Freedom Festival - BE YOURSELF @ TFF
  Toronto Freedom Festival is the city’s largest one-day, outdoor, spring festival attracting well over 30,000 people.
• May 8 - 9
  The Toronto Comic Arts Festival
  The Toronto Comic Arts Festival returns this May. More than 150 internationally acclaimed cartoonists are confirmed and the headliner is Daniel Clowes, author of Ghost World, David Boring, Ice Haven, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, and Caricature, collected from his seminal comic book series Eightball.
• May 29 – 30
  The Canadian Air & Space Museum prepares for its 5th Annual Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival
  Preparations are underway for the 5th Annual Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival taking place on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, 2010 at historic Downsview Park in Toronto.
• June 2010
  Ripple Effect Festival: The Second Wave Begins
  Toronto Arts Organizations gather to plan the Ripple Effect Festival – Second Wave, a community-wide Arts Festival and Symposium.
  For the first time ever, the International Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Conference (PTO) will be held in Canada in June 2010. The Ripple Effect Festival – Second Wave will act as a pre-conference Symposium and celebration of the arts in Toronto.
• SAVE THE DATE FOR IN 2011 FOR IDS11
  CREATORS OF CANADA'S LARGEST CONTEMPORARY DESIGN EVENT TAKE CULTURE TO NEW HEIGHTS WITH FIRST EVER TORONTO INTERNATIONAL DESIGN FESTIVAL
  MMPI Canada, creators of Canada's largest contemporary design event, the Interior Design Show (IDS), put their creative know-how to work, spearheading the first-ever TORONTO INTERNATIONAL DESIGN FESTIVAL (TIDF). The six-day festival has come to a close with resounding success.

The sweet smell of maple syrup, mingled with that of wood smoke, along with the sounds of jingling sleigh bells and the crackling of a fire, will fill the air around Bradley Museum during the March Break as that marks the return of the annual maple syrup season and Mississauga's own maple syrup festival — Maple Magic!

Since 1993 the Bradley Museum has been conducting maple-related school programs and public activities in and around the grounds of the historic 1830s farmhouse. Through the use of displays, demonstrations, hands-on activities and ample opportunities to taste and buy, you too can discover the magical process of transforming sunshine into golden maple syrup.

From March 13th to the 21st, Bradley Museum offers Mississauga's own maple syrup festival! Enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides and pancakes served daily in our log cabin, along with guided tours, kids' crafts, free samples and more. New this year try your hand at geocaching – an electronic scavenger hunt – on the Museum grounds! On the weekends delight in toe-tapping folk music, soar up into the air in a Forestry Division bucket truck— all this in addition to learning about maple syrup production the old and new ways.

Don't miss the Sweet Water Camp, a recreated First Nations campsite where you can learn about the lore and legends surrounding the first discovery of this marvellous water that oozes out of maple trees.

Maple Magic runs both weekends of the March Break — the 13th, 14th, 20th & 21st between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm and weekdays from 12:00 to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday, March 15th to 19th. Monday March 15 is also "Grandparents' Day" so bring your grandkids out for an afternoon of fun. Free Activity Passes to any Mississauga recreation centre will be issued to the first 100 grandparents who come with grandkids in tow!

Bradley Museum is located at 1620 Orr Road in Mississauga, just south of Lakeshore Road and east off of Southdown Road.

Festival Dates: March 24 – 28

A WAKE stars Nicholas Campbell, Graham Abbey, Sarain Boylan, Raoul Bhaneja, Martha Burns, Krista Sutton and Kris Turner. After the sudden death of their infamous director, members of a formerly renowned theatre company come together for his wake. His grieving widow welcomes the thespians to their country house, but the mystery behind their strained relationships is revealed when old rivalries and jealousies erupt, exposing a myriad of secrets and lies.

NOTHING SPECIAL written and directed by Angela Garcia Combs is the dark and funny tale of a beautiful young woman at a crucial turning point in her career and her relationship with her bi-polar mother. The film stars Julia Garcia Combs, Karen Black and Barbara Bain. We are delighted to share some exciting news, Hollywood Icon, Karen Black, will be presented with the Female Eye Best Actor Award (2010). Karen Black is the second actor to be presented with this prestigious award. The first recipient Elisabeth Moss (2003) was honoured with an award for her role in the feature film VIRGIN (directed by Deborah Kampmeier). Moss is now highly renowned for her role in the hit AMC series MAD MEN. We are pleased to report that lead actor Julia Garcia Combs and her co-star Karen Black will be on hand with the director for an audience Q & A following the screening.

In addition, part of our exciting feature line-up, is the Canadian Premiere 16 TO LIFE. Kate (Hallee Hirsh) is a rural American teenager whose angst about sexual inexperience drives a comic quest for love and understanding on a birthday to end all birthdays. Kate’s irreverent fantasies of sexual awakening and guilt, fueled by obsessive reading of books on eclectic subjects (currently the Chinese Cultural Revolution) drive this explosive day. Kate is turning 16 and has never been kissed. This first feature from Emmy-nominated writer/director Becky Smith puts a wry, witty, and unpredictable ensemble cast in a small-town locale reminiscent of a Capra comedy. 16 To Life features Hallee Hirsh, Theresa Russell and none other than Carson Kressley. 16 TO LIFE screens on Saturday, March 27^th at 7PM. We are ecstatic to announce that Hallee Hirsh and Theresa Russell will be attending the premiere.

If you missed it at TIFF, CRACKIE is a Canadian debut feature written and directed by Sherry White and was selected as one of Canada’s Top Ten Films. Seventeen-year-old MITSY, played by newcomer Meghan Greeley (in her first and astonishingly good performance), dreams of ditching her harsh-tongued grandmother (BRIDE), starring Canada’s funny lady, Mary Walsh who’s raised her since she was four, by running off to find the mother (GWENNIE) who deserted her. But when Gwennie turns up unexpectedly and wreaks havoc in their lives, Mitsy is forced to decide whether the woman who raised her is her enemy, or her strongest ally. CRACKIE also stars Kristin Booth and screens on Friday, March 26th at 7PM.

CRACKIE is followed by the exciting North American Premiere of the Debut Feature film MALL GIRLS which will screen on Friday, March 26th at 9PM. Shopping Malls – contemporary temples of consumerism, colorful shops windows, shiny jewelry, expensive cosmetics, and the newest fashion. Here Milena and her friends spend their free time. Rich men pay for their shopping in exchange for sex. Alicja, a new girl, joins the group of girls. At first she feels alienated, but soon she becomes one of them. Alicja and Milena start to bond and there is an affectionate relationship between them. At the same time Michal, Alicja's peer, falls in love with her. He becomes a rival for Milena.

The Female Eye also presents incredible documentary films including TILL YOU'RE TOLD TO STOP directed by Ruth Somalo which will screen Saturday, March 27^th at 5pm. It is a remarkable film experience that follows the award winning singer-songwriter James Blunt from the very start of his musical career in 2004, right through to his worldwide success with the 14 million-selling debut album, “Back To Bedlam”. It’s the making of a global pop phenomenon as you’ve never seen it before.

4th Annual Toronto Freedom Festival
BE YOURSELF @ TFF
May 1 at Noon - 8:00 p.m, Queen’s Park North
FREE ADMISSION

The ‘Sound of Freedom’ is everywhere! Keeping with tradition, there will be lots to do at TFF with several featured sound stages & experiential areas throughout the park. In addition, more than 75 unique exhibitors will converge on Queen’s Park to create a carnival like atmosphere for festival goers. ‘Tasting Freedom’ is one of the most anticipated aspects of the TFF experience with over 25 food vendors to explore, and enjoy, throughout the day.

TFF’s ‘Voices of Freedom’ have significance! TFF takes place in front of the provincial government legislature, where laws are made and challenged by politicians. ‘Freedoms of Choice & Expression’ will be represented by over 100 activist groups, musicians, DJ’s, comedians, visual artists, politicians and speakers showcased in several areas. These individuals and groups are given an amazing opportunity and forum to further their causes.

TFF’s largest attraction is the 12th Annual Global Marijuana March (GMM) that takes place in over 250 cities worldwide! Toronto’s event is the largest attendance of all participating cities with over 20,000+ people attending last year. The March will gather at TFF at 12:00 p.m. leaving at 2pm from Charles Street, just north of Queen’s Park. Visit www.globalmarijuanamarch.ca for more info.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival
At the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.
Saturday May 8th 2010, 9am-5pm
Sunday May 9th 2010, 11am-5pm
FREE ADMISSION

Drawing a diverse array of cartoonists from around the world, the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is a phenomenal exhibition of international comics talent combined with a celebration of Canada’s homegrown artists. TCAF showcases the talents of its guests through an ambitious programme of exhibitor presentations, gallery showings, lectures, workshops, discussion panels, interactive readings, an artist’s marketplace and the 2010 Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning.

Until now TCAF has been a bi-annual event, but due to overwhelming demand 2010 comes quickly on the heels of the smash success of TCAF 2009, which saw over 10,000 people attend the Toronto Reference Library event in a celebration of comics, graphic novels and the fine authors, illustrators and artists who create them. The 2010 Festival will be bigger than ever and makes extensive use of the iconic Toronto Reference Library, including the building's brand-new event venue, The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon.

At the center of Festival proceedings are a who’s who of acclaimed graphic novel creators, each of whom is unveiling a new book. Featured guests include Daniel Clowes for Wilson; James Sturm, author of the internationally acclaimed The Golem’s Mighty Swing, and his new full-length graphic novel Market Day; Dash Shaw, the multi-disciplinary cartoonist whose The Unclothed Man In The 35th Century A.D. recently premiered on The Independent Film Channel, with Body World, his new graphic novel from Pantheon Books; Canadian graphic novelist Jeff Lemire, creator of the award-winning Essex County Trilogy, débuts his newest graphic novel Sweet Tooth: Out of the Dark Woods.

The addition of The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at Toronto Reference Library also make possible TCAF’s first major installation, The Webcomics Pavilion. The large-scale exhibition space will feature several of the top cartoonists who serialize their work online, who are among the most popular and best-known in the world! The Webcomics Pavilion is currently scheduled to feature: U.S. Cartoonists Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content), Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie), Andrew Hussie (MSPaint Adventures), David Malki ! (Wondermark), and Jonathan Rosenberg (Goats), Rene Engström (Anders Loves Maria).... and dozens more creators.

The Canadian Air & Space Museum prepares for its
5th Annual Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival
May 29 – 30, Downsview Park

Preparations are underway for the 5th Annual Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival taking place on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, 2010 at historic Downsview Park in Toronto. The family-friendly event draws upwards of 10,000 attendees and boasts displays of vintage aircraft, modern jets, helicopters, classic and modern cars, motorcycles and military vehicles.

Held in the original de Havilland Canada manufacturing facilities, and adjacent a 7,000 ft. runway owned and operated by Bombardier, the combination indoor/outdoor venue showcases the best of Canadian aviation's past and present.

Over the years, the festival has expanded its exhibit offerings, incorporating general aviation aircraft in 2008, and military aircraft in 2009. Special features at last year's festival included the Canadian Air & Space Museum's Avro Arrow Model, the Avro Lancaster FM104, and a Tutor training jet, best known throughout North America as the aircraft used by the Snowbirds - the Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Team.

Past exhibitors have included local, regional and national not-for-profit organizations, community groups, schools and corporations. In keeping with the airplane, automotive and heritage-inspired theme of the event, vendor booths cater to a variety of audience interests, with merchandise such as D-Day Wear, Aviation World, the Brampton Flying Club, RC cars and planes and movies.

"The Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival is a great attraction for aviation and automotive enthusiasts, as well as the entire family," says Ken Mist, chairman of the festival's planning committee. "Part of our mission is to inspire upcoming generations to become interested in our country's aerospace history; we're pleased we can do that in a fun, entertaining and interactive atmosphere."

Ripple Effect Festival: The Second Wave Begins
Toronto Arts Organizations gather to plan the Ripple Effect Festival –
Second Wave, a community-wide Arts Festival and Symposium.
June 2010

As a tribute to the work of Augusto Boal and Paolo Freire, world-renowned Jokers (Forum Theatre facilitators) will create interactive theatre with different and diverse neighbourhoods in the GTA, working with arts organizations and individuals in Toronto's communities. The presentations will be performed throughout the city, involving

collaboration between actors, dancers, writers, designers, community members and leaders. The festival will involve panels, workshops and performances from these collaboratively produced Forum Theatre works, as well as from Arts Organizations external to the festival from across Ontario, Canada and Internationally.

All Toronto Arts Organizations are invited to collaborate to make this festival an exciting event for arts organizations, arts-goers, and the citizens of Toronto.

MMPI Canada, creators of Canada's largest contemporary design event, the Interior Design Show (IDS), put their creative know-how to work, spearheading the first-ever TORONTO INTERNATIONAL DESIGN FESTIVAL (TIDF). The six-day festival has come to a close with resounding success.

"IDS and TIDF are a way of making Toronto a must-see design destination," says show visionary and MMPI Vice President, Shauna Levy. "The events are meant to emulate what we see in cities that are home to a major design fair, like Milan, Miami or London. Cultural events like ours are an important way to expose the public to design; and to share that design is as much about culture and experience, than it is a commercial exercise."

Presented by RADO and AUDI, the week-long TIDF made its first appearance on January 19-24, 2010 at cultural hot-spots like the ROM, AGO, Gardiner Museum and Harbourfront Centre. With IDS at the core, TIDF is set to become an annual citywide festival celebrating Toronto as a major international design destination. Jenn-Air and Designlines/Azure, City of Toronto, Department of Economic Development also proudly supported the initiative.

"The first annual TIDF was a wonderful opportunity tointroduce innovative Canadian design to visitors at the Institute for Contemporary Cultureat the Royal Ontario Museum. We're very pleased with the outcome, which allowed us to showcase a young Canadiandesign agency (Motherbrand) beforeawide audience. After this successful first edition, the Festival will surely grow year by year, and help to cement Toronto's reputation as an international centre of excellence in design." Francisco Alvarez, Managing Director, Institute for Contemporary Culture, Royal Ontario Museum.

Both IDS and TIDF had a tremendous impact on economic and commercial development as well as tourism. "The inaugural Toronto International Design Festival shone a spotlight on the tremendous capabilities of Toronto's design industry and brought together leading designers from around the world in a series of events throughout the citythat served both toinspire and inform," Laurie Belzak, Sector Development Officer - fashion/apparel & design, Economic Development, City of Toronto.

"Nearly 20 events and exhibitions were held as part of TIDF 2010! That is more than anyone can ask of a first year," says TIDF/IDS's Shauna Levy. "We anticipate a marked increase in both private and public sector support for 2011."

Also new this year was IDS' World Without Oil (WWO) symposium held at the Toronto Design Exchange (DX) on January 19th. Attended by principals of the city's leading architectural and design firms, the all-day series featured some of the world's true leaders in sustainable design like Bruce Mau, Fritz Haeg and Sheila Kennedy.

Celebrating its 12th year, The Interior Design Show/IDS10 saw an optimistic increase in visitors. A return to its original and convenient downtown location, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, worked to draw a record 48,000 show-goers to the exciting opening night party and weekend events. IDS's unique talks, international designer heavy-hitters, visually stimulating exhibits and diverse range of over 300 exhibitors all contributed to the successful event. IDS10 was proudly presented for the first time by world-class brand, RADO.

At the opening night Gala, over 5,000 guests noshed Italian-themed goodies at the ULTIMATE kitchen party presented by Dekla and Scavolini. DJ jojoflores and the Calrizians rocked the house in the Rhed-designed Monk Lounge by Templar. The opening night Klaus/Veuve Clicquot party in the media lounge was hopping! At one point you could reach out and touch Jaime Hayon, Steven & Chris, Tord Boontje, Thomas Smythe, Karen von Hahn, Nipa Doshi, Shinan Govani, Jennifer Wilson-Speedy, Ingrid Abramovitch, Fritz Haeg, Barbara Hulanicki, Suzanne Dimma, Lynda Reeves, Toronto Star's Rita Zekas, Joshua Prince-Ramus, Sarah Richardson, radio hosts Mad Dog & Billie, Arren Williams, Lisa Tant, Jesse Ashlock, Glenn Dixon, Del Terrelonge, Bonnie Brooks, Dee Dee Taylor Hannah, Marissa Bronfman from Huffington Post, Bruno Billio and Glen Peloso.

The launch of this year's Space Concepts exhibit offered a glimpse of 4 ULTIMATE spaces sprouted from such creative minds as stylist Arren Williams, architect Drew Mandel, designer Jason MacIsaac, interior designers Munge Leung and lifestyle/entertainment provocateur INK. "I was thrilled with the broad exposure and reach that the Interior Design Show brought to our Live the Ultimate design and to our new hotel and residence brand Bisha. From industry enthusiasts, to corporate clients to end-users - the event was a great success," says INK's Charles Khabouth.

Among the success stories of exhibitors at the Interior Design Show, Klaus by Nienkamper continues to receive orders for the Moooi Raimond light featured in his award winning booth as does Ministry of the Interior for Jaime Hayon's "Scenes Collection" by LladrŰ which made their Canadian debut at IDS10. Metalarte was superbly received by the design industry of Canada and as a result of the captivating Monk Lounge, Templar sold a unit in its limited-edition residence Langston Hall. Many of the participants in the Off the Wall exhibit reported strong interest from national and international clients.

The impressive turnout this year only affirms the caliber and prominence of Levy's vision.

Save the date: IDS11 happens January 27-30, 2011 and TIDF happens January 25-30, 2011.

www.interiordesignshow.com
www.tidfonline.com