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Yonge-Dundas Square Turns Ten

yonge-dundas
2013 marks the end of a decade for Toronto’s bustling Yonge-Dundas Square. The combination of its central location and social atmosphere has made Yonge-Dundas Square a beloved city hub for businesses and events in Toronto. In celebration of its tenth year, a series of outdoor concerts will run from the start of this week (yesterday) until October. This Friday, catch the second major performance of the year: the Stranglers will be playing Danforth Music Hall, which is a 19+ venue, at $39-100 a ticket. But this is only one of many events lined-up for the spring, summer, and fall.  In regards to music, the following two categories outline the acts that residents and tourists can check out for free at Yonge-Dundas Square:

JordanJohn_TheBluesAngels_enLunchtime Live! (12:30pm to 1:30pm)

  • Scarlet Jane (passed)
  • Jordan John (June 3rd)
  • Rattlesnake Choir (June 10th)
  • Whitney Rose (June 17th)
  • The Wilderness of Manitoba (September 16th)
  • Elizabeth Sheppard (September 23rd)
  • Chic Gamine (September 30th)
  • The Devin Cuddy Band (October 7th)
  • And many more to be announced…

dwayne_gretzky_at_lees_palace_20120720_1790171672Indie Fridays (8pm to 10pm)

  • Dwayne Gretzky (June 28th)
  • Samantha Martin and the Haggard (July 5th) 
  • Danielle Duval (July 12th)
  • Zeppelinesque (July 19th)
  • Lindi Ortega with Red Wanting Blue (July 26th)
  • Saidah Baba Talibah with Ride the Tiger (August 2nd)
  • The JD Edwards Band (August 16th)
  • Plants and Animals (August 23rd)
  • Cadence Weapon (August 30th)
  • The Pack A.D. (September 6th)

Other Free Events

Live music is not the only entertainment a part of this year’s birthday celebration. The City Cinema event allows people to bring a chair to Yonge-Dundas Square and enjoy many cult classics on the big screen. Coming up June 25th, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” will air, followed by other titles such as “Army of Darkness”, “Edward Scissor Hands”, “Anchorman”, and “Napoleon Dynamite” (among many others over the summer and fall months). In addition, the city will host several free block parties — many have been announced, but only three have had details released so far (one of which is occurring today, known as the Allergy Relief House):

Paint PictureCorona Paint Party
Friday, May 31st (4-10pm) — Come to the designated “paint zone” wearing only white and become a paintbrush, using your own clothes and the environment around you as a canvas for your own personal work of art. During this time, the Corona Beer Garden will be open at 6pm. Live music for the night will consist of DJ Hennie V, Paul Disalle & The Terminators, The Elwins, and PUP.

b_FCR_colourFallsview Resort Augmented Reality Experience
Sunday, June 2nd (10am-6pm) —  Download the FUNSQUARE app on your Apple or Android smartphone and watch the “FUN” button above Yonge-Dundas Square transform into a little taste of the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort.

About Younge-Dundas Square

Yonge-Dundas Square in a public open-space and event venue in the heart of Downtown Toronto. The designs for the square first bounced around the city council in 1998, as a way to revitalize the area; however, architects Brown and Storey only completed construction by 2002/2003. To date, Yonge-Dundas Square is a predominant tourist attraction for the city, hosting numerous social events throughout the year and supporting many corporate retailers. Known as Toronto’s “Times Square”, Yonge-Dundas Square accommodates over 100,000 pedestrians daily. It is the only square that is maintained through a public-private partnership in Toronto and is one of the busiest intersections in Canada. Let the celebrations begin for the square’s tenth birthday in our city.

About Addy Saeed

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