Londoners are gearing up to welcome the return of the city’s largest summer festival — this time away from a virtual platform.
For the first time in two years, TD Sunfest will return to an in-person event in Victoria Park.
Alfredo Caxaj, executive and co-artistic director of Sunfest, said they couldn’t be more excited to see the performances return to the live stage.
“Everyone is so eager to go back to normal times,” said Caxaj. “I think this year is going to be a big celebration of life.”
Caxaj announced the news on Thursday, adding a special thank you to their longtime partners London Brewing Co-Op and Anderson Craft Ales.
“They’ve been supporting us in the past with this special beer, what they call Cerveza, which has been very popular in the past,” said Caxaj.
This upcoming Sunfest will mark a first with London being declared Canada’s first UNESCO city of music in 2021.
Caxaj expressed the importance of continuing to build international relationships in the music scene.
“I think this is a perfect opportunity for London to shine and make these international connections stronger,” Caxaj said. “This is something that we need to continue building and making London more appealing as a city where the art and music is so rich and where people can come and experience the flavours, tastes and smells from all over the world.”
In crossing another major milestone, Sunfest will present more than 40 local, national and international groups for the first time in its history.
“International wise, we have 22 groups coming from Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, and of course, all national groups coming from across Canada, especially from the provinces Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia,” Caxaj said. “This represents a unique opportunity not only for us as a service, but for the whole community.”
According to Mercedes Caxaj, co-artistic director of Sunfest, opening their doors to enter the live music scene again was an “all hands on deck situation.”
“We didn’t know if we had the go-ahead to do the festival until February,” she said.
She added that despite the severe thunderstorm that swept through the city on Saturday and left many southwestern Ontario residents in the dark, the festival’s block party was a testament to the number of people itching to celebrate.
“I think this is a time for us to reflect and to appreciate things that we used to take for granted,” said Caxaj. “Reflecting over these past few years and as I’ve said before, politics and religion always divided us, but music art always bring us together.”
The 2022 edition of Sunfest will take place in Victoria Park from July 7 to 10.
For more information, check out their website at sunfest.on.ca
— with files from Global News’ Sawyer Bogdan