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A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from a bike tour of art to Nice, a Fest, and jazz – Cambridge Day

A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from a bike tour of art to Nice, a Fest, and jazz - Cambridge Day

Monday

Patio Project: Light & Shadow from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Cambridge Library Valente Branch, 826 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington. Free. The plan is to harness the power of the sun to create art, making sun prints and shadow boxes. Information is here. 

Ellie’s One-Woman Wine-Tasting performance from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bonde, 54 Church St., Harvard Square. Admission is $100. As Ellie Brelis performs her “Driver’s Seat,” sommelier Bertil Jean-Chronberg serves four wines to accompany the action – a fundraiser to get Brelis’ show to Los Angeles in the fall and to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year. For her true story of a mid-pandemic mental health crisis and coming out, directed by Kymberly Harris, the blurb is: “Didn’t think mental illness was funny? Think again.” Information is here.


Tuesday

Naomi Westwater. (Photo: Olivia Moon)

Danehy Park Concert Series from 6 to 8 p.m. at Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond. Free. The performer is Naomi Westwater, whose work “weaves in and out of folk music, flirting with rock and jazz.” Information is here.

Free Bike Tour of Public Art from 6:30 to 8 p.m., starting and ending at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza at 237 Franklin St., just outside the Central Square branch library. Free, but registration is requested. A roughly 3.5-mile ride with stops to see and talk about art and meet some creators, including poet Benjamin Tolkin and artists William Reimann and David Fichter. Refreshments will be served at the end. Information is here.

The Moth Story Slam from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Tickets are $15. This open-mic storytelling competition on the fourth Tuesday of each month is open to anyone who can share a five-minute story on the night’s theme – this time, “time” itself. (“It passes like molasses or flies like a jet. Mark an era, tell us about a phase. Stuck in the ’80s, chronically late, ahead of the trend or pressing the snooze alarm on your biological clock. Tell of time bombs and time zones, perfect timing or The Time Warp.”) Masks are required for entry and must be worn when not seated. Information is here.

Now Listen Here! A Night of Live True Stories from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. A mix of curated stories from award-winning tellers and community members with some open-mic opportunities, with names pulled throughout the event. (Organizers’ advice: Stories should be told within five or so minutes without notes; have a beginning, middle and solid ending; and some serious stakes.) Information is here.


Wednesday

Poets Christie Towers and Aly Pierce read at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Free. Here selections from debut collections: “And Again I Heard the Stars” by Towers, of Somerville, who’s also got an ear cocked to the medieval prophet Hildegard; and “The Visible Planets” by Pierce, of Beverly, an “exploration of universal joy and the mourning of a lost sister.” Information is here.

Screen on the Green showing of “Raya and The Last Dragon” from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. at Greene-Rose Heritage Park, 155 Harvard St., The Port. Free. This city-sponsored event travels from park to park over the summer showing popular films – in this case, a Disney tale from 2021 with voice acting by Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina. Reviewer Allyson Johnson gave it three out of four stars, saying “It’s a feast for the eyes and, especially in its third act, a true fantasy that sweeps us up alongside its heroine, creating an emotive and immersive story.” Information is here.

Hubbub Comedy from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 North First St., North Point. Tickets are $12.60 (with a $2.40 fee) online or $20 at the door for this 21-plus show. Comics Zenobia Del Mar, Isabel Johnson and Kevin Turner (with DJ Chill Nye) perform, with some time given to riffing onstage from questions asked by customers at the door. Information is here. 


Thursday

A Harvard Art Museums at Night event. (Photo: Harvard Art Museums)

Harvard Art Museums at Night from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. Free. Celebrate the launch of the book “Madame de Pompadour: Painted Pink” at an evening with pink-themed activities (including giveaways to those wearing their best pink outfit) and pink-inspired food and drink available for purchase. DJ C-Zone supplies the soundtrack for wandering the galleries, mingling in the Calderwood Courtyard, chatting over a snack or drink and browsing the shop. Information is here. 

Lauren Aguirre reads from “The Memory Thief and the Secrets Behind How We Remember” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Free. Researchers believe that a treatment for Alzheimer’s is within reach, and science journalist Aguirre – in conversation with author Pagan Kennedy – explains the connection with a rare and devastating amnesia doctors first identified in a cluster of fentanyl overdose survivors. Information is here.

Nice, a Fest, from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square (and continuing through Sunday). Tickets start at $20. This music festival is now four days and indoors, with 49 bands, a local vendor market and midnight screenings of “Wayne’s World.” Information is here.

SomerMovieFest presents “Encanto” at 8:40 p.m. at Lincoln Park at the Albert F. Argenziano School, 290 Washington St., Ward Two, Somerville. Free. A simultaneous screening in North Point is sold out, but fortunately that’s not the only place for an open-air screening of last year’s Disney film about a Colombian teen frustrated by being the only member of her family without magical powers. It may be best known as the source of the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Information is here.


Friday

Maneka performs Friday at Nice, a Fest. (Photo: Maneka via Facebook)

Nice, a Fest continues, from 5:45 p.m. to midnight at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square and The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday). Tickets start at $24. On day two of four, this music festival continues to roll out its 49 bands at two venues, host a local vendor market and hold midnight screenings of “Wayne’s World.” Information is here. 

One Voice: A Summer Celebration with the Harvard Summer Chorus and Cambridge Common Voices from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at the Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. Free. The choirs perform repertoire from across the centuries under conductor Andrew Clark. Information is here.

Lady Gaga Little Monsters Ball from 8 p.m. to midnight at Lamplighter CX, 110 North First St., North Point. Tickets are $10 for this 21-plus party. Come to listen and dance to Lady Gaga while dressed like her (and maybe win a prize for it) and commemorate the moment in the event’s photo booth. Information is here. 

Kelly Buchanan and The Dimestore Dolls open for Lonely Leesa and the Lost Cowboys at 7 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Lonely Leesa and The Lost Cowboys mix Fleetwood Mac, Lucinda Williams and Big Star with a touch of old Rolling Stones, but it’s the return of Bostonian riot grrrl Buchanan that’s the draw here. In 2005 she released “Bastard Daughter” and got critical praise, an opening slot touring with Mike Doughty and was heard on MTV, A&E and The CW – but in 2008, on the cusp of releasing her next album, suffered a traumatic brain injury playing street hockey in New York. She’s had to relearn how to walk, speak, sing and play instruments, but with the Pennsylvania-based Dimestore Dolls she’s finally making an exuberant return to music. Information is here.


Saturday

Zahili Zamora performs Saturday at the Seventh Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival. (Photo: Zahili Zamora via Facebook)

Seventh Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival from noon to 6 p.m. at Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond (and continuing Sunday). Free, though there are guaranteed seats for $20 (and a $2.85 fee). Up to 10,000 people are expected to attend the festival and see headliner Eguie Castrillo and his orchestra, as well as Anna Borges and Bill Ward; Zahili Gonzalez Zamora; and David Rivera y la Bambula. The weekend includes a jazz museum, music therapy, an interactive pop-up exhibit around the science of sound from the MIT Museum, the presentation of a college scholarship and the Cambridge Jazz Foundation’s Cammy Awards. There will be food trucks, a kids’ area with face painting and a market where jazz fans can shop the works of local artists, crafters and other vendors. Information is here.

Nice, a Fest continues, from 1 p.m. to midnight at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square and The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday). Tickets start at $28. On day three of four this music festival gets serious, rolling out 28 of its 49 bands, hosting a local vendor market and holding a final midnight screening of “Wayne’s World.” Information is here.

Festival of Us, You, We & Them artist and student dance concert from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. A five-act showcase with Laura Sánchez Flamenco, SambaViva, Johara Boston and Snake Dance Theater, and Les Enfants du Soleil African Dance Theater serves as the centerpiece for a festival celebrating art and movement with free performances, classes and conversation. Information is here.


Sunday

An exhibit on Anneliese Hager and her camera-less photography ends this month at the Harvard Art Museums. (Photo: Harvard Art Museums)

Exhibition tour of “White Shadows: Anneliese Hager and the Camera-less Photograph” from noon to 1 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. Free, but space must be reserved starting at 10 a.m. Curators give an in-depth tour of an exhibition devoted to Hager, a master of photography without a camera and noted European surrealist – on the exhibition’s final day. Information is here.

Seventh Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival continues from noon to 6 p.m. at Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond (and continuing Sunday). Free, though there are guaranteed seats for $20 (and a $2.85 fee). Up to 10,000 people are expected to attend the festival and see headliner Chelsey Green and The Green Project, as well as the Ron Savage Trio with Bill Pierce and Bobby Broom; Gabrielle Goodman celebrating Aretha Franklin; El Eco with Guillermo Nojechowicz; and Zeke Martin and Oracle. The weekend includes a jazz museum, music therapy, an interactive pop-up exhibit around the science of sound from the MIT Museum, the presentation of a college scholarship and the Cambridge Jazz Foundation’s Cammy Awards. There will be food trucks, a kids’ area with face painting and a market where jazz fans can shop the works of local artists, crafters and other vendors. Information is here.

Donut Villa Diner day party from 2 to 8 p.m. at 20 Prospect St., Central Square. Tickets are $10, but entry is free before 3 p.m. The diner – which specializes in doughnuts and food served on them – hosts a weekly party with music from DJ Huski, Dj FranQ and guest DJs. Information is here.

Nice, a Fest continues, from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets start at $15. This “afterparty” has the final four of 49 bands: Black Beach, Anna Fox Rochinski, Doll Spirit Vessel and Gut Health. Information is here.

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Here are Toronto’s road closures for Pride Festival Weekend, TD Toronto Jazz Fest and other events

Here are Toronto's road closures for Pride Festival Weekend, TD Toronto Jazz Fest and other events


Several big events will be happening in the city this weekend, including the return of the Toronto Pride Parade to downtown streets following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.


Pride Toronto’s weekend festivities will also feature the Trans Pride March on Friday and the Dyke March on Saturday. In addition to Pride events, the 35th TD Toronto Jazz Festival will also be held in the downtown core.


If you are heading to any of the events this weekend, here’s what you need to know about what roads will be closed.


PRIDE EVENTS


Pride Toronto Streetfair – Church Street will be closed from Dundas Street East to Hayden Street from 10 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday


Trans Pride March – The following streets will be closed on Friday from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.


Church Street from Bloor Street East to Hayden Street


Bloor Street East from Church Street to Yonge Street


Yonge Street from Bloor Street to Carlton Street


Carlton Street from Yonge Street to Jarvis Street


Dyke March – The following streets will be closed on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.


Church Street from Bloor Street East to Hayden Street


Bloor Street East from Church Street to Yonge Street


Yonge Street from Bloor Street to Carlton Street


Carlton Street from Yonge Street to Jarvis Street


Pride Remembrance Run – Wellesley Street will be closed between Jarvis Street to Queen’s Park Crescent East as well as Queen’s Park from College Street to Bloor Street West on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.


Pride Parade – The following streets will be closed on Sunday:


Rosedale Valley Road from Bayview Avenue to Park Road (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)


Church Street from Hayden Street to Bloor Street East (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.)


Park Road from Rosedale Valley Road to Bloor Street East (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.)


Bloor Street East from Yonge Street to Ted Rogers Way (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.)


Yonge Street from Bloor Street to Queen Street (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.)


Dundas Street East from Yonge Street to Church Street (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.)


Victoria Street from Dundas Street East to Shuter Street (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.)


For other Pride events this weekend, check Pride Toronto’s website.


 


OTHER EVENTS


TD Toronto Jazz Festival: Queen’s Park from Wellesley Street West to Bloor Street West will be closed all day Saturday until 5 a.m. on Monday.


Fairbank Summerfest: Eglinton Avenue West will be closed from Ronald Avenue to Dufferin Street from 7 a.m. on Friday to 3 a.m. on Monday.


I Heart Market Street: Market Street is closed from Front Street East to the Esplanade.


For a complete list of events this weekend, click here.


TTC CLOSURES


There are no planned subway closures this weekend. However, the following bus and streetcar routes will be diverting to accommodate events:


  • 94 Wellesley (12:01 a.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. on Monday)

  • 19 Bay (8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday)

  • 506 Carlton (8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday)

  • 505 Dundas (12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday)

  • 32/332 Eglinton West (2 a.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday)

  • 13 Avenue Road (12:01 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday)

  • Buses will not be entering Davisville Station on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. due to a crane lift. Customers are advised to board buses outside the station.


CONSTRUCTION CLOSURES


Milliken Boulevard between McNicoll Avenue and 107 Milliken Blvd. continues to be closed until August 5 to facilitate Trans-Northern Pipeline maintenance.


Markham Road at Highway 401 will be closed from 10 p.m. on Saturday to 10 a.m. on Sunday to facilitate bridge demolition.


Jarvis Street from Carlton Street to Bloor Street East, including Ted Rogers Way, is reduced to one lane in each direction for road resurfacing, sidewalk repairs and intersection safety modifications.


Wellesley Street East from Ontario Street to Sherbourne Street is reduced to one westbound lane for bikeway and road reconstruction.


Wellington Street from Yonge Street to Church Street is reduced to one westbound lane for TTC track replacement and sidewalk improvements.


Yonge Street northbound and southbound lanes from the Esplanade to Lake Shore Boulevard continue to be closed to facilitate ongoing bridge construction. Bike lanes in both directions will be maintained.


Gerrard Street from University Avenue to Elizabeth Street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday to facilitate SickKids building maintenance.


Travel lanes on The Queensway between Parkside Drive and Roncesvalles Avenue are reduced to a minimum of one shared travel lane in each direction for King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles TTC track replacement and road reconstruction work. King Street West is also closed at this intersection.


Lake Shore Boulevard from Simcoe Street to Bay Street continues to be reduced to one westbound lane for gas main replacement.


Lake Shore Boulevard northbound and southbound access to Simcoe Street is restricted to right turn only; Lake Shore Boulevard eastbound and westbound to Simcoe Street is restricted to right turn only; and Lake Shore Boulevard eastbound is reduced to a single lane from Spadina Avenue to Rees Street on Saturday from 6 a.m. to Sunday at 6 a.m. to facilitate an Enbridge gas main replacement. Pedestrians will be redirected to use the east crosswalk.


The Sheppard Avenue East bridge over Highway 404 is reduced to two lanes in each direction for a bridge rehabilitation project by the Ministry of Transportation.


WEATHER


On Friday, it will be sunny with a high of 29 C, according to Environment Canada. Sunny conditions will continue on Saturday. However, those attending the Pride Parade on Sunday may need to bring an umbrella as showers are in the forecast with a high of 29 C.

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35th SASKTEL SASKATCHEWAN JAZZ FESTIVAL – GlobalNews Events

LUCINDA WILLIAMS with MEGAN NASH – June 30th, Doors open @6:00pm, Show @7:00pm, Location: TD Mainstage, Bessborough Gardens. Tickets: https://broadwaytheatre.ca/events?p=event&event=1404   “It’s all come full circle,” says Lucinda Williams about her powerful new album, Good Souls Better Angels.  After more than forty years of music making, the pioneering, Louisiana-born artist has returned to the gritty blues foundation that first inspired her as a young singer-songwriter in the late 1970s.

ARKELLS WITH HAVIAH MIGHTY and SHAWNEE KISH – July 2nd, Doors open @5:00pm, Show @6:00pm, Location: TD Mainstage, Bessborough Gardens.  Tickets: https://broadwaytheatre.ca/events?p=event&event=1405  Hailed by The Globe and Mail as “the right kind of band for this decade,” Arkells are widely considered one of the most passionate, exuberant and in-demand live bands working today.  As radio mainstays, sports-sync shoe-ins and curious students of culture, Arkells have remained ever present – building awareness and personal community experiences around their live shows and new music at every turn.  The most emblematic example of this being The Rally, Arkell’s hometown concert that was hailed as one of the biggest headline shows in the country, and is slated to return in June 2022.  Arkells continue to unleash new music and tour dates as the band and their fans return to live in-person festivities.  Their hotly anticipated new album BLINK ONCE is out now, with recently teased BLINK TWICE companion album due later this year.

KIESZA and THE HALLUCI NATION – July 3rd, Doors open @6:00pm, Show @7:00pm, Location: TD Mainstage, Bessborough Gardens.  Tickets: https://broadwaytheatre.ca/events?p=event&event=1406  Kiesza stormed onto the scene in 2014 with her impassioned hit “Hideaway,” which has since accrued over a billion streams; the accompanying one-shot video has been featured on several best-of-decade lists.  Her debut studio album Sound Of A Woman saw her top charts globally and moved over a million units.  Top-tier musicians soon rushed to work with her, and the rising Canadian talent soon counted herself as a feature on releases from the likes of Skrillex, Diplo, Duran Duran and Joey Bada$$, to name a few.  The Canadian multi-hyphenate also has a foot in the fashion world, serving as the face of campaigns for top brands like Fendi and Maison Birks.

PATTI LaBELLE with JACK SEMPLE – July 5th, Doors open @6:00pm, Show @7:00pm, Location: TD Mainstage, Bessborough Gardens.  Tickets: https://broadwaytheatre.ca/events?p=event&event=1407  Beautiful, simply does not describe the incomparable force known to the world as Patti LaBelle.  As time continues to evolve, the soulful songbird’s name has become synonymous with grace, style, elegance and class.  Belting out classic rhythm and blues renditions, pop standards and spiritual sonnets have created the unique platform of versatility that she is known and revered for.

BAHAMAS with RUBY WATERS – July 6th, Doors open @6:00pm, Show @7:00pm, Location: TD Mainstage, Bessborough Gardens. Tickets: https://broadwaytheatre.ca/events?p=event&event=1408  2018’s Grammy-Nominated Earthtones saw Bahamas joining forces with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer James Gadson (the rhythm section behind D’Angelo’s Black Messiah), and even merging them with his stable of longtime heavyweight musicians on Kimmel.

PRAIRIE RHYTHMS: 35 YEARS OF JAZZ, COMMUNITY AND FUN FT. THE SASKATOON JAZZ ORCHESTRA – July 7th, Doors open @6:00pm, Show @7:00pm, Location: TD Mainstage, Bessborough Gardens.  Tickets: https://broadwaytheatre.ca/events?p=event&event=1409  Under the direction of Dean McNeill the Saskatchewan Jazz Orchestra (SJO) is proud to help celebrate the SaskTel Jazz Festival’s 35th Anniversary through this one-time-only gala concert featuring home grown Sask talend from multiple generations!  Confirmed arts include Ted Warren (Drums), multi Juno award winner Jon Ballantyne (Piano), Al Muirhead (Trumpet), Juno award winner Mike Rud (Guitar), Ross Ulmer (Trombone), Sheldon Corbett (Sax), Barrie Redford (Trumpet), Mark DeJong (Saxaphone), plus a whole host of up and coming Sask based musical talent.  Repertoire for this concert will include excerpt from the Regina Jazz Society’s Western Canadian Music Awards-nominated CD “The Saskatchewan Suite: The Story of Us” composed by Fred Stride, and, the “Saskatchewan Suite” composed by Juno award-winning pianist/composer Oliver Jones.  This concert will also feature premiers of 2 original new works composed by Silas Friesen and Paul Suchan.

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Berks Jazz Fest continues to entertain during final weekend of events

Berks Jazz Fest continues to entertain during final weekend of events

READING, Pa. – The 31st annual Berks Jazz Fest is underway. Saturday and Sunday are the last days to hear the sounds of Jazz. 

The DoubleTree hosted several performances on Friday. 

The hotel celebrated Reading Blues Fest Night with the Craig Thatcher and Mike Guldin Guitar Summit.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral hosted the Anniversary Celebration Concert. The Miller Center for the Arts also featured the work of the Joey DeFrancesco Trio.

There is still some time to catch some Jazz Fest shows this weekend.

On Saturday, the DoubleTree is hosting an auction in the morning. You can stay at the hotel for the Celebrating Women in Jazz concert at 1:00 p.m.

There will be an Afternoon Jazz party, also at the the DoubleTree.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral is hosting David Sanborn and Friends at 6:00 p.m. 

And Al “DJ Act” Taylor is ending the day at the DoubleTree at 9:30 p.m. 

Jazz Fest ends Sunday with a great day of shows.

The DoubleTree is hosting Sunday Brunch with a salute to Nico Colionne.

You can check out A Contemporary Sax Retrospective at the Miller Center at 3:00 p.m. 

The Yocum Institute is hosting a Tribute to Buddy Rich at 4:00 p.m. 

The festival finale will be held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.

More information and a complete list of events can be found here

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From Jazz Fest to Rifflandia, live events gearing up to return this summer

From Jazz Fest to Rifflandia, live events gearing up to return this summer

The long list of Greater Victoria events returning this summer includes TD Victoria International Jazz Festival, Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival), the Victoria Fringe Festival and Rifflandia.

Victoria nightclubs and lounges are back at full capacity, with hour-long waits on weekends at venues where dancing is permitted.

Large-scale concerts, including summer festivals, are up next. The long list of Greater Victoria events returning this summer includes TD Victoria International Jazz Festival (June 24-July 3), Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival (June 30-July 5), the Victoria Fringe Festival (Aug. 24-Sept. 4) and Rifflandia, Sept. 15-18.

“Touring in North America is in the middle of a big reboot right now,” said Rifflandia producer Nick Blasko, whose event returns after a three-year absence. “We’re not looking to take a step backwards.”

Some longtime mid-Island favourites are also returning, including Courtenay’s Vancouver Island Music Festival (July 8-10), and Lake Cowichan’s Laketown Shakedown (June 30-July 2) and Sunfest (July 28-31), which each attract around 10,000 people.

Festival manager Mike Hann, who oversees both Lake Cowichan events, is confident audiences will return. “A solid base of people are ready to socialize and have fun,” he said. “I think, overwhelmingly, people are ready to move on and get back to a place where they can feel that social connection.”

Last year, Greater Victoria hosted a single summer music festival: Langford’s All Ways Home Festival, which drew 2,000 fans to Starlight Stadium. The producers of that event, Stephen Franke and Morgan Brooker, are building on that experience with the Phillips Backyard Concert Series, a trio of two-day events at the Phillips Brewing & Malting Co. on Government Street.

Lineups for May 14-15, July 9-10 and Aug. 13-14 will feature acts Future Islands, Half Moon Run, The Beaches, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones, among others. With a capacity of 3,000 people, the series will be the first event to test the post-pandemic waters, just three months after capacity restrictions were lifted.

Franke doesn’t believe further restrictions are forthcoming. “We are not selling tickets hoping things are going to happen — we know things are going to happen.”

Producers still face a raft of challenges, however, from severe staffing and supply-chain shortages to insurance and licensing concerns.

A number of venues are also coming back to life. Hermann’s Upstairs has begun hosting live events again, after more than five years of inactivity, while the popular Capital Ballroom returns May 10 with a concert by Godspeed You! Black Emperor — its first full-capacity event since March 13, 2020.

Strathcona Hotel co-owner Grant Olson has used the pandemic downtime to renovate Distrikt, the city’s biggest nightclub. Olson said the result is a multi-purpose event space combining music, food and art, with a re-launch under a new name set for May. “We want to make it so when you go down you go: ‘Wow, this is a nice room,’ ” he said.

Derek Tusche, co-owner of Hecklers Bar & Grill on Gorge Road East — the top comedy club in the city — has been doing big business for years, especially on Saturday nights. Last week, Tusche added live music hosted by Mike Roma under the umbrella of The Outlaw Sessions and the event sold out on opening night.

“I have seen a lot of places lose their shirt on live music,” he said. “So if we are going to do it, I’m going to jump in and do it the way I think it should be done.”

It’s the latest pandemic-generated development at the 170-person venue. Tusche added a second comedy show on Saturdays to meet demand, and has begun booking local DJs to up the energy on Friday nights. “I think live music is only going to go up,” he said.

Other events with wider-ranging demographics are proceeding with caution. Organizers of Symphony Splash and Victoria Pride Week, and Butchart Gardens, among others, have yet to announce their intentions for 2022.

Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre — which hosted Victoria Royals hockey games at 50 per cent capacity through the winter — is preparing for a busy concert season, booking Carlos Santana (March 30), Imagine Dragons (April 10), ZZ Top (April 22), James Taylor and Jackson Browne (May 11), Avril Lavigne (May 25), and Foo Fighters (Oct. 3).

George Fadel, senior director of marketing for GSL Group, which owns the Royals and operates the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, expects the arena’s concert calendar will get “a whole lot busier” in coming weeks.

Foo Fighters, the biggest band in the bunch, sold out in minutes Feb. 18, which “proves how eager people are to see live music again,” Fadel said. “It’s a very positive sign for our city and for our venue.

“Think about all the things surrounding us — restaurants, pubs — everybody benefits. This is going to have a really strong trickle-down effect.”

Rifflandia, whose lineup will be announced in April, is also expected to attract big names when it returns in September to Royal Athletic Park for daytime programming and the nearby Electric Avenue area at night. “We want to put this festival back on a course for years to come,” Blasko said. “This is an important year for us.”

mdevlin@timescolonist.com