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AUGUST 26-29, 2010 throughout
the St. Lawrence Market district
- Event proceeds benefit
Epilepsy Toronto -
Toronto - Prepare to
be amazed as daredevils and magicians, high skill circus acts,
comedians, a wide variety of musicians, clowns, contortionists,
acrobats, aerialists, puppets, fire breathers and a few things
no words can describe descend on Toronto’s St. Lawrence
Market neighbourhood for Scotiabank BuskerFest,
North America’s largest busker festival. Named one of
Ontario’s top 100 festivals and events by Festivals
and Events Ontario, the international street performers’
festival promises four days and nights of non-stop
side-splitting hilarity and astonishing spectacle from
Thursday, August 26 to Sunday, August 29 in support of Epilepsy Toronto.
Last year’s BuskerFest attracted over 1
million spectators, young and old alike, and this year’s
promises to be even bigger, with over 100 of the best street
performers from Canada, the United States, the
Netherlands, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand and more.
Returning favourites are joined by some fantastic new busking
treasures from across the world.
Never-before-seen at Scotiabank BuskerFest includes:
From Australia: At the cutting edge of fire performance,
FlameOz delivers highly skilled and uniquely
choreographed fire shows. They’ve captivated audiences of all
ages around the world with their dynamic fusion of fire
manipulation, dance, acrobatics, martial arts and circus.
From the UK: Former National Gymnast and dancer
Bendy Em will have you on the edge of your ‘seat’ as she
comically bends and contorts her body into freakily
mind-boggling positions. Watch Bendy Em squeeze herself into a
16 inch Perspex box balanced on a seven-foot rig!
From Argentina: Four-time Guiness world record breaker
Victor Rubilar’s soccer ball-juggling show
mixes Latino soap opera with the passion of a football arena.
“The things that Victor can do with a football are mesmerizing,”
says the Guiness Book of World Records. A family-friendly show
everybody can enjoy.
New from Canada: Quebec’s palm-reading gypsy
ventriloquist/dummy duo, Madam Bao and Cosma,
offers an hilarious glance at what life has in store for you,
while Toronto’s Suspended Animation Circus perform
The 477th Greatest Show on Earth while moving
through the festival suspended from a giant helium balloon!
Aytahn Ross of Circus Montreal can be spotted
performing elegant and silly shows daily in the BuskerPlay area,
as well as in his installation piece “Authentic Circus Artist in
Natural Habitat.”
Returning BuskerFest favourites include: Toronto’s own
Aidan Orange balances a shocking amount of large
objects on his face while performing yo-yo and contortion
tricks; the gentleman juggler, English comedian Mat
Ricardo with impeccable style and a finale that simply
has to be seen to be believed; Whitby’s Max T. Oz has
performed at every single Toronto BuskerFest with his slick
sleight-of-hand and hilarious antics; New Zealand
Lurk is a “clown with a complex” and impeccable stilt
skills; the Quebec Russian Bar Trio,
one of the most dangerous acts to be performed on the street,
features a young woman performing aerial acrobatics from a bar
only 4 inches wide, braced on the shoulders of two men; and
more!
Admission to BuskerFest is by voluntary donation to Epilepsy
Toronto, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping more
than 40,000 Torontonians with epilepsy, as well as their
families, live well by providing counselling, employment
support, advocacy and education. Buskers retain proceeds from
“the hat” passed after their performances except for two special
group benefit shows where proceeds go to Epilepsy Toronto: the
5th Annual Fire Show that showcases the ‘hottest’ fire
performers at the fest (Fri. August 27 at 9:30pm - rain date
August 28) including FlameOz and Suspended Animation Circus,
and the Grande Finale (August 29 at 6:30pm) where the
winner of the Metro’s People’s Choice award will be announced.
"BuskerFest" is produced by Epilepsy Toronto with the
support of our title sponsor Scotiabank. Over the last eleven
years we have raised almost one million dollars for Epilepsy
Toronto, a non-profit organization that has been helping people
living with epilepsy and their families for the past 50 years,”
says Geoff Bobb, Executive Director of Epilepsy Toronto. “One in
every 100 Canadians experiences some form of epilepsy. Thanks to
the generosity of Toronto, this amazing festival helps raise the
funds needed to provide important services to promote the
independence and quality of life for people in Toronto living
with epilepsy.”
11th Annual Scotiabank
BuskerFest
Toronto International Street Performers Festival
Thursday August 26 - Sunday August 29, 2010
throughout the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood,
Front Street all the way from from Jarvis to Yonge and adjacent
side streets
Thursday noon-10pm, Friday noon-11pm, Saturday 11am-11pm. Sun
11am-8pm
Admission is by voluntary donation to benefit festival
organizers Epilepsy
Toronto
For information, visit
www.torontobuskerfest.com
http://www.facbook.com/BuskerFestToronto
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