Virgin Festival Montreal
Virgin Festival Montreal 2009:
June 19-20, 2009 - Montreal, QC
Latest Updates: 6/9 - Added Ten Second Epic, Sam Bradley, 2AM Club
Official Lineup:
2AM Club, Akon, Black Eyed Peas, Carly Rae Jepson, David Usher, Divine Brown, Eva Avila, Hedley, Jabbawockeez, Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Roy, Karl Wolf, Keesha Turner, Lights, Live, The New Cities, New Kids On The Block, Sam Bradley, Simple Plan, Stereos, Ten Second Epic
Important Links:
Tickets:
- via Official Website
oh, i’m sure they’ll happen but they’ll all have super shitty line ups.
I bet they’re all happening because they’ve got it on their site, but I bet the Calgary show will just have a terrible lineup compared to previous years.
I’ll tell you something even more pathetic. Other than the fact that they haven’t relesed the date or lineup for Calgary VFest. Rock the Bells is playing there Aug. 2nd. Anyone that may have been thinking of purchasing tickets to VFest there has skipped that idea and gone for “RtB”. Plus Sled Island is coming up in 3 weeks. and You have the Folk Fest as well.
HELLO economic crisis. I wonder why they just can’t admit that it aint happening?
Calling Lights and Our Lady Peace mediocre is awfully high praise. I don’t like the Tragically Hip either, but I guess they could be considered mediocre. The other two, yikes, if they are there it will be truly awful.
Debaser I got the same e-mail today. These people are really big twats. On the Facebook page for V fest Canada, any time I post something that has the dates for Ontario that came out a while back, the administrator deletes the post. Hilarious, and pathetic.
Hahahaha. I was going to email them as well to find out what’s happening. I knew that’s what they’d say.
I really think that they’re having trouble with getting a lineup together. That weekend has so many festivals around the world and so many good bands are already booked. I’m sure they’ll string something together but I dont’ believe it’ll be as good as the last couple of years.
I have a feeling it’s going to be Green Day with a whole bunch of medicore canadian bands (Our Lady Peace, Tragically Hip, Lights)
I hope we get a Broken Social Scene or Apostle of Hustle at least though
finally a response from an email on april 2, 2009. tell me something i didn’t already know…twats.
and the twitter administraters are even bigger twats too.
—————————————
Hey Debaser,
There will be a V Fest in Ontario this year, however the exact date and location have yet to be released. Keep an eye on the webpage as the info should be up in the not-so-distant future.
Cheers,
The Virgin Festival Team
A posting (that has since been taken down) on Beggars Group website has Jarvis Cocker playing the Virgin Festival on 7/26/09 in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Whats going on with the other fests? All the lineups were supposed to be out weeks ago, but they haven’t even confirmed dates.
I juss know I would rather go to montreal virgin fest rather than Halifax!
I love akon, black eyed peas NKOTB
I think I might rather be attacked by wild animals than be forced to sit/stand through this show. Poor Canada.
Wow, this is worse than Download Fest.
Can’t say that I’m impressed with this lineup thus far.
I understand Montreal already has Osheaga, which has been the city’s version of a Virgin Festival event the last few years.
Yet for a city that has been a hotbed of the indie rock scene in recent years, I would at least hope that those acts which have not already been announced for Osheaga are able to fill out the rest of the Virgin Festival lineup in the upcoming weeks and not just turn this into a complete popfest.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Entertainment/Virgin+unveils+Montreal+lineup/1569494/story.html
Black Eyed Peas, New Kids on the Block, Akon, Hedley and Live are among the acts performing at Virgin Festival’s first Montreal edition.
After holding events in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver in recent years, Virgin Festival hopes to draw 30,000 fans to Jean Drapeau Park on June 19 and 20. The fest is also expanding to Halifax.
Virgin Festival is working in partnership with Gillett Entertainment Group for the Montreal and Halifax dates. Gillett runs the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in early August, and has exclusive rights to hold concerts at Jean Drapeau Park.
“(Virgin) was our main sponsor last year for Osheaga,” said Gillett concert buyer Nick Farkas. “They came up with the idea (for Virgin Festival Montreal). We helped them come up with a kind of festival we don’t have here that’s more pop-oriented. We already have an indie-rock fest (Osheaga) and a jazz fest. Based on the fact that we do a ton of (pop) shows that do well, it’s a good niche.”
The lineup for Virgin Festival changes from city to city. Farkas said the Montreal date will cater to local tastes.
“The country is not homogenous,” he said. “Montreal is different from Halifax and Toronto. … If you look at what’s successful in the U.K. and Europe, it’s destination festivals for particular markets. That’s what we’ve tried to do with this festival create a lineup that is conducive to what Montrealers want to see.”
Virgin Radio (formerly Mix 96) has provided what Virgin Festival director Andrew Bridge calls a focus group for the fest, via its listeners.
“We used that to inform us on what bands make sense for the market,” he said.
Bridge, who was born in Montreal and lived here for the first 10 years of his life, retains a soft spot for the city.
“There’s a lot of opportunity lots of passion there. It’s a festival city.”
Also performing at Virgin Festival are Divine Brown, Lights, the New Cities and Eva Avila. Other names will be announced in the coming weeks.
Virgin Festival Montreal takes place June 19 and 20 at Jean Drapeau Park. Tickets cost $75 per day, $133.50 for both days. VIP weekend passes cost $313.50. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Bell Centre, by phone at 514-790-2525 and online at http://www.geg.ca. For more information, go to http://www.virginfestival.ca.
tdunlevy@thegazette.canwest.com
dunno, i’d go to two festivals in the came city if the line up was good enough.
shit, if i could afford it i’d go to coachella, lollapalooza and all points west.
Never mind the last comment. Thats only for VIP.
I think its worth mentioning that unlike past V Fests in North America, this one is 18+.
It doesn’t matter that it’s a month later. Most people who drop $150 for one festival would probably not be willing to do so for a second one.
considering that osheaga is a month later, i don’t think the competion for audience is a factor.
the quebec market does love crappy music though. they were the first to break the backstreet boys and lady gaga so a ‘pop’ festival could do well.
i just pray that ontario/toronto doesn’t change format. bad enough the venue has changed…a ‘pop’ format wouldn’t go over well here, especially for a festival being held in up north.
It could just be that they didn’t want to compete for the same audience as Osheaga in the Montreal market. I hope. If Ontario’s is anything like this, well, we would have been waiting all this time for an announcement for nothing.
if all the festivals accross canada are virgin radio based line ups….we are fucked.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2009/06/c8820.html
rgin Festival goes national!
Montréal announced as first Virgin Festival of 2009
MONTREAL, May 6 /CNW/ - Virgin Festival, Canada’s hottest summer music
festival, announced today that it’s going to rock Canada from coast to coast
this year with five Virgin Festivals! In addition to Alberta, British Columbia
and Ontario, Virgin Festival will also be held for the first time in Montréal
and Nova Scotia! Each Festival host city will deliver everything that Virgin
Festival is known for: A-list superstar headliners, a genre-busting mix of
musical styles, and hot up-and-coming local talent, all at ticket prices that
won’t break the bank.
The news also dropped that Virgin Festival Montréal will be the first
festival of the year! Virgin Festival Montréal will deliver the music festival
event of the year to an expected 30,000 music lovers at Parc Jean-Drapeau -
Ile Ste-Hélène on Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20, 2009.
“After last year’s incredible success, we’re taking the Festival coast to
coast in 2009,” announced Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group.
“Virgin Festival is spreading the love to Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario,
Montréal, and Nova Scotia, making it a truly national Music Festival.”
“Virgin Festival Canada keeps getting bigger and better and that’s thanks
to the growing number of fans that keep coming back for more and more,” added
Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer, Virgin Mobile Canada. “We’ve grown
from 30,000 fans in our first year to a total that’s now well over 150,000,
and in 2009 we’re expecting to break the 300,000 mark, making Virgin Festival
the fastest growing music festival in Canada.”
Keep an eye on http://www.virginfestival.ca for the latest breaking news on the
exact locations, dates, and line-ups for the Canadian Virgin Festivals.
Virgin Festival Montréal
Headlining day one will be the Grammy Award-winning Black Eyed Peas, the
MMVA and Juno Award-winning Simple Plan, Canadian rockers Hedley, synth-pop
specialists The New Cities and soul infusionist Eva Avila. Headlining day two
will be legendary pop group New Kids On The Block, multi-platinum pop soul
singer Akon, alt-rock legends Live, up-and-coming electro singer/songwriter
Lights and R&B songstress Divine Brown. More stellar talent will be announced
in the coming weeks.
“We’re thrilled to finally be bringing one of the biggest music festivals
in Canada to Montréal,” said Andrew Bridge, Director of Virgin Festival. “Like
all Virgin Festivals, the Montréal event will be an unforgettable one packed
with supersonic talent and one-of-a-kind experiences.”
This year, Virgin Festival Canada will partner with Gillett Entertainment
Group (GEG) for Virgin Festival Montréal.
Jacques Aube, Vice President and General Manager, Gillett Entertainment
Group added “Montréal is a natural host for Virgin Festival. The city has an
eclectic, thriving music scene, and tons of festival-loving fans. With artists
like Black Eyed Peas, New Kids on the Block, Simple Plan, Akon, Hedley, Live,
Lights, The New Cities, Eva Aliva and Divine Brown we’re going to wow them
with an experience that only Virgin Festival can create.”
Virgin Festival Facts
- 300,000 screaming fans! By the end of the summer Virgin Festival
Canada is expected to be the fastest growing music festival in Canada
with over 300,000 fans.
- Virgin Radio number one groupies! This year, Virgin Festival is
partnering with its sister brand Virgin Radio and Astral Media to
help grow the Virgin Festival buzz and spread the love with exclusive
Festival news, the latest breaking artist info, and hot ticket
offers.
- Virgin Festival is way more than a concert! While music takes centre
stage at Virgin Festival, there’s much more happening than just that.
The Festival creates on on-site experience like no other - from
interactive displays and contests, a vendor village, beer gardens,
special perks for Virgin Mobile customers, and way more - there is
always something to keep everyone going while they’re waiting for
their fave artist to take the stage.
- Raising funds for Virgin Unite! Virgin Festival also works to raise
funds for Virgin Unite - the charitable arm of the Virgin Group that
focuses on creating grass roots change and sustainable businesses to
make a real difference for people around the world who need it most.
- Keeping the festival green! Another crucial focus for the festival is
taking care of the environment. On the path to becoming as
carbon-neutral as possible, Virgin Festival will provide recycling
on-site, use biodegradable food and drink containers and leverage
green energy sources, where possible, to power the music festival.
Ticket News
General ticket sales for two-day, one-day, and VIP Weekend tickets begin
Saturday, May 9th at 10 a.m. in person at The Bell Centre Box Office, select
Future Shop locations, online at http://www.geg.ca, or http://www.futureshop.ca, and by
calling (514) 790-2525, or 1-877-668-8269. Ticket information is also
available at http://www.virginfestival.ca. Two-day tickets are $133.50 (including all
sales taxes, $7.50 Service Charge, $4 Facility Fee, and a $2 donation to
Virgin Unite Canada). One-day tickets are $75 (including all sales taxes,
$7.50 Service Charge, $2 Facility Fee, and a $1 donation to Virgin Unite
Canada).
As always, when you’re with Virgin Mobile you move to the front of the
line. Virgin Mobile customers can get their hands on Early Bird tickets before
anyone else.
Want to put some VIP into your Virgin Festival experience? Kick it up a
notch and party like a rock star in the Louder Lounge. This exclusive VIP area
is stuffed with comfy lounge chairs, cabanas, drinks, and food to keep you
relaxed and fueled up. Plus, you never know who you might rub shoulders with.
Plus you get a front of the line entrance to the Festival, shorter washroom
line ups, and a Festival merchandise discount. Get all the details at
virginfestival.ca. VIP Weekend tickets can be yours for $313.50 (including all
sales taxes, $7.50 Service Charge, $4 Facility Fee, and a $2 donation to
Virgin Unite Canada.)
what does the Ottawa Bluesfest have to do with Virin montreal festival, Montreal breaks attendance records every year to major events (ATP tennis, Grand Prix, Bell Center ). I dont another festival is a bad idea at all, its just that the line up is very poor, its all a bunch of bands who are on their decline. Osheaga will definitely overpower virgin festival his year !!!
Yikes, what a horrid line-up.
Ok… just heard on the radio station in Montreal, Virgin radio. They have confirmed that there will be a concert Virgin Festival (June 19 to 20) at Parc Jean-Drapeau. With the Black Eyed Peas, Lights, Eva Avila… Osheaga is another festival that will be also at Parc Jean-Drapeau, but has different style of music. I like it better and it will be held 2 days at Jean-Drapeau (August 1st and 2nd)
Not sure how you’re all going to feel about this but I Love All Access is listing the New Kids On The Block as appearing at V-Fest in Montreal on June 20, 2009. V-Fest is going to get taken over by a bunch of Blockheads…wish I could be there, I’ve been a huge fan for more than 20 years!
Could be…it seems really weird so it could very well be an error.
Thats True. I’m also thinking this might be an error on Pollstar’s part. They’re not the most reliable source.
Who knows if this will even be a “major” festival Adam. It looks like it is only one day according to Pollstar, and Live is playing.
Still though, I didn’t think Montreal would be a big enough market to support 2 major festivals, especially with Ottawa Bluesfest so close as well.
Virgin is not sponsoring Osheaga this year. I don’t think they did last year either. This is very unexpected though.
I thought Osheaga was Montreal’s Virgin event. This is strange.
where is Vfest Vancouver?
It’s June 20th, not July 20th.