Saturday, July 4th, 2009

CONTEST – Osheaga 2009

As those of us in Toronto sit and wait not quite as patiently as we one did for news of our – or Ontario’s – Virgin Festival, it’s hard not to look longingly up the 401 to the rather excellent party happening in Montreal the weekend of August 1 and 2 at Parc Jean-Drapeau – Osheaga. Having both come into being in the same year – 2006 – and even taking place the same weekend (and swapping many acts) in 2007, the two festivals have always had a friendly competition very much in the spirit of all Montreal-Toronto rivalries, punters endlessly comparing lineups and experiences.

This year, however, the edge has to go to Osheaga by simple virtue of the fact that it officially exists. The fact that this year’s lineup is pretty stacked, featuring Coldplay, Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Elbow, Lykke Li, The Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys, Eagles Of Death Metal and craploads more, is just gravy. This isn’t to say that V couldn’t come up with something comparable, but it’d have to be pretty left-field. Either way… we shall see.

But if you’re sold on Osheaga – and it’s not like you have to choose, they’re almost a month apart – then maybe this giveaway is for you. Courtesy of the festival, I’ve got a pair of weekend passes to give away to one lucky winner. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to Go-sheaga” in the subject line (yes I used that in last year’s contest but I like it) and your name and full mailing address in the body and get that in to me before midnight, July 14.

MySpace: Osheaga

By : Frank Yang at 8:12 am
Category: Contests

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RSS Feed for this post6 Responses.
  1. FrostBiteBoy says:

    Fuck Virgin!
    Their marketing “geniuses” decided it was better to make the Ontario audience wait half the summer to find out about this year’s festival. Well, it’s too late…

    I’m sure most of us have gone ahead and planned our summer shows based on offerings by Promoters who understand that, in a time of economic downturn, audiences need to be careful where they spend their entertainment dollar. We can’t all go to every single show we’d like to see. So, for many of us, by the time Virgin’s lineup is announced, we’ll have already purchased our summer concert tickets.

    Obviously, the corporate fat cats (and their madcap middle-aged-crisis-driven leader) at a company like Virgin have been personally untouched by the recession, and don’t feel the need to make allowances for their potential audiences financial concerns. I hope they enjoy sitting in an empty Oro-Medonte field in late August, patting each other on the back for their “brilliant” marketing move.

  2. Frank Yang says:

    not necessarily disagreeing with you – the announcement is coming some four months later than last year – but Virgin has little to do with the actual booking and running of the festival. They’re all branding and marketing. Branson has as much to do with these V fests as he does the actual flying of the planes in his airline.

    It’s been a weird summer for fests – stuff has been cancelled before it was even announced, others after the fact, I think everyone is just playing it fast and loose and hoping for the best.

  3. paul says:

    here’s hoping next year’s island fest will happen….(was really looking forward to Beach House and EITS)…but what we really need is a Chromewaves festival to rival Pfork. Frank?

  4. FrostBiteBoy says:

    Here’s to ChromewavesFest 2010!!!!!

  5. Dany Daignault says:

    in the subject line (yes I used that in last year’s contest but I like it)

  6. Suzy Proteau says:

    contest is good