THE STRUMBELLAS, KARDINAL OFFISHALL TO PERFORM FREE CONCERT AT SIRIUSXM KICKOFF SHOW PRIOR TO ARGOS' HISTORIC HOME OPENER
Argos unveil ‘The Shipyard’ at Exhibition Place as new fan fest venue
TORONTO (June 17, 2016) – To kick off the 2016 CFL Season and the Argos’ historic home opener at BMO Field on Thursday, June 23, the Canadian Football League (CFL) and Toronto Argonauts announced today that Juno award-winning artists The Strumbellas and Kardinal Offishall will perform a free concert at the SiriusXM Kickoff Show for anyone with a ticket to the game.
The SiriusXM Kickoff Show will be held in “The Shipyard,” the Argos’ new pre-game fan festival space located at the foot of Hotel X and in front of the Stanley Barracks at Exhibition Place. The outdoor festival area will serve tasty BBQ food and ice cold drinks, including $4 beers, prior to every game at BMO Field this season. Spread across acres of licensed patio, The Shipyard will be a place for Argos fans to meet up before the game to eat, drink and socialize before heading into the stadium.
“There is a tremendous amount of momentum heading into the 2016 CFL season as our teams and our League embraces a new look and a new feel. The upcoming season also marks a brand new era for the Argos as they add a chapter to their history by moving to their new home at BMO Field,” said Christina Litz, Senior Vice President of Content and Marketing at the CFL. “We are excited to have The Strumbellas kick off a new CFL season and inaugurate this special fan fest space for Argos fans at Exhibition Place.”
“Recently, we announced tailgating for our fans who arrive by car, and today, we are excited to introduce “The Shipyard,” an outdoor festival space for fans who commute or arrive by foot or bike and are looking for a pregame party,” said Sara Moore, Argos Senior Vice President, Business Operations. “And for this first game, our historic home opener, we are thrilled to welcome The Strumbellas to kick off the festivities.”
“As a long-time partner of the CFL, we’re excited to be a part of the Argos’ move into a new era and a new stadium with a huge party to celebrate,” said Paul Cunningham, SVP, Sales & Marketing, SiriusXM Canada. “The Strumbellas and Kardinal Offishall are going to put on an amazing show and we love bringing Canadian music and Canadian football together.”
Kardinal Offishall will be on stage at 4:30pm ET, while The Strumbellas take to the stage at 5:30pm ET. The concert precedes the Toronto Argonauts vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats game which is also the 2016 CFL season opener and the first regular season CFL game to be played at the newly-renovated BMO Field.
The six-piece Canadian band won a Juno in 2014 for their album, We Still Move On Dance Floors. The band’s new album, Hope, earned a spot on the coveted 2016 Polaris Music Prize Long List that was announced this week. The first single, Spirits, has reached the top of the charts in Canada, America and Italy and has already gone gold in Canada and Italy.
Kardinal Offishall is a four-time Juno Award winner, taking home the honour for Single of the Year for “Dangerous” in 2009 and winning three times for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year (1999, 2000 and 2014).
Single game tickets for all Argos games, including the much-anticipated home opener on Thursday June 23 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are available at Argonauts.ca/tickets.
Click below to see an interview with the Strumbellas, filmed just outside the Liberty Market building in Liberty Village.
