TORONTO — Bryan Adams, Matty Matheson, Mustafa and Death From Above 1979 are among the stars set to appear at the inaugural Departure Festival + Conference.
Billed as a showcase for music, art, comedy and tech, the event includes performances and talks, and supplants the long-running music industry festival Canadian Music Week.
In addition to Matheson and Adams, organizers say speakers will include record producer T-Minus, Rap Radar podcast co-host Brian (B.Dot) Miller, and photographer and creative director Danny Hastings.
Music performances include premium ticketed events for Mustafa, Tia Wood, Death From Above 1979, Avenoir and Rural Alberta Advantage.
The conference runs May 6 to 11 in Toronto, and is described as "a reimagined and expanded vision" of CMW, which sold to new owners last year.
The Departure Festival + Conference comes from Loft Entertainment, founded by former Bell Media head and record label executive Randy Lennox, and Oak View Group, a Denver-based company specializing in venue development and management founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff.
Departure’s comedy slate is curated by former Just For Laughs president Bruce Hills.
Departure said Tuesday the comedy lineup will be announced in February and the music showcase in March. Programming details for film as well as the radio, podcasting and digital audio conference known as Radiodays North America will also be announced in the coming weeks.
Tech leaders bound for Departure include those from Snap Inc. in Canada, Visibility Media and Elevated.
Film presentations include Alex Ross Perry's latest “Pavements” about the '90s indie band Pavement, starring Jason Schwartzman and Joe Keery.
Priority and conference passes are on sale at departureto.com. Pass holders get access to music and comedy showcases, along with premium events that require the purchase of separate tickets.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.
Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press
