7/11/2010 5:56:58 PM

July 8, 2010

Great food and music at Nathan Phillips Square and Mel Lastman Square

The public is invited to catch some of Toronto’s best musical talent while enjoying tasty culinary treats at the Nathan Phillips Square and Mel Lastman Squares concert and food series - Fresh Wednesdays, Tasty Thursdays and Sunday Serenades.

Fresh Wednesdays and Tasty Thursdays at Nathan Phillips Square offer the perfect summer lunchtime combination of delicious food at great prices and free concerts featuring blues, jazz, world, roots and reggae. The two programs will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays from July 14 until August 26.

Sunday Serenades runs each Sunday from July 11 until August 22 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Mel Lastman Square, featuring swing and big band music to complement Toronto’s warm summer evenings.

Fresh Wednesdays
Starting July 14 with Niagara Music Award winner Ariana Gillis and ending August 25, the mid-day concerts will be held during the weekly market offered by Ontario farmers at Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W. Visitors can purchase an array of crisp vegetables, juicy fruits, pastries, fresh-cut flowers and more while listening to top local musical talent.

Tasty Thursdays
Starting July 15 with two of Toronto’s rising stars in African music, Ruth Mathiang and Waleed Kush, and ending August 26 with the Egyptian influences of the Maryem Tollar Ensemble, the noon concerts will accompany a variety of Toronto restaurants that bring their international cuisine to the square for $5 or less a meal.

Sunday Serenades
Featuring swing and big band music to complement Toronto’s warm summer evenings, Sunday Serenades runs each Sunday between July 11 and August 22 (7:30 to 9 p.m.) at Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge St. New this year, prior to each concert at 6:30 p.m., instructor John Yuen and a team of professional dancers/assistants will teach audience members the foxtrot and jive.

Lists of participating artists and performance times for all three events are available at http://www.toronto.ca/special_events. The public can also phone 311 for details.

Special thanks to our sponsors: Live Green Toronto, Toronto Water and Larabar.