City
Ryerson Loses Out to Virgin Festival
The Virgin Music Festival is taking over Ryerson University's party destination for this year's annual parade.
This September will mark the fiftieth anniversary of celebrations that usually go down Yonge Street and end on Olympic Island with a picnic and concert. The Student Union events coordinator told The Eyeopener that despite sending an email nine-months in advance, the Virgin Festival was able to secure a permit and would need the day of the Ryerson parade and party to set up.
The event coordinator felt that Ryerson was ignored because of the mounds of money Virgin would bring in and noted that Ryerson does not have the leverage to compete with a "huge multi-national" like Virgin Mobile, the festival's sponsor.
With no plans to change the date, traditionally held on the first Friday of September, alternate venues, including Hanlan's Point, are still being considered.
Photo from olympicisland.com
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The next parade and picnic marks 50 years of a Ryerson and Toronto tradition and Ryerson is getting shoved aside just because it's not Virgin.
AND Tokyo Police Club, which was practically born out of Ryerson, sold out and is playing at the Virgin Music Festival. Way to give back to the community.
Can we have a dial-off and bombard Virgin with reproachful phone calls?
ARGH!
I watched WalMart close down the Mom and Pops and thought...what can you do?
I saw the patented mouse and figured, This is the way of the world now.
But this?! This is outrageous!
Here's a question: Can you go to the Island on V-Day and not pay to enter the grounds for the concert?
And no, my opinion on this does not mean I endorse the multinational...it's just an objective view from a former event planner. If you know you're planning on having an event at the same place EVERY year, have the f'ing thing booked for a few years in advance.