Before things get hot hot hot this Sunday for Pride, cool down and dance your pants off on the beach. Why/when/how/my whole pants you may be asking? New Traditions: Island Music & Art Festival this Saturday at Artscape Gibraltar Point, thrown by those crazy-cool kids at WhipperSnapper Gallery! Why not pack the essentials and hop on a 7-minute ferry ride to Toronto’s beautiful Centre Island for a day-long music and art fest with some amazing & talented local and international bands for 12 straight hours (!!!), workshops, tons of fresh food, art installations, a puppet-slam and more.

Artscape is an artists hub, community-transformer and not-for-profit organization located on the whimsical and precious Toronto Islands, just a short walk from the Centre Island ferry docks. WhipperSnapper Gallery is a fresh, accessible and contemporary fixture in the Toronto arts & culture scene, and has been since 2004. Some folks at WhipperSapper and Artscape have been bunking together doing a residency and this festival is one of many fruits of that labour.

The Artscape grounds is right next to a beautiful sandy stretch of Lake Ontario, that’s received a “blue flag” rating recently, an internationally-recognized beach and marina water quality rating that meets strict guidelines and environmental standards. Nine Toronto beaches have gotten Blue Flag ratings this summer, which I think is super awesome, so get your butt to the beach and be sure to ‘leave-no-trace’ and clean up after to keep them that way!

Special for the Fest, WhipperSnapper has arranged for a late night ferry to bring concert-goers who wanna stay for the final act back to the mainland, at an affordable price.

Musical acts like Maylee Todd, The Elwins, Chandra Melting Tallow, Lido Pimienta, Wilderness of Manitoba, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Slocan Ramblers and many more will be performing from noon to 11pm. All this for only $20 and tickets are selling out fast so don’t wait! Catch ya on the other side of the CN Tower…

~ Becca Lemire