PANAMANIA 2015 Launches Today

Culture enthusiasts and music lovers can start making summer plans -- the entertainment schedule is now available for PANAMANIA, presented by CIBC, the 35-day TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games arts and culture festival.

Unprecedented in scale, PANAMANIA will feature more than 1,300 artists in 250 performances and exhibitions across Toronto from today, July 10 to August 15. The festival will showcase the diverse cultures and artistic excellence of Ontario, Canada and the Americas through music, theatre, dance and more, with free and ticketed events.

Major music headliners scheduled to perform free outdoor concerts during PANAMANIA will include Grammy-, Latin Grammy- and Juno-award winning artists. The music lineup includes the Flaming Lips, Calle 13, The Roots, A Tribe Called Red, Janelle Monae, Café Tacvba, Brigitte Boisjoli, Chromeo, Jann Arden, Choc Quib Town, Death from Above 1979, Damien Robitaille, Lila Downs, Lights, Luciano, Dragonette, Colin James, USS, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Tanya Tagaq and the Barra MacNeils.

"The Games will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, unlike anything this city has ever seen. Not only are we going to have some of the best athletes in the world compete in our backyard, we're going to have 35 days of music, arts and culture that will inspire us and bring the city to life," said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015).

PANAMANIA will be spread across the following four programs:

· PANAMANIA presentations (July 10-August 15, free and ticketed): Will feature 40 national and international performances and exhibitions, including 28 new works commissioned by TO2015 that will have their world premieres during PANAMANIA. The diverse spectrum of music, theatre, dance, visual arts, comedy, circus and fashion will feature distinguished award-winning artists, including Robert Lepage, Sandra Shamas, Edward Burtynsky, Veronica Tennant, Mustafa the Poet, Rick Miller, Crystal Pite and more.

· PANAMANIA Live @ Nathan Phillips Square (July 10-26 and August 7-12, free): Bright and energetic design elements will envelop the Square, which will feature daily live music and entertainment programming that will culminate with nightly concerts on the main stage and fireworks, co-produced with the City of Toronto. Victory Celebrations, presented by CIBC, will honour medal-winning athletes nightly at 7 p.m. Jumbo video screens will feature live Games coverage and a special live broadcast of the Pan Am Opening Ceremony, created by Cirque du Soleil, on July 10. Additionally, the Parapan Am Closing Ceremony will be held at Nathan Phillips Square on August 15.

· CIBC Pan Am Park (July 11-25, free): Experience the ultimate street party in the heart of the largest sport competition cluster on the grounds of Exhibition Place. Daily programming will include live music, interactive sponsor activations, food and fun for the whole family. Great tickets are still available to the many Pan Am sports taking place at CIBC Pan Am Park, including beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, rugby and gymnastics. Tickets for these sports will be available on May 8, at 1 p.m. at TORONTO2015.org/tickets.

· PANAMANIA Live @ The Distillery District (July 11-25, free): Take in the sights, sounds and tastes of the Americas while strolling the cobblestone lanes. The Distillery District, located next to the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes' Village, will be a hub of activity during the Pan Am Games. There will also be multitude of ticketed PANAMANIA presentations taking place at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

PANAMANIA has been financially assisted by the Community Celebrations Fund, a program of the Government of Canada and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.

For the PANAMANIA schedule and more information, visit TORONTO2015.org/PANAMANIA.

The TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10-26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-15. The TORONTO 2015 Games are funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, as well as Lead Partner CIBC and other partners and sponsors.

The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) is tasked with managing and delivering the Games. It is working to bring some of the world's best athletes and artists to Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, giving Ontarians a unique chance to be part of the action, and making the region a hub for sport.

For more information about the Games, visit TORONTO2015.org or follow @TO2015, @TO2015_fr (French) or @TO2015_es (Spanish).

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