Toronto Hosts 2008 Luminato Festival

The 2008 Luminato Festival from June 6 to 15 will fill Toronto’s streets, public spaces and cultural landmarks with arts and creativity, including 143 free and ticketed events.

Luminato offers extraordinary programming for everyone, including theatre aficionados, music fans, dance lovers, visual arts buffs and the entire family.

Here are some of the ticketed and free events:

Tim Supple's A Midsummer Night's Dream

The hit of The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival, Shakespeare’s beloved comedy features a multicultural cast of 23 dancers, musicians and actors performing in English, Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhalese, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi and Sanskrit.

Kevin Loring’s Where the Blood Mixes

Luminato is proud to present the world premiere of Where the Blood Mixes, by Vancouver-based actor and playwright Kevin Loring. A play about survival and reconciliation, full of humor and shrewd observation, Loring's play is as mythic as it is modern.

Nitin Sawhney A Throw of Dice

Composer and cultural prodigy Nitin Sawhney and members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra breathe new life into a classic of Indian cinema.

Canadian Songbook: Hey, they’re singing our song!

From the chansonniers of Quebec to such icons as Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, Canadian troubadours won acclaim throughout the world, and now, in an intimate evening at Massey Hall, these critically acclaimed musicians pay homage to this country's greatest songwriters.

Rocket and the Queen of Dreams

Through a brilliant fusion of shadow theatre, puppetry and live performance, this world premiere takes us on a magical journey into the ethereal world we normally know only in our sleep. A delightful piece of programming for the whole family. Produced by Toronto's award-winning Roseneath Theatre.

Opening Weekend Celebrations – FREE!

As part of Luminato 2008’s historic kick-off, you'll be able to boogie with the best of them in Yonge-Dundas Square. Come early for a free lesson, then try out your new steps to the sounds of some of North America's best dance bands, including square dancing, salsa, tango and disco. Don’t miss this jam-packed weekend of excitement for the whole family!

Luminat’eau: Carnival H20 – FREE!

In a magnificent finale to the 2008 Luminato Festival, this weekend-long water carnival, featuring international reggae star Junior Reid, encounters with Voyageur canoeists, water dances with the Thai Dance Troupe of Ottawa and DanzArte, and wakeboarding demos, transforms the heart of Toronto’s waterfront into a joyous riot of creativity and celebration to enrapture all of your senses.

Luminato at the Distillery and OLG Music Stage – FREE!

Trinity Square will play host to the OLG Music Stage featuring Divine Brown, Quartetto Gelato, and the Alex *Cuba All Stars.

StreetScape – FREE!

The city becomes the gallery, as outdoor art transforms Toronto. Toronto becomes host to some of the best street artists, wall-painters and boundary-pushing multimedia creators, who will re-imagine the city's post-industrial waterfront, housing communities, and urban spaces in the midst of revitalization as monumental canvases.

Come to the literary cabaret - FREE!

Luminato is proud to partner with Diaspora Dialogues in launching TOK: Writing the New Toronto, Book 3, the third installment of an anthology celebrating the diverse voices of the city in short stories, plays and spoken-word poetry.

Visit www.luminato.com for full Festival details or a downloadable Luminato brochure here. Tickets are available online, or call Ticketmaster (866) 577 4277.