Cavalcade of Lights set to launch Toronto's holiday season celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:

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News Release:  November 3, 2014                              

Cavalcade of Lights set to launch Toronto's holiday season celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square

 The 48th annual Cavalcade of Lights presented by Great Gulf at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 29 will mark the official start of the holiday season in Toronto.

The festive Toronto tradition will feature the first lighting of Toronto's official 18-metre (60-foot) Christmas tree, performances and fireworks. Thousands of people are expected to attend the celebration in Nathan Phillips Square under the glow of more than 525,000 lights.

Featured performances by the all Juno Award-winning lineup are sponsored by Great Gulf and will include jazz and soul vocalist Kellylee Evans, rap trailblazer Maestro Fresh Wes, and Toronto favourite Kardinal Offishall.

A dazzling fireworks display, sponsored by TekSavvy, will begin at about 8:15 p.m.

To round out the evening, a live concert will follow the fireworks, featuring 2014 Polaris Music Prize shortlisted nominee Shad and a skating party with DJ Grouch.

A complete event schedule is available at http://www.toronto.ca/cavalcade.

High resolution images and background information about the event are available at http://bit.ly/1jN1dYX.

The City of Toronto will also produce a New Year's Eve celebration at Nathan Phillips Square on December 31. The evening's entertainment will include a local DJ, buskers and live musical talent as well as skating and fireworks. Details for the event are available at http://bit.ly/1wrKgXh.

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1GftvDd

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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Media contact: Justine Palinska, Economic Development and Culture, 416-395-7318, jpalins@toronto.ca