Celebrate Canada Day on Trafalgar Square

Canada Day 2008 is hosting one of the biggest parties ever in Trafalgar Square - all for free. As part of the line-up of wonderful events Festival Director Jason Pollock is delighted to be welcoming top Canadian chef Daniel Verati, who will be giving some spectacular demonstrations of his culinary skills.

Daniel works at the capital city’s prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute and is very keen on using local produce from what is known as a ‘centre for culinary tourism’. He will be staging 30-minute demonstrations and tastings between 12pm and 5pm throughout the 1st July in the ‘Taste of Ontario’ Pavillion. Samples of the delightful dishes will be available after each session. Daniel has chosen a local delicacy for his Canada Day sessions - Lake Ontario Trout with Fingerling Potatoes and Ginger Confit in Niagara Ice Wine.

There will also be a whole host of activities on offer during the day. Celebrating all that is great about Canada, audiences will be able to sample the best of this exciting country’s music, culture, technology, tourism and sport. Says Jason Pollock, Festival Director, “Canada has such a lot to offer. This great free celebration lets Londoners experience a microcosm of the country. Visitors to the festival will certainly not be disappointed!”

The Square will be open for business from 11.00am when the free festival begins with preliminary rounds of Canada’s world famous fast and furious street hockey. This ‘must see’ sport is guaranteed to bring more that just a few thrills and spills as teams compete throughout the day for the coveted Trafalgar Cup, sponsored by Petro-Canada.

Throughout the square visitors will experience diverse aspects of Canada and Canadian life. On the west side, Alberta, home of the Canadian Rockies, hosts a chill-out Pavilion. Step in for a relaxing massage or a breath of fresh air at Alberta’s exclusive oxygen bar.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Pavilion will help people decide which of Canada's stunning provinces they would like to see. For those looking for laughter, Québec, and its partners Tourism Montréal and the Just for Laughs Festival present a day of laughter and fun with Canadian comedians performing live throughout the day in the Québec Fun Pavilion.

Between the frenetic bouts of hockey relaxing sounds from Canadian musical talent unplugged will be the order of the day. There will also be kids’ face-painting from the professionals, street theatre and much more. As the evening draws on, the Square takes on a different vibe as Canada pumps up the volume for a free, non-ticketed night of music and entertainment for lucky Londoners, with more from the country’s truly talented new recording artists.

Performers include jazz pianist sensation Michael Kasehammer, folk songwriter John Wort Hannam, folk roots American musician Kim Beggs, country band Twilight Hotel and Nuevo Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook. The action for Tuesday night keeps on going until 10.30pm.

For more information about the event visit Canadadaylondon.com.