Simple Plan, shown performing Jan. 25 at the NHL All-Star game in Montreal, is one of the headliners at Montreal's Virgin Festival. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press) Virgin festivals are rolling out across Canada this summer with concerts planned in Quebec, Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.
The two-day summer music festivals, the idea of Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson, made their debut in Canada with a Toronto concert in 2006.
Last year, a festival planned for Vancouver was cancelled because organizers couldn't secure top acts. Concerts went ahead in Toronto and Calgary.
It's the first time Virgin festivals have been planned for Nova Scotia and Quebec.
Virgin Festival director Andrew Bridge announced details of a Montreal show on Wednesday, but did not confirm which cities in the other four provinces would see festivals.
Montreal's show will be headlined by the Black-Eyed Peas and Montreal pop-punk band Simple Plan.
Also confirmed are Canadian rockers Hedley, synth-pop specialists The New Cities, soul singer Eva Avila, Divine Brown, New Kids on the Block and Akon.
Montreal's Virgin Festival will be June 19-20 in Parc Jean-Drapeau.
"We tailor the lineups [for] each market," Bridge said. "The festival … in Montreal is a bit of a pop event. You'll see variances in the talent in different markets. You'll see different styles in the different cities."
He said "the stars didn't align" for the Vancouver festival last year, but he's confident organizers can pull off an event in B.C. this year.
"We're taking a bit of gamble going out and doing five festivals, but we're confident that we're delivering a smart ticket price with amazing talent and a great experience for festival-goers," Bridge said.
Bridge said he expects more than 300,000 music fans at Virgin festivals across Canada this year.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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