Canadian Music Week buyers rename event Departure Festival, expand its scope

By David Friend, The Canadian Press on November 12, 2024.

Randy Lennox poses in Toronto on Monday, Nov.18, 2019. Canadian Music Week's new owners, including former Bell Media executive Lennox, are conducting a major overhaul of the annual industry gathering to broaden its scope beyond music.THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

TORONTO – Canadian Music Week’s new owners are conducting a major overhaul of the annual industry gathering to broaden its scope beyond music.

The long-running Toronto event is set to relaunch next year as the Departure Festival + Conference, which organizers describe as “a reimagined and expanded vision” of the original.

They say the festival will continue its music panels and performances while incorporating comedy and technology industry programming, with plans to introduce film and fashion in the coming years.

In June, former record label and Bell Media executive Randy Lennox’s Loft Entertainment partnered with live entertainment developer Oak View Group to acquire the operations of CMW for an undisclosed amount.

At the time, Lennox promised big changes to the four-day festival that would position it for a more diverse future of entertainment. Among the additions, the festival will expand to six days and introduce comedy performances and a songwriter showcase.

The Departure Festival + Conference runs from May 6-11, 2025 at Toronto’s Hotel X.

Lennox served as president and CEO of Universal Music Canada from 1998 to 2015 and is credited with helping shape the careers of Shawn Mendes, the Weeknd and Justin Bieber.

Oak View Group is a Denver-based company that oversees venue development and management for the live entertainment industry. Among its Canadian projects is a renovation of Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre arena. The company also owns Pollstar, a trade publication for the concert industry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.