Scotiabank Buskerball Kicks off Buskerfest 2014

Circus and carnival events are loved by all. The 2014 Scotiabank Buskerball in support of Epilepsy Toronto held last night at Mattamy Athletic Centre was no exception!

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The welcome reception on the upper level of the venue showed a glimpse of things to come: a magician, a booth of oddities, another one offering gifts, and vaudeville like performers.

Passed hors d’oeuvres of smoked salmon on rye, shrimp on cucumber, and veggie filled pita pockets were served.

After a couple of glasses of wine and registration for the live auction, guests descended to the lower level of the facility to be greeted by “Maraca Tall”, a Jamaican steel drum band on stilts and “Chasseurs de Reves” with a large elephant “puppet”. 
As everyone was hungry by that point, a number of restaurants’ booths were ready to serve their signature dishes such as beef and chicken kebabs, thai orange chicken, pasta with a creamy tomato sauce, quinoa salad, and greek chicken with potatoes.

Event designers Jamie Alexander and Glen Peloso changed the layout from last year of this kickoff for the three-day BusekrFest for better flow.
Silent Auction items from Porter Airlines, Samsung, Canada Goose among many others were displayed between the food booths and the main stage.

Hosted by event Co-chair Andria Case of CTV news, the entertainment started with performance by Kamikaze Fireflies and The Flying Tortillas.

The live auction was presented by Jay Mandarino, President/Founder at C.J.Graphics Inc.and 15 other companies. The Amari Thompson Fund was introduced by his brother, Canadian basketball star Tristan Thompson, which he started to help families affected by epilepsy in our communities.

More Lifford Wine was available at the bar. For those who wanted a stronger libation, Glenlivet offered scotch tasting as well.

Daniel Champagne, a folk guitarist from Australia, performed behind the bar on a secondary stage.

The evening ended with a spectacular fire performance by Flame Oz ensuring that everyone in attendance had a ball at the sixth annual Buskerball! For a full schedule of events for the upcoming BuskerFest, please visit their website: http://www.torontobuskerfest.com

(photos by Tanya)

Party pictures of 2014 Scotiabank Buskerball, Buskerfest’s kick-off gala in support of Epilepsy Toronto