As festival season comes to an end, Toronto Urban Roots Fest (TURF) is always there to give festivalgoers and music lovers one last hurrah. TURF ran its third year as one of Toronto’s most important indie music festivals, from Sept. 18 to Sept. 20.
The festival opened in 2013, and each year it proves to get better and better. More people came out this year than previous years, with the festival doubling their ticket sales.
Hosted in Garrison Common, just a 10-minute walk from the Canadian National Exhibition Go Station, surrounded by condos, overhead highways, and the CN Tower, TURF is nestled within a gentle pocket of downtown Toronto. Passersby barely know it’s there, since it’s not visibly noticeable, though everyone can hear the sounds of South Stage – the smallest stage of the festival and the one closest to the road. The festival grounds are relatively small compared to others, but it provides the perfect location to both appreciate Toronto and appreciate great music.
Made up of three stages, the West Main Stage and East Main Stage were located at the heart of the grounds. On Saturday and Sunday, the festival hosted a Kids’ Acoustic Stage to entertain the young ones, with Rattle and Strum, Kathy Reid-Naiman, and Steve Poltz playing.
One of the best things about TURF is the passion that goes into the festival. Those that were involved in organizing the festival became part of the crowd, and often got to know visitors on a casual basis. You can see on the faces of the staff around the grounds that they love being there, and they love what they do. It’s a contagious vibe – no doubt the kind of vibe that is absorbed by the crowd.
Throughout the weekend, each stage was opened by a local artist or band, because TURF, like most Toronto festivals, makes sure that the festival’s focus is on providing support to local music. Notable mentions include Cold Specks, The Elwins, The Sadies, and The Strumbellas – all GTA artists who all put on a great show at TURF.
The Elwins’ set was one of my favourite parts of the festival, and could arguably be the breakout band of the weekend. The group took to the stage on Saturday at 2:10 pm. The crowd was light at first – it was the middle of the day and most people were going to show up later for the night’s headliner. About 10 minutes into the set, the crowd became bigger, and, eventually, most people at the festival accumulated to watch the group perform. They had charisma, they had stamina, and they had more than enough energy to go around.
The East Main Stage brought bigger-name acts, including Pixies, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Of Monsters and Men. Will Butler, brother to Win Butler and a member of Arcade Fire, also had his own set at the festival on Sunday on the South Stage. UB40 was also a pleasant addition to the festival lineup, bringing 80s and 90s nostalgia to the West Main Stage on Friday.
TURF is a great way to finish off a summer of music festivals. The intimacy and close-quarters of Garrison Common makes TURF one of the best festivals to go to discover new music.
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