The Niagara 2022 Host Society is excited to reveal the artist lineup for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. Specifically, on August 6 at 8:00pm at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Tim Hicks and POESY will help celebrate the commencement of the 2022 Canada Games by performing at the Opening Ceremony. Two weeks later, guitarist of The Tragically Hip, Paul Langlois, will join POESY as the musical acts of the Closing Ceremony, which is an event that will be open to the public on August 21 at 8:30pm at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls.
Serving as a tone-setter for the 2022 Canada Games, the Opening Ceremony at the Meridian Centre will begin with a "Parade of Teams", where Games participants will march into the stadium, one provincial or territorial (P/T) team at a time. Each team's delegation will be led by their chosen flag bearer who will carry their flag into the event. The Opening Ceremony will also feature an artistic program that will showcase Niagara’s culture and history in an entertaining and creative way.
To close out the 28th edition of the Canada Games, participants and spectators alike will be treated to a party-like atmosphere at the Closing Ceremony, which will be an event at Queen Victoria Park that celebrates the achievements of the Games athletes right across from one of the world's most awe-inspiring natural wonders — Niagara Falls. Along with another “Parade of Teams”, the Closing Ceremony will bring an official end to the 2022 Canada Games.
In addition to partnering with the 2022 Canada Games on the Closing Ceremony on August 21, Niagara Parks Commission, who manages Queen Victoria Park, is also collaborating with the City of Niagara Falls on their 13 For 13 Cultural Festival event at Queen Victoria Park, where they will host Leela Gilday and the Northwest Territories on August 13. Additionally, Niagara Parks is also hosting the Games’ golf competition on the Battlefield Course at Legends on the Niagara from August 17-20.
“To have renowned Canadian artists like Tim Hicks, Paul Langlois and POESY performing at our Opening and Closing Ceremonies is going to be very special and will help make these events that much more memorable,” said Doug Hamilton, Board Chair of the Niagara 2022 Host Society. “Through music, song, dance and fireworks, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2022 Canada Games will be an invitation to the country to discover the culture of our region, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase what Niagara has to offer to Canadians nationwide.”
“Hosting the 2022 Canada Games here in Niagara is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that will leave a lasting impact on our region for generations to come,” said April Jeffs, Chair of Niagara Parks Commission. “Niagara Parks is proud to support the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games by hosting the golf competition at our renowned Battlefield Course located at Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex as well as the spectacular Closing Ceremony in Queen Victoria Park. We look forward to welcoming athletes, coaches and families from across the country to experience all that we have to offer in Canada’s leading travel destination.”
“I’m so proud to see the Canada Games being hosted right here in Niagara, and I’m honoured to be performing at the Opening Ceremony on August 6th,” said CCMA Award winner and five-time JUNO Awards nominee Tim Hicks, who hails from Niagara and performed at the Games’ 100-Day-Out Celebration Concert in April. “I’m excited to take part in celebrating the region and all that it has to offer, and I can’t wait to cheer on the world-class athletes from all across the country!”
“I’m really excited to be a part of the Closing Ceremony for the 2022 Canada Games in Niagara,” added Paul Langlois, a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter who is best known for his award-winning guitar work as a member of The Tragically Hip. “Events like this are an important step forward for all of us after the past two years. I’m also really happy that our performance will support the Downie Wenjack Fund — an organization and movement towards reconciliation that Gord was so passionate and proud to champion.”
Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, and encourages reconciliation through programs, campaigns, partnerships, and events, including ‘reconciliACTIONs’. In an effort to support the DWF, the Games’ athletes will write their reconciliACTION pledge on a giant banner during the 2022 Canada Games, before that banner will lead the Parade of Athletes to the Closing Ceremony. Scotiabank, a long-time supporter of the Downie Wenjack Fund, is pleased to support these efforts and present this in partnership with the 2022 Canada Games in Niagara.
Held every two years, alternating between winter and summer, the Canada Games are the country’s marquee event for amateur sport representing the highest level of national competition for thousands of up-and-coming Canadian athletes. The 28th edition of the Canada Games will mark just the third occasion in the event’s history that it will have taken place in the province of Ontario and the first time in 21 years. In total, more than 5,000 participants and close to 4,500 volunteers are expected to take part in the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games scheduled for August 6-21. The 2022 Games will take place at 19 different venues across the Niagara Region and feature 18 different sports, including an inaugural rugby sevens competition and the return of lacrosse after a 37-year absence from the Games.
Tickets for this summer’s Games are currently available for purchase online.
About the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 up-and-coming athletes, their coaches and support staff will gather in the Niagara Region to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. From August 6 to 21, 2022, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The 2022 Canada Games, made possible thanks to funding and support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Niagara Region, and the Canada Games Council, will give rise to new legacies of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come.
For further information, visit us at niagara2022games.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@2022canadagames).
Media Contact:
Christopher Séguin, Manager, Media & Communications
289.880.4005
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