The week of May 5 to 8 were action packed filled days of the Conference sessions at Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Bluma Appel theatre & Jane Mallett Theatre at St. Lawrence Centre. The Departure House venue on Berkeley Street. And Hart House at University of Toronto.
Opening remarks took place at Fairmont Royal York by Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers, Ross Davies – Radio Days North America Departure 2026
Chair and CRTC (Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications) CEO Vicky Eatrides was keynote speaker. Positive words advocating for Canada’s music industry.
Some background info: Departure Festival & Conference in Toronto, formerly Canadian Music Week – led by partnership between LOFT Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG), Randy Lennox, former CEO of Universal Music Canada and head of LOFT Entertainment, leads the partnership with Kevin Barton as key co-founder and producer. Rebrand context: Following the retirement of CMW founder Neill Dixon in 2024, the festival was rebranded to include music, film, media and technology.
One of many Opening Night celebration events took place at the Blue Bovine restaurant located on Front Street inside Union Station Building. Guests were treated to delicious hors d’oeuvre and drinks while networking with music industry attendees and speakers. A welcoming start to the week in a beautiful venue.
Here are some highlights of Departure Festival and Radio Days…
Creators Summit presented by Amazon Music at Departure House. Juno nominated Montreal singer Rêve and Hollywood Jade discussed starting a music career. Collaboration is so important in music. This was a key word throughout many of the panel discussions. Knowing your ‘why’. Your ‘why’ is like your anchor. Be around people who support you. And Hollywood Jade added ‘Invest in strengthening relationships. Hold on to people who have integrity. Some really solid advice for many situations. Their appearance was part of a high-impact day of panels exploring creativity and innovation in the entertainment industry.
The Departure Festival & Conference featured panels with various artists and industry leaders. Country Singer Heather Russell along with Bella Chung discussed turning audience, fandom and community into real career infrastructure.
Beyond the mic with Amanda Lang discussed Building podcasts and communities on YouTube. As the podcaster deciding how you want listeners to feel and make it authentic. Create community. Just start creating content and get to know listeners.
Two days of the conference included Radio Days where panel discussions included podcasting, the future of radio and today’s importance of radio, public voice in radio and call up shows. Radio Host John Moore of News Talk 1010 Radio and Saroja Coelho Canadian Broadcaster (CBC Mornings journalist and radio personality) discussed importance of live interaction with the radio audience. Getting listeners involved with relatable topics. Panel talks included Carolyn MacKenzie of Global TV, Caron Nightingale, Deb Hutton, Donna Gardiner, Joanne Wilder (Q107), Julie Adam Universal Music Canada President & CEO
Panel discussions on Creators, Live Music and Sports by Industry leaders. Music in films, television and advertising. Tech & Content Creation including discussions on K-Pop, AI and storytelling. Participants included Ben Mulrony, Amanda Cupido of The Walrus and Marsha Shandur Storytelling & Speaker Coach) and Tara Sloan sharing their Ideas.
At Bluma Appel theatre (St Lawrence Centre) appearances from industry veterans and artists including Grammy nominated musician Deryck Whibley of Sum 41. Lots of fans in the audience enjoyed Whibley’s talk about his music career.
Thursday evening was the Red Carpet for the Departure Honours at Koerner Hall – celebrating Canadian trailblazers. In addition to Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney and KPop Demon Hunters creator Maggie Kang there was singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. Jacob Tierney of Heated Rivalry accepted the Creative Impact Award and Maggie Kang got the Cultural Innovator Award. Sarah McLachlan got the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Award. Also on the Red Carpet were Bruce Allen, Jacob Tierney & Heated Rival actress Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Jeffrey Latimer was in the crowd, Gary Sheppard, Kevin Barton, Jackie Dearn, Kevin Arton, Lilly Singh (with her proud mother looking on nearby!) Maggie Kang, Pat Murphy, Randy Lennox, Michie Mee, Sarah Cummings, Sarah McLachlan, Tyra Jutai, Traci Melchor, Erica Emm of MTV, Mark Jones & Theresa Scandiffio, Shahaddah Jack, Tyrone Edwards, Musicians – Luke Doucet & Melissa McClelland of band Whitehorse. It was an exciting, star-studded Red Carpet!
During the festival, Maggie Kang was honoured with Toronto’s key at Departure Festival presented by Mayor Olivia Chow recognizing her cultural impact and ties to Toronto. Maggie Kang is a Global success story. Her Oscar-winning ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ became Netflix’s most-watched film known for themes of friendship, identity and Korean culture.
Friday – Sports Summit presented by Rogers at Departure House on Berkeley Street with panels on ‘The New Powerhouse: Inside Canada Basketball’s Global Rise’ with Basketball’s Rowan Barrett. Game On: The Arrival of the Toronto Tempo – perfectly timed for the day of the first Toronto Tempo Game in Toronto at the Coca Cola Arena with Lilly Singh (part owner of the Tempos with Serena Williams) and Adam van Koeverden.
The Evolution of the CFL: Legacy, Leadership & What’s Next – Mike Hogan, Stewart Johnson and Pinball Clemons with his motivation, gorgeous smile and enthusiasm!
The FIFA Effect: Canada Steps Onto the World Stage with Mike Beckerman and Chris Shewfelt. The New Playbook: Athlete Endorsements in a Values-Driven Era – Rob Grant & Devin Smith Throughout the day, the vibe was excellent. The panels were interesting and the guests phenomenal.
The venues were all accessible by TTC – Fairmont Royal York Hotel being the closest to Union Station – just across the street. St. Lawrence Centre just a few blocks from either Union or King Stations. Departure House venue on Berkeley Street was located in the King Street East and Parliament St. area. The venues were spread out meaning attendees generally stayed at one venue to not miss sessions. All great venues. Many friendly volunteers to help with questions and information.
In addition to the Conference, there was Live Music in evenings at venues such as the Cameron House, the Rivoli, Horseshoe Tavern, other smaller venues in Toronto such as Burdock Music Hall, The Baby G., The Garrison, Adelaide Hall etc.
What was special about Departure Festival? Attendees were there to connect. To talk. To communicate. To share ideas. To network. And it was all happening! There was a real positive, motivating vibe. Music Industry college students were also there either as attendees or as volunteers. Everyone was willing to share their story and their interest in being at the Departure Festival.
Overall the Departure Festival experience was a rewarding, fulfilling experience – with engaging panel talks, interesting music industry people, business connections happening and wonderful live music in the evenings to discover new artists. Departure Festival, the former Canada Music Week, is described as a music industry conference built for connection, discovery and momentum. And it totally lived up to this! Panel discussions, interview talks and individual speakers all conveyed these messages in relation to the music industry. Looking forward to the Departure Festival 2027 !
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