March 29, 2006

Halifax on Parade Set Up Underway

Concert-goers should expect street closures...and a rockin' good time!

HALIFAX, March 29, 2006 — With just days to go until the 2006 JUNO Awards touch down in Halifax, production crews have already descended on Grand Parade to prepare for the one event that will kick-off a weekend of celebration that promises to trump anything the rest of Canada has ever seen.

It’s Halifax on Parade, a free, all-ages concert set to rock Grand Parade Thursday night from 5:30 to 11:00 pm with performances by Jimmy Rankin, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Matt Mays & El Torpedo , The Trews and Garrett Mason Those planning to take in this incredible line-up are advised that Argyle Street will be closed from Carmichael to Duke Street, with parking available at the Halifax Waterfront , Scotia Square Mall and Metro Park (Hollis/Salter/Granville).

For Stuart Jolliffe, Chair of the Halifax Play Hard host committee, the Grand Parade show encapsulates everything members have been striving toward since securing the Juno Awards first-ever visit to the Maritimes last year.

"We want to make a huge statement to everyone in Halifax and to the entire music industry from across Canada,” he said this week. “Halifax on Parade is a world class event; the local acts we have lined up, the quality of the show and production will be like nothing we have seen before in Halifax."

“It’s really the perfect way to start the Juno Awards weekend,” he said. “We hope to fill the square and show the country what we mean when we say ‘play hard’!”

One of the artists slated to take the stage Thursday night, Jimmy Rankin is up to the challenge. With five JUNO Awards on his mantle as part of Cape Breton’s beloved Rankin Family, and two nominations as a solo artist, Rankin is ready to welcome the show to Nova Scotia. "I'm very pleased to be part of the official kick off to the JUNO Awards in Halifax,” he said. “This weekend promises to be like no other!"