Everything You Need To Know About The 2019 Polaris Gala
The 2019 Polaris Gala, presented by CBC Music, takes place Monday, September 16 at The Carlu in Toronto. One of 10 nominated albums will be declared the 2019 Polaris Music Prize winner.
LOW TICKET ALERT: A very limited number of tickets to the Gala remain available for sale via Ticketmaster HERE.
Here are all the things you need to know:
What are the 10 albums that have a chance to win?
Marie Davidson – Working Class Woman
Elisapie – The Ballad of the Runaway Girl
FET.NAT – Le Mal
Dominique Fils-Aimé – Stay Tuned!
Les Louanges – La nuit est une panthère
Haviah Mighty – 13th Floor
PUP – Morbid Stuff
Jessie Reyez – Being Human In Public
Shad – A Short Story About A War
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – Trapline
Who’s performing?
Marie Davidson, Elisapie, FET.NAT, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Les Louanges, Haviah Mighty, PUP, Shad and Snotty Nose Rez Kids. CBC Music’s Raina Douris will host.
What will I eat and drink if I go?
There will be complimentary food stations between 5:30 – 8 p.m., courtesy of SOCAN. Some items include fancy grilled cheese, Fogo Island fish tacos, Nonna’s meatballs, pad thai as well as a mid-evening pierogi poutine station. There are also going to be “Mason jars with Rockets candies in them.”
We’ve also partnered with Collective Arts Brewing who’ll have their Polaris-themed limited edition Japanese rice lager available for consumption. Our friends at Partake Brewing will have non-alcoholic drinks as well.
Official Polaris hard snack Hawkins Cheezies and official Polaris crunchy snack Old Dutch Ketchup Potato Chips will also be available at tables once the show starts.
I can’t go to the gala. How do I watch the live stream?
This year’s Polaris livestream will be joining the gala in progress. CBC Music is doing this to deliver you all of the performances while eliminating the artist changeovers. But don’t worry, the winner announcement will be live. Watch on CBCMusic.ca/polaris at 8:45 p.m. ET (5:45 p.m. PT) to catch all the performances on Monday, Sept. 16.
Will you be selling things at the gala?
We’ll have a very limited number of Polaris Posters available for sale at The Carlu’s merch table on the night of. These specially commissioned posters are inspired by the Short List-nominated albums and are given to each album’s respective artists as gifts. This will be the first opportunity for people purchase artworks inspired by the 2019 Short List albums. Cost for these posters are $40 + HST each. To see these posters as well as those from previous years, go HERE.
A limited amount of “That’s Entertainment” Polaris tees will also be available at a cost of $30 + HST each, XS to XL sizes available.
Additionally, and for the first time ever, Polaris will be presenting Short List-nominated acts and members of the Grand Jury with commemorative enamel “owl” pins. A limited amount of these pins will also be available for purchase at a cost of $10 + HST each.
What about the free Polaris Cover Sessions vinyl?
We’ll have free copies of the Polaris Cover Sessions Vol. 5 twelve-inch available at the merch booth while quantities last (strict one per person rule in effect). The album, sponsored by SiriusXM Canada, is pressed in translucent corpse flower purple vinyl and features Pierre Kwenders covering Jean-Pierre Ferland’s “It Ain’t Fair,” Faith Healer reinterpreting The Band’s “When You Awake” and Partner replicating Rush’s “Limelight.” Watch videos of all our cover sessions HERE.
Will you announce the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize nominees?
We’re officially opening the voting for this year’s Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize on Monday, September 16. Supported by Re:Sound, this is our annual “hall of fame” campaign meant to honour albums of artistic merit made before Polaris existed. There will be 12 classic Canadian albums for music fans to vote on. Ballots will be available HERE and enthusiasts will be able to vote once per day until voting close Friday, October 18.
Is the after party at The Drake Hotel again?
The official Polaris Gala After-Party will be taking place at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.) on Monday, September 16. DJs Cadence Weapon and Freeza Chin will be in the Drake Underground. The Drake Sky Yard will be open to Gala ticket holders. It’s open to the public and there is no cover.
How can I listen to the nominees?
Stingray‘s expert music curators have created two separate Polaris-themed listening channels in advance of the gala. Download Stingray Music for free and enjoy the Polaris 2019: Long List Nominees & Polaris 2006-2019: Shortlist Nominees channels.
