Everything You Need To Know About The 2017 Polaris Gala
The 2017 Polaris Gala, presented by CBC Music and produced by Blue Ant Media, takes place Monday, September 18 at The Carlu in Toronto.
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?
A Tribe Called Red – We Are The Halluci Nation
BADBADNOTGOOD – IV
Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker
Gord Downie – Secret Path
Feist – Pleasure
Lisa LeBlanc – Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?
Lido Pimienta – La Papessa
Tanya Tagaq – Retribution
Leif Vollebekk – Twin Solitude
Weaves – Weaves
How do I watch the live stream?
The Polaris Gala will be broadcast live via CBC Music starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Watch the whole event HERE.
Who’s performing?
Feist, Lisa Leblanc, Lido Pimienta, Tanya Tagaq, Leif Vollebekk and Weaves are all confirmed to perform. There will also be a very special worldwide exclusive video premiere of Leonard Cohen’s “Leaving the Table” video happening at the Gala. CBC Radio 2 Morning’s Raina Douris will host the Gala.
What’s the deal with food and booze?
There will be complimentary food stations between 6-8 p.m., courtesy of SOCAN. Some items include Nona’s Meatballs, three types of Grilled Cheese and Lake Huron White Fish Tacos.
We will also, once again, have our Polaris Pale Ale on tap, provided by Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company. The special Polaris ale has been brewed with wild-harvested spruce tips, Québec-grown hops, and Ontario wheat and features a mildly peppery flavour with zesty spruce echoes. We also expect the Zesty Spruce Echoes to make next year’s Longer List.
Also, as is tradition, Hawkins Cheezies (a.k.a. the greatest cheese snack on Earth) and Old Dutch Ketchup Potato Chips will be in abundance at every table once the show starts. Munchies happen.
Polaris Posters
We will 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. Cost for these posters are $40 + HST each. To see these posters as well as those from previous years, go HERE.
Record Bag
Gala attendees, including general admission and balcony ticket holders, will receive complimentary record bags this year. It is extremely likely there will be records in these complimentary record bags. Namely, our Polaris Cover Sessions Vol. 3 ten-inch featuring Hannah Georgas, Les soeurs Boulay and Little Scream covering Arcade Fire, Kate & Anna McGarrigle and Mary Margaret O’Hara, respectively. If we get them off the presses in time, there’ll be another very special bonus seven-inch record featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie and Tanya Tagaq’s “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” Polaris Collaboration Session as well as a bonus remix of the song by A Tribe Called Red, courtesy of Stingray.
Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize
We’re officially opening the voting for this year’s Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize on Monday, September 18. 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 10 nominated albums in each of four separate time periods: 1960-75, 1976-85, 1986-95, 1996-2005. To see the list of nominees and vote for your favourite album, go HERE.
Polaris Music Prize Gala Official After-Party at The Drake Hotel
The official Polaris Gala After-Party will be taking place at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.) on Monday, September 18. Polaris juror Trevor Risk will be DJing. It is open to the public and there is no cover. Courtesy of Lixar IT, there will be a limited number of shuttle buses running between The Carlu and The Drake Hotel immediately after the Gala ends. It’s open to all. And it’s free. Party details HERE.
Polaris Podcast
In the lead-up to this year’s Gala, the Polaris Podcast has assembled casts of jurors to discuss the albums on the 2017 Short List, 2017 Long List and 2017 Longer List. You can listen to these episodes via iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play or services like Acast, Overcast and Stitcher.
Listen To The Nominees
The whole point is the music. Go to our official Spotify or Apple Music channels to hear playlists inspired by this year’s Short and Long List in addition to other exciting themed musical mixes.
