including new additions Raine Maida, Vince Guzzo, Shira Lazar, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, and others

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- Taking over Front St. and three venues in downtown Toronto, Elevate Festival returns September 20-22, 2022 -

- Access the full Elevate Festival schedule here or download the app for iOS and Android -

Today, Elevate Festival, the country's largest Canadian-led and -founded technology and arts festival, announces Block Party details and more new speakers, including Musician, Lead Singer of Our Lady Peace, & Co-Founder, DRROPS, Raine Maida who will give a special performance to Elevate Festival passholders with JUNO Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, Chantal Kreviazuk. Returning in person September 20-22, 2022, Elevate Festival will host change-making conversations in the heart of downtown Toronto at Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for Arts, and the Design Exchange while the Festival's Block Party will take over Front St.

Taking place between Yonge St. and Church St. Elevate Festival's free, multi-night Block Party is anticipating 15,000 attendees. Starting at 4 p.m. ET during the Festival evenings, Front St. will transform into the Block Party where attendees can access classic festival fare from food trucks and a beer garden to art displays and artisan shops. The Block Party will also include musical entertainment with Elevate Block Party x Lemmon Stage, showcasing Canadian talent with performances by celebrated Juno-award-winning artists alongside emerging, must-hear voices, including:

• Haviah Mighty, Hip Hop Artist and 2022 Juno Award Winner for Best Rap Album
• 4KORNERS, Toronto Raptors DJ, with special guests Zenesoul, EverythingOShauN, and Bolu Ajibade
• Francesco Yates, Diamond Selling International Recording Artist
• DJ SHUB, Mohawk DJ, Music Producer, and Former Member of A Tribe Called Red, presents WAR CLUB LIVE
• Neon Dreams, Juno-Award-Winning, Alt-Pop Duo; and more

"Building on the success of the event in 2019, we've imagined new possibilities for the Elevate Festival, and the Block Party is a big component of that," says Co-Founder and CEO of Elevate, Lisa Zarzeczny. "The Festival and Block Party embody the intersection of technology and the arts, truly offering something for everyone. The daytime events will inspire networking and forward-thinking discussions; meanwhile, the evenings are an opportunity for passholders, families, friends, and colleagues from across the city and beyond to come together to enjoy the first glimpses of fall."

Taking place from 5 - 8 p.m. ET on opening day and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET the remainder of the Festival, passholders will join panels, Q&As, and fireside chats that touch on topics spanning the following 10 content themes: Think 2030, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Planet Preserve, Metaverse & Me, Scale Up, Game On, Secure & Protect, Workshift, Radical Retail, and Fintech. Stage content will tackle today's most pressing issues, inspiring conversations that will shape the future of tech, arts, and social innovation. The detailed schedule for Elevate Festival 2022 can be found here.

"If these last few years have taught us anything, it's that we are collectively bigger than the problems we face, even those that force the whole world to pause," says Astronaut and Elevate Co-Chair, Chris Hadfield. "By imagining the impossible, we can better ourselves, including the Earth we live on. Whether it's solving climate change or unveiling the next digital world, fearless innovation is the solution and path forward. Elevate Festival is a part of that path, celebrating advancements, but ultimately envisioning what's still to come."

Speakers joining already announced headliners Tennis Champion and Entrepreneur, Venus Williams; Ten-Time Olympic and World Championship Sprint Medalist, Andre De Grasse; CEO and Co-Founder, Clearco & CBC Dragon, Michele Romanow; Metaverse Artist and Founder of Techism, Krista Kim; Astronaut, Author, and Elevate Co-Chair, Chris Hadfield; Elevate Co-Founder and CEO, Lisa Zarzeczny, include:

• Raine Maida, Musician, Lead Singer of Our Lady Peace, & Co-Founder, DRROPS
• Alan Cross, Broadcaster, Music Writer, Consultant, Brain Dead Dog/Corus Radio
• Kayla Grey, Sports Anchor, Reporter & Executive Producer
• Vince Guzzo, Dragon, CBC Dragons' Den
• Shira Lazar, Creative Entrepreneur & On-Air Personality
• Jenn Harper, Founder & CEO, Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics
• Emily Hampshire, Actor (Schitt's Creek), Writer, producer
• Martin Basiri, CEO & Co-Founder, ApplyBoard
• Raia "Coach" Carey, Founder, Life Coach
• Rishi Chadha, Head of Gaming, Twitter
• Dorothy Eng, Executive Director, Code for Canada
• Sabrina Dhowre Elba, UN Goodwill Ambassador for IFAD, Model
• April Fong, Executive Editor, The Logic
• Tamara Goddard, Creative Director & Strategist, 400 Drums
• Isabelle Hudon, President & CEO, BDC
• Vinod Khosla, Founder & Partners, Khosla Ventures *Virtually only
• Andrew Kiguel, CEO and Co-Founder of Tokens.com, Executive Chair of Metaverse Group
• Jared Lindzon, Freelance Journalist & Public Speaker
• Sylvia Ng, CEO, ReturnBear
• Josh O'Kane, Reporter & Author, The Globe and Mail
• Dexter Peart, Co-Founder, Goodee, and others.

Organized and operated by Elevate, a Canadian non-profit, Elevate Festival is made possible by Canada's leading innovators and brands, including Founding Partners, TD Bank Group, Interac Corp., City of Toronto, Meta, and Mastercard Canada, as well as Corporate Partners, the Province of Ontario, AIR MILES® Reward Program, Beanfield, Bank of Montreal, Dropbox, Symcor, OLG, Moneris, Mackenzie Investments, Espresso Capital, DMZ, Gowlings WLG, Intuit, KPMG, CIBC, Korbit AI, York Region, EllisDon, BDC, and others. This year's festival will also see collaborations with BetaKit, Corporate Knights, and TechTO as Programming partners across a number of festival stages and Lemmon Stage for Elevate Block Party x Lemmon Stage performances.

For more information about Elevate Festival, including last-chance tickets, visit elevatefestival.ca/tickets. Media can apply for accreditation here.

About Elevate

Elevate is a Canadian non-profit that builds and unites world-class innovators through tech training courses, entrepreneurship programs, and industry-leading events at the intersection of technology, arts, and social innovation. Through strategic partnerships, an affiliation with the UN, and a roster of powerhouse speakers, Elevate inspires and invites its community to co-create a more equitable and sustainable future.

Elevate has hosted global icons such as former First Lady and author Michelle Obama, businesswoman Martha Stewart, former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt and Vice President Al Gore on the Elevate Main Stage, each of whom has inspired millions of people worldwide. Learn more at Elevate.ca.

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