Mississauga Named Host of CMAOntario Festival & Awards in 2024 and 2026

Hosts Announced for 12th Annual Award Show
Tickets On Sale Friday, December 1, 2023 

The Country Music Association of Ontario is proud to announce the CMAOntario Festival & Awards will hold their prestigious annual event in Mississauga for the first time ever in 2024, with a planned return in 2026. Announced last week in Port Credit at the inaugural CMAOntario Snowball, the 12th Annual CMAOntario Festival & Awards has partnered with Visit Mississauga and the City of Mississauga to bring a weekend of live music, concerts and activities to Mississauga from May 31-June 2, 2024, with a rousing Awards Show on Sunday, June 2 at Living Arts Centre.

“Mississauga is honoured and excited to welcome the 12th annual CMAOntario Festival and Awards in 2024 and again in 2026,” said Acting Mayor and Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca. “As Canada’s seventh-largest city and 2023 Music City of the Year, we are home to world-class, diverse musicians and a vibrant live music scene that attracts visitors from across Canada. I want to thank CMAOntario for choosing Mississauga to hold this prestigious music festival. We look forward to celebrating Ontario’s artists and welcoming them to our city next summer.”

The 12th Annual CMAOntario Festival & Awards, presented by Slaight Music, will include highly anticipated events throughout Mississauga such as Songs & Stories: Songwriters in the Round, R2i TuneUp Conference, Street Fair, and the free Bonfire and Tailgate Party concerts. The weekend will close with the CMAOntario Awards show hosted by Pure Country Radio’s Jason McCoy and Country TikTok sensation Teigen Gayse, with returning house band Western Swing Authority.

Tickets for the CMAOntario Awards will be available for purchase to the public as of 11am on Friday, December 1, 2023 at LivingArtsCentre.Evenue.net. Early bird pricing and VIP packages will be available for CMAOntario members and the general public.

“The CMAOntario is excited to call Mississauga ‘home’ in 2024 and 2026!” said CMAOntario Chair Steve Kassay. “With thanks to The City of Mississauga and our amazing partners, we are ready to bring music, fun and focus to one of Ontario’s most vibrant cities.”

Nominations for the 2024 CMAOntario Awards will open in February at cmaontario.ca. Additional details, including performers, will be announced in the new year.

www.cmaontario.ca
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @theCMAOntario

About CMAOntario:
In 2007, Rob MacArthur and founding patron Linda Wright together with a number of key industry professionals founded the Country Music Association of Ontario. The Association’s mandate is to foster the growth and development of Ontario’s country music and its industry, provincially, nationally and internationally. The CMAOntario has hosted ten annual Awards Shows and seven two-day Road to Independence educational conferences with the generous assistance of presenting sponsor Slaight Music and support of Ontario Creates. www.cmaontario.ca

About Slaight:
Slaight Music was started in 2011 with a mandate to support the Canadian music community through a variety of initiatives, and to develop Canadian talent via strategic partnerships with industry peers. We work with artists from across the country and across the musical spectrum, helping to further careers and get great music heard. We’re also invested in the technology sphere, helping Canadian music entrepreneurs develop the next generation of digital platforms and services. And, we support a variety of music-related events, causes and charities. www.slaightmusic.com

About Ontario Creates:
Ontario Creates is an agency of the provincial government whose mandate is to be a catalyst for economic development, investment and collaboration in Ontario’s creative industries including the music, book, magazine, film, television and interactive digital media sectors, both domestically and internationally. www.ontariocreates.ca