Camp Summerdaze :: Toronto’s Summer Retreat Experience
@ Toronto Island, July 28-July 30
July 28-July 30
As summer fast approaches, so does festival season. For seasoned underground electronic music lovers, 2017 marks the much-anticipated seventh season of Summerdaze Sunday Sessions.
From July 28-30, 2017, Camp Summerdaze returns to the Toronto Islands after a hiatus in 2016 with a three-day event set within the tranquil grounds of Artscape Gibraltar Point. What is impressive is that the event has sold 50% and growing without even a whisper of who the DJs are. This underlines the quality of offerings that Summerdaze is known for.
“We loved our first experience at artscape in 2015 and it was our favourite event to date – the property, the music, the energy – it was really special,” says Jordana. “We knew that we wanted to elevate that experience and spent 2016 to focus on what we wanted to achieve to produce this event – not just another festival but an experience where participants can take away more than just the music; an opportunity to learn, create, inspire, and immerse oneself in the whole experience. We wanted to create a weekend away from the noise of the city and everyday life, without having to travel far.”
Camp Summerdaze is a boutique experience that encourages guests to restore, aspire, contribute, and dance. They offer camping on the beautiful grounds of Gibraltar Point or sleeping at indoor guest suites for those who are not camping aficionados. In true Summerdaze fashion, thoughtfully curated menus and family-style meals, 5 hours of daily programming of interactive workshops and keynote speakers, artisan vendors, yoga, meditation, art installations, lawn games, and holistic services (Reiki, oracle readings, and massage) in addition to some of the best local DJs, live acts supporting act and five to-be-released international headliners from the electronic music community.
Summerdaze began offering beautiful curated electronic music events with exceptional catering and sparkly wares in 2010. Inspired by the outdoor daytime summer parties in London and Ibiza, husband-and-wife duo, Jordana and Nabil Zakaria partnered with Sandra Dalla Giustina and decided to throw a daytime party to recapture their experience overseas.
“We missed all the daytime parties we used to go to (especially the ones on Sundays), and we decided to throw our first jam in June 2010,” Jordana recounts. “A friend’s furniture warehouse had an amazing 20,000 sq ft rooftop off of Queen St. and we decided to give it a shot. We thought 150 friends would turn up and were blown away when 600 people came! I guess at that point, we realized that others wanted the same vibe as us – unique venues, outdoor daytime party, great people, music, and food. So summerdaze was born.”
The Zakaria’s have been in the food and beverage/hospitality industry for over 20 years. They started their catering outfit, Bespoke Events, upon return to Toronto from Europe in 2005 and recently relaunched their music+travel initiative, Bespoke Travel, which offers custom travel packages specializing in music festivals around the world. In September they will launch their first trip to Oasis Festival in Morocco.
I joined the Summerdaze movement in 2013, enjoying their sun-kissed Sunday afternoon gatherings at various tasteful venues throughout Toronto, including chic open air patios on the CNE Grounds to bouncing second-story, rooftop jams on Queen Street West. The quality of the music, venue and crowd are what Summerdaze are known for in Toronto. With a plethora of electronic music events, Summerdaze, part of the Bespoke Experience crew, always cultivates more than a club or rave experience. They deliver a very special, tasteful family affair with an elegance that I have yet to experience elsewhere in Toronto.
– Talia Wooldridge
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[sk_grid id=”22214″ initial_load=”20″ gallery_gap=”5″ max_load_more=”20″ hover_color=”a50909″ load_more_label=”Load more”]For more information or to join the Summerdaze / Bespoke Experience:
Get Tickets HERE
