AkonThe Black Eyed Peas, Simple Plan, New Kids on the Block and Hedley are among the performers for the first-ever Virgin Festival in Montreal this summer.

The event, which will be staged at Parc Jean-Drapeau on June 19 and 20, will also feature the New Cities, “Canadian Idol” winner Eva Avila, Akon, Live, LIGHTS and Divine Brown. More acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

One organizer described the city as the perfect place to bring the event. “Montréal is a natural host for Virgin Festival,” said Jacques Aube, vice president and general manager of Gillett Entertainment Group, in a statement. “The city has an eclectic, thriving music scene, and tons of festival-loving fans.”

Tickets go on sale Saturday; check out the Virgin Festival Canada website here for more information.

The Virgin Festival is going coast-to-coast across Canada this year, with plans also to debut in Nova Scotia, as well as return to Ontario, B.C. and Alberta. While host cities and lineups for those festivals have yet to be confirmed, organizers say they expect to welcome more than 300,000 fans across the country to the events.

Last year’s Virgin Festivals took place in Calgary and Toronto. A festival was also planned for Vancouver, which played host in 2007, but organizers cancelled it after they weren’t able to secure top acts.






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