What’s happening off the playing field?
The Invictus Games are about more than just sport—they’re about capturing hearts, challenging minds and changing lives. The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 are adopting a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation, by offering events beyond sport to help competitors find motivation and not be defined by their injuries. Notable activities include celebrations of culture, connection to employment opportunities, support for friends and family members and educating the public about the sacrifices of service members. There are also a variety of cultural program events taking place that all are welcome to join to support our wounded warriors and the Invictus Games Toronto 2017!
Join us!
Sept 22: Nathan Phillips Square Flag Raising
Sept 23: Invictus Day Stratford
Sept 24: Massed Military Band Spectacular
Sept 24-27: Concert Series at Nathan Phillips Square
Sept 25: CIBC Citizenship Ceremony
Sept 26: ROM Speaks: Voices of Canada Lecture Series
Sept 26-28: Contact! Unload
Sept 27: Canadian Opera Company
Sept 28: WE Day
Sept 28-29: Veterans Career Summit
Nathan Phillips Square Flag Raising
September 22
Prior to the start of competitions, Invictus Games Toronto 2017 is kicking-off the festivities with the Official Invictus Games Flag’s return from its cross-country tour. On September 22, the Flag is arriving at Nathan Phillips Square where it will be raised at City Hall, signifying the conclusion of the National Flag Tour and the arrival of the Invictus Games spirit in Toronto.
Invictus Day in Stratford
September 23
The City of Stratford and the Stratford Festival will mark Invictus Day with a wide range of events across the region. Stratford Perth Museum will present special exhibitions; a Stratford Festival Forum session will be hosted by retired Leading Seaman and 2017 Invictus Games Ambassador Bruno Guévremont; a Vimy Centennial Commemoration and key-to-the-city presentation honouring Brig. General Mark Campbell will be hosted by Mayor Dan Mathieson, and veterans will be offered discounted tickets to all performances at the Stratford Festival on September 23.
UNCONQUERED: Massed Military Band Spectacular
Royal Canadian Military Institute and Roy Thomson Hall
September 24
The Royal Canadian Military Institute, in conjunction with Roy Thomson Hall, is delighted to present UNCONQUERED: an evening of military band music in celebration of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017. Held at Roy Thomson Hall on September 24, the Massed Military Band Spectacular will feature the best military bands from across the nation in honour of our wounded warriors competing in the Invictus Games.
Tickets are now available for $39.50 to$89.50 from the Roy Thomson Hall website. Sponsored by TD Bank Group.
Concert Series at Nathan Phillips Square
Live performances each night in Nathan Phillips Square
September 24-27
Sunday Sept 24, 6:30 – 11:00
Kelly Prescott
Sam Cash
Sons of Daughters
Monday Sept 25, 7:30 – 11:00
Alan Frew
NEFE
Common Deer
Tuesday Sept 26, 6:00 – 9:30
Wednesday Sept 27, 5:30 – 8:30
Dwayne Gretzky
Jane’s Party
CIBC Citizenship Ceremony
September 25, 3:45pm
The 2017 Invictus Games, in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and CIBC, welcome new Canadians at a special citizenship ceremony at Nathan Philips Square. With the Games taking place in Toronto, and in celebration of Canada’s and the bank’s shared 150th anniversary this year, these organizations are honoured to welcome new citizens to a country that enjoys a long-established freedom, shaped by the sacrifices of the very servicemen and women competing in the Invictus Games.
ROM Speaks: Voices of Canada Lecture Series
The Next Fire Fight: Transitioning out of Uniform – Royal Ontario Museum
September 26
On Tuesday, September 26, Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will feature an Invictus Games-themed program as part of the ROM Speaks series.
The lectures aim to shed light on what it means to be Canadian and exploring the country’s multi-faceted identity. In partnerships
with the Invictus Games Toronto 2017, Lt.-Col. (ret’d) David Quick will share his remarkable experiences, both as an active duty and veteran servicemember, and his transition out of uniform and into business suit.
Contact! Unload – Veterans performing stories of self
September 26-28
Contact! Unload is a creative initiative where counsellors and artists collaborate with military veterans to produce theatre and visual art. This initiative offers an expressive vehicle for veterans to publicly reinterpret their struggles and experiences of transitioning from active service to civilian life in ways that build resilience. Six military veterans, along an with actor and a musician are featured in the play. Accompanying the play are the lestweforgetCANADA mural and the SERIOUS SHiT exhibit created by artist Foster Eastman. The project is led by Marv Westwood, Foster Eastman and George Belliveau.
On Wednesday, September 27, from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m., the Canadian Opera Company (COC) presents a concert to commemorate the indomitable spirit of the competitors at the 2017 Invictus Games as part of the COC’s acclaimed Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Sung by artists of the COC Ensemble Studio, Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals, the program features art songs centred on themes of war, loss, and overcoming adversity.
This performance takes place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen St W.). Admittance is free of charge and will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, for up to 230 patrons. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Accessible seating is available. Latecomers cannot be admitted. For more information, visit: coc.ca/FreeConcerts
WE Day
September 28
We Day is a celebration of service through learning about and committing to local and global actions. Each WE Day seat serves as a symbol of a change-making youths’ outsanding contribution to their communities. As such, the WE Day stage for this year will act as the inspiration vehicle for continued action at the local and global level.
The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 and WE Day have been working together for several months. This partnership culminates with WE Day 2017, being held on September 28 at the Air Canada Centre. The Games will be featured in a two-minute segment and throughout the program to pay tribute to the compelling stories of our wounded warriors and families. The segment aims to inspire youth to take action and give back to military communities.
The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Veterans Career Summit
September 28-29
The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee is proud to partner with Barrick Gold Corporation for the Veterans Career Summit. The Summit will offer potential employers the chance to connect with job-seeking veterans over a two-day period at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. Career counselling, keynote speakers and an informal area for ad hoc job interviews will also be available.
Funding Parties
