Multi-platinum selling artist and four-time JUNO nominee Tyler Shaw will headline Fan Fest ahead of the 2023 Canadian Premier League Final on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., the league announced on Monday.
One of Canada’s most accomplished and recognized pop music talents, the singer-songwriter, producer and actor out of Vancouver, BC, will perform from his repertoire of top-ten charting singles, including such hits as Kiss Goodnight, With You, House of Cards and To the Man Who Let Her Go. Shaw, who recently performed his latest single Out of Sight from his upcoming full-length project at the Canadian Country Music Awards in September 2023, has been a mainstay on the Canadian music scene for more than a decade and his catchy, upbeat anthems and buttery ballads will kick off what is sure to be a memorable day for fans of the CPL.
“I am thrilled to be headlining Fan Fest ahead of the 2023 CPL Final this weekend,” said Shaw. “As a former competitive soccer player myself, I’m excited to experience all that the day has to offer and to make sure we get the fans at Tim Hortons Field properly pumped up for the game.”
Fan Fest will be held in the South Plaza outside of Gates 1 and 2 at Tim Hortons Field beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 28. Shaw will be featured alongside several live music and DJ performances on the Volkswagen Electric Stage, which makes its debut at the pre-match event in 2023 thanks to CPL founding partner Volkswagen Canada.
“We anticipate quite an electric match at the CPL Final, and we are very excited to host fans at the Volkswagen Electric Stage for its inaugural year,” said Lynne Piette, Director of Marketing, Volkswagen Canada. “It will be a great way to celebrate another amazing season and show our appreciation for fans of the beautiful game.”
Supporters of all ages will have the opportunity to get in on the day’s excitement early by attending Fan Fest, which will boast a variety food and beverage options, interactive games and attractions and prizes, as well as the chance to meet CPL players and see the league’s new North Star Cup up close before it is lifted for the first time by this year’s champions.
Following Fan Fest, longstanding rivals Forge FC and Cavalry FC will face off in the 2023 CPL Final at 6 p.m. ET. The marquee event of the 2023 CPL season will be broadcast live on dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Ch. 980), the pay-TV service operated by Telus, one of Canada’s “big three” telecoms companies, as well as on streaming service fuboTV Canada. OneSoccer is also offered as an affordable streaming service through the OneSoccer.ca website, via Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV devices and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets to Saturday’s match can do so here or contact a ticket representative at 905-527-3674 or tickets@forgefootball.club. Forge announced last week that it was increasing the number of seats available at Tim Hortons Field for this year’s CPL Final due to a high demand for tickets.
As part of the festivities surrounding the CPL Final in Hamilton, the city will also play host to the annual CPL Awards on Thursday, Oct. 26, where some of the League’s best will be honoured for their individual performances over the course of the 2023 season. The North Star Cup, the recently announced trophy to be awarded to the League’s playoff champion starting this season, will be unveiled as part of the ceremony, which will be broadcast live on OneSoccer.