A Juno award winning Canadian singer and songwriter has been tapped to perform when the Ontario Summer Games comes to London in August.
Rêve will headline the game's opening ceremony at Western Alumni Stadium on August 1, the host organizing committee announced on Tuesday.
“We’re so excited to have Rêve join us for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2024 Ontario Summer Games presented by London Hydro,” said Games GM Dave De Kelver. “These athletes have an intense weekend of competition ahead of them and it's our hope that this event can provide an opportunity to take a break and reflect on the accomplishment of qualifying for the Games. We want to create a fun and memorable experience and have no doubt Rêve will help us do that.”
Rêve, born Briannah Donolo, is a Toronto-based pop star who made her debut in 2021. She has amassed more than 110 million combined global streams since then with hits including "Whitney" and "CTRL + ALT + DEL.” She received the Juno for Dance Recording of the Year in 2023.
The civic long weekend concert is free to attend and marks the start of the highly anticipated four-day competition. Local Indigenous artist Drives the Common Man will open the show. The night will also include the athletes parade, official remarks, and the torch relay to light the official games cauldron. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the ceremony slated to start at 6 p.m.
Roughly 3,500 teenage athletes, as well as coaches and officials, will be in the city for the Summer Games., which features 18 different sports. This is London's fifth time hosting. The competition was previously held in the city in 2018, 2004, 1996, and 1975. It was originally slated to return to London in 2020 and 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is anticipated the games will deliver an estimated economic impact to London of $5 million.
