Travel Tip: Pop Culture and Cinema in Canada
Mexico: Beyond Your Expectations

The festival Mexico: Beyond Your Expectations takes place this summer in anticipation of the upcoming of the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence in 2010. Grammy award-winning Mexican rock group Café Tacuba celebrate their 20th anniversary. Tropipunk and ska group Los de Abajo (first signed to David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label) and Arts & Crafts’ Mexican Indie rock band Chikita Violenta show off the wide range of music coming out of Mexico.

The cultural icon of the mariachi will also be featured in music and dance throughout the weekend with performances from Toronto-based Mariachi Viva Mexico, Mariachi Amigo and Cascabel along with the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company.
2009 is also the 25th anniversary of El Santo’s death, one of Mexico’s most famous and iconic luchadores (Mexican wrestlers) who is credited with having popularized professional wrestling in Mexico much like Hulk Hogan did for the USA. In a fitting tribute, Mexican luchadores Blue Demon Jr. and Incognito go head-to head against Canadian luchadores Superxtremo, Cody 45, Sombra and Tigerstar in Toronto’s first live outdoor Lucha Libre wrestling match. Afterwards, wrestling fanatics can meet their favorite masked heroes in an intimate and interactive Q&A session and even morph into their own luchadores persona at a late-night Lucha Libre Dance Party with Latin-Rock group Dirty Maria. Film highlights for the festival include Santo y Blue Demon vs. Los Monstruos (a luchadores film featuring the father of Blue Demon Jr. who will be on site over the weekend) as well as a screening of Santo y Blue Demon en la Atlántida.

Authentic and Contemporary Mexican cuisine is also highlighted with food demos from downtown Toronto restaurants La Tortilleria and Frida Restaurant and Bar. The World Café also features Mexican and Latin American vendors preparing an array of typical Mexican dishes including fajitas, tacos, soups and more!

Lucha Libre – Mexican Free Wrestling
July 18-19, 2009

Encompassing all things Lucha Libre, this event features a wrestling match with Mexican vs. Canadian masked wrestlers or Luchadores. This is the first outdoor international Lucha Libre match in the history of Toronto!

Featuring from Mexico

Blue Demon Jr. and Incognito

Featuring from Canada

Cody 45, Sombra, SuperXtremo.
 The public is invited to get their photo taken with the wrestlers following the matches and can purchase their own wrestling mask from various stands around the site.