What: AIDSbeat 2012 – Summer of Love
Where: Kool Haus, 132 Queens Quay East
When: October 12, 2012
Oh AIDSbeat, you’ve done it again! This year’s “Summer of Love”-themed soiree was another fantastic success. With hundreds of guests dressed in various interpretations of classic ’60s hippie, Toronto’s biggest legal community charity bash was packed last Friday night. Groovy rock classics chosen according to the evening’s far-out theme allowed for the amazing collection of lawyer bands to really strut their stuff for a chance to win the battle of the bands title. And did they ever strut!
Peace sign LED necklaces were distributed at reception, and a free-loving gang of protest sign-wielding young hippies greeted guests as they arrived and entered into the colourfully transformed hall. Topless and beautiful long-hairs with Cadillac-logos emblazoned on their chests roamed around chatting people up and posing for photos. Volunteers worked the crowd to fundraise on the fly with “$20-a-pop” balloons, the VIPs mixed their own cocktails in private shag carpeted lounge areas, and the crowd was clearly engaged by both the stellar lineup of bands as well as performances by the talented cast of Hair from the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Even John Lennon was there, strumming his guitar in bed waiting for Yoko, who must have been stuck in the line for a beautiful hand-painted temporary tattoo.
AIDSbeat, now in its 17th year, is the annual benefit for CANFAR put on by the Toronto legal community, with help from this year’s presenting sponsor Cadillac, and so many more (Precedent is a media sponsor). This extravagant costume party/concert event, which has raised well over $2.5 million to date for AIDS research, attracts more than 1,500 party-going professionals for an evening of fabulous fun and fantastic music. Bringing together lawyers from dozens of different firms, AIDSbeat continues to rock as a signature annual event.
Yvonne Bambrick is an urban cycling consultant, co-ordinator of the Kensington Market and Forest Hill Village BIAs, and a Toronto-based event and portrait photographer.
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