Massive Woodstock-Esque Climate Change Festival Coming To Toronto's Downsview Park

Woodstock's 40th anniversary concert fell through last year, but that won't stop one of its creators from staging what sounds like a monstrous festival at Toronto's Downsview Park this summer.

The Imagine Music & Arts Festival, which is inspired by John Lennon's song of the same name and his message of peace and love along with 1969's original Woodstock Festival, will be staged at Downsview Park for three days this summer.

Imagine's website describes the festival as "Woodstock for the Green Generation." it's being organized to coincide with the Earthship Summit, an environmental meet-up that aims to challenge the G8 meeting this June and argue that world leaders are not doing enough to stem climate change or promote green initiatives.

According to Torontoist, the Imagine Music & Arts Festival organizers hope to attract up to 350,000 people each day to Downsview Park for the event, which their website says will be broadcast to 300 million people at 200 theatres across North America.

Torontoist reports half the profits will go to the Red Cross, Amnesty International and Save The Children. The website says organizers are also hoping to get guest speakers like Bono. This sounds bazonkersish huge.

The Imagine Music & Arts Festival is being organized by Artie Kornfield, who was one of the people behind the original Woodstock and artist David Kam. The three-day event will divide its programming into themes centred on peace, poverty and our planet. The first day will include a tribute to John Lennon, the second will honour Jimi Hendrix and the third will spotlight The Beatles.

No artists have been announced for the Imagine Music & Arts Festival yet, but organizers want all the performers to "reflect the spirit of the Earthship Summit." Basically, this means green musicians.

U2 are a blatantly obvious choice.

Given that Radiohead are absolutely massive, they've supported green initiatives with their touring, Thom Yorke has spoken out against climate change repeatedly in the past, and the organizers clearly want this to be a gigantasaurus event, they seem like another good selection to play at least one day of this thing.

In 2008, Canadian artists including Hawksley Workman, K-OS, members of Billy Talent, the Barenaked Ladies, Three Days Grace and Broken Social Scene recorded a song called "You Have A Choice" to garner support for green policies before the 2008 Canadian federal election. They seem like good choices, as well.

The Rolling Stones, Fall Out Boy, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Jack Johnson and The Killers contributed songs to a Rhythm Del Mundo compilation dubbed Classics, which sent its proceeds to Artists Project Earth. It raises money and awareness about climate change and natural disasters.

All of those artists are huge, and even though Fall Out Boy are on hiatus — um, excuse me, break — I think it'd be a good excuse for them to at least play a one-off gig.

More information about the Imagine Music & Arts Festival should be announced shortly.