Here at Varsity Tents we get the pleasure of working with a diverse range of events across the GTA: race weekends, beer and music festivals, corporate events and weddings – you name it, we tent it.

This weekend there’s something really great going on: the Toronto Freedom Festival. This festival is Toronto’s largest free, one-day, outdoor spring festival, attracting upwards of 30,000 people each year.Varsity has been working with the dedicated organizers of this festival for several years.

The big event takes place this weekend, Saturday May 7, at Queen’s Park North. For more information check out www.torontofreedomfestival.com.

Interested in having us tent your GTA event? Click here for a free estimate.

As a weather follower, I’ve always been fascinated by clouds. I remember driving down a flat road in Southern Ontario where the horizon has no end and witnessing a magnificent summer rain storm as it washed across the landscape. The clouds are always with us, always moving and ever-changing.

Sure, the wonderful variation in weather that Ontario gets is what makes our province great — but our clients tell us this is what can make event planning a little intimidating.

Here at Varsity we receive questions about the weather all of the time. Why? Because if we’ve learned anything over the years, it is that the number one thing you can’t control is the weather – but it is also the number one thing on the mind of every event planner as the big day draws closer. Our job as event specialists is to make sure your event goes off without a hitch, no matter what happens with the clouds, so we are always happy to offer advice.

Graham, or as we like to call him, the Weather Professor, has become a bit of a weather guru over the years. He loves paying close attention to cloud formations, is always watching the local weather forecasts from Pearson International Airport, and he has a healthy understanding of weather folklore, proverbs and the Canadian almanac. He even did the math and figured out that in 2010 it rained 182 our of 365 days in the GTA.

So when you’re planning your event and you’re wondering whether the clouds up above are going to drop some rain on your big day, give us a shout. In the lead up to your event, you can trust the Varsity Team to be on top of whatever the weather delivers.

You can also follow us on Twitter, hashtag #WeatherProfessorTO for your Toronto weather updates.

We have an exciting business, so we joined YouTube to share our video adventures with the Toronto community and the world. The Varsity Tents Toronto channel also features a favorites section for the videos that we find interesting and want to share as well as fun Varsity commercials.

Stay tuned! www.Youtube.com/VarsityTentsToronto

One thing I’ve always heard is that a year of snow means a year of plenty: a great white winter not only provides us with a beautiful landscape and lots of activities, it also prolongs the blossoming of fruit trees. Otherwise the intense frost in the mornings would lessen the amount of fruit produced by the trees throughout the season. A grand winter also protects wheat and winter grains from the deadly rotation of freezing and thawing.

Bosc pear tree and Ontario fig tree photos © Pietro Caira

So what does that mean for you?

Well, as we bid farewell to the raging winter of 2010, or “snowmaggeddon” as many of our friends in the event business called it, we look forward to the budding trees and beautiful sunshine that spring will bring. Spring is always a great time for getting out with our families to the wonderful events that the GTA has to offer.

Cheers to being Canadian and enjoying all four wonderful seasons!

The Weather Professor Toronto

Varsity Tents has been friends with Jerkfest for many years now and last year we partnered up with them to put on their ninth annual food festival. This year marks a milestone for the event as it turns 10! To mark this occasion, the founders at Jerkfest will be rewarding 10 lucky members of the community with educational scholarships, as well as numerous other giveaways commemorating their permanent status within the Toronto community. Very cool!

Jerkfest is an annual festival which takes place around the second weekend in August every year in celebration of the world renowned jerk cuisine. It’s a fusion of jerk food, pulsating music, family friendly entertainment and good vibes – all under the Toronto sun.

Join the Varsity Tents crew this summer as we all celebrate and sample the best in jerk cuisine!

Connect with Jerkfest for more information: Website Twitter Facebook Youtube

Rent or buy the Varsity Tents Blazer patio heater.

With the stunning new Varsity Blazer, you are certain to wow

the guests of any event.

Designed for your patio, smoking

area, or even your front entrance, this four legged heater has a

clean, solid stainless steel construction, and heats for an

impressive eight to 10 hours per 20 lb propane tank. With an

unobstructed view of the incredible glass-enclosed flame, this

is not just a heater: it is a statement.

Exclusively available in

Toronto through Varsity Tents, be one of the first to feature

this unique and cost-effective heater at your next event.

Call Varsity Tents at (416) – 410 -7370

varsitytents.com

Every year Canada’s pubs explode as thirsty patrons flood the streets and pubs in honour of the international holiday known as St. Patrick’s Day. This year’s festivities ramped up in a huge way. Bars and cab companies have prepared for even greater numbers of party goers as a result of the holiday taking place during March break. Our Varsity team has been working nonstop this week in preparation for a bunch of the St. Patrick’s Day events. And the party’s look awesome!

Our #weatherprofessorTO tells us that a windy winter brings forth a rainy spring. But have no fear because a lot of your favorite pubs in the GTA are covered by Varsity tents. So go out and enjoy all festivities and cheers your friends and community. Remember to be safe, party responsibly and have happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The weather professor Toronto

Here at Varsity Tents we have a keen eye for the weather – it is important to our clients’ events, so it is important to us.

Known across GTA event circles as the “Professor,” our own Graham Bauckham receives regular phone calls throughout the week, inquiring about local weather conditions.

Some of the questions are immediate and some are forecasting hours or even days ahead and the Professor is always up on the weather news, and the best way to work with that weather to ensure events go off without a hitch.

Graham has a unique blend of weather intelligence: he studies the present and past almanacs, weather factoids and folklore, and draws from a wealth of past weather experience, gained from years of location and event management.

So watch our Twitter and Facebook feeds for weather tips and facts. The hashtag is #weatherprofessorTO

A professor of the Special Event Management class at Humber College recently asked Graham Bauckham, Varsity Tents General Manager, to visit the class for a short presentation and Q&A about the logistics and management of large scale events.

Thrilled at the chance to meet with Toronto’s newest up and coming event planners, on February 3^rd 2011, Graham did exactly that.  The format for the presentation was relaxed: Graham mingled among the classroom both presenting and answering questions about the history of Varsity Tents, himself and event logistics.

The future event managers and planners were captivated with Graham’s energy and expertise. Several of the students became followers of Varsity Tents on Twitter and followed it up with a like on Facebook.

It was wonderful meeting with the group, and we hope these future Toronto event specialists will become event partners with Varsity Tents. Relationships are so important in the event industry and connecting with these students is a bond that we were glad to make.