“So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?”

Oh! Fest in London This Weekend

Christina Aguilera once famously issued that misinformed header query. Alas, dear reader, Christina won’t be making a festival appearance in London this weekend but a number of hugely talented musicians and artists will be here. Indeed, London will be abuzz this weekend and much of it revolves around the first of edition of Oh! Fest.

Presented by the creatively adventurous Open House Arts Collective – (I blogged about them previously) - The multi-disciplinary, multi-venue fest opens tomorrow. Oh! Fest brings singer-songwriters, up and coming bands, a free, daytime fair and record store in-stores to its three-day run.

From the London Free Press this morning:

"We saw the need for something in between one-off shows and a huge festival like LOLA or playing the John Labatt Centre or Call the Office," says Oh! Fest artistic director and collective member Paterson Hodgson. "It's definitely a huge learning process, definitely a steep learning curve. We've had great responses."

Directing members of the collective all contributed. There is support from such venues and sponsors as Grooves Records, the Black Shire pub and private donors. MainStreet London is also a supporter.

"Festivals like this wake people up and they say 'there's lots of music and arts and culture here,'" collective member Stuart Thompson says.

Some of that energy and culture is provided by Open House collective-tied performers such as Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, the Samuel Musical, A Horse and His Boy, who are all on the Oh! bill. (Hodgson is an Autumn Lover cellist when she's not organizing new festivals).

Open House Collective, you’ve done it again! This city could not ask for a finer group of musical ambassadors. Let’s hope this one is the first of many. The weekend promises to be unforgettable.

Tickets are going fast so please plan to get yours. Information below.

The Details:

Visit - www.ohfest.com

Printable Program and Schedule - http://www.ohfest.com/OhFest_Program.pdf

2009 Oh! Fest, the first edition of a new multi-arts festival in London.

Tomorrow - April 24th through Sunday April 26th.

Oh! Fest schedule: Tomorrow -- 3 p.m. (Grooves Records, 353 Clarence St.), Davita G, Bette et Wallet. Free; 7:30 p.m. (Colborne St. United Church, 711 Colborne St. at Piccadilly), Nick Zubeck, Jane Ehrhardt, Barzin, Olenka and the Autumn Lovers. $10.

Saturday -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (713 Central Ave.), Art ExpOh!, multi-media arts fair, Muskox featuring Isla Craig, Golden Death Music and more. Free; 9 p.m. (Black Shire Pub, 511 Talbot St. north of Dufferin), Lioness, The Ghost is Dancing, A Horse and His Boy, Cailen Dye. $10, 19-and-up.

Sunday -- 3:30 p.m. (Grooves Records) The Samuel Musical, Handsome Dan and His Gallimaufry. Free; 6:30 p.m. (Chaucer's, 122 Carling St.) Laura Barrett, The Burning Hell, Sick Friend, Construction and Destruction, Birdsacrosswater. $10.