New music festival prepares for takeoff at London's airport

A new two-day music festival is coming to London, but it's not happening inside a venue or at a park.

The first-ever Rock the Runway will take place at London International Airport on Sept. 12 and 13, with the goal of becoming London's largest music event, President of Jones Entertainment Group Brad Jones said.

"When you stand out on [the airport's] northwest corner runway, you just see the size of it, instantly we knew we could do something special," Jones explained Tuesday.

There are advantages to holding a festival at an airport, including it being an isolated space with several entrances and exits to mitigate traffic congestion, and it has asphalt grounds that won't turn muddy in the rain.

The corner of the airport grounds can fit 25,000 people, Jones said, more than double what Canada Life Place or Harris Park, home of the annual Rock the Park festival that he also organizes, can hold. Big-name artists only want to play for large crowds, Jones said.

"The thing we're most excited about is bringing really large entertainers who may not be able to play London [due to small venues]," he said. "We're limited in what we can do, but now with this new partnership, it just opens up the world to London."

A lineup has not been announced, but Jones said Londoners can expect a mix of Canadian and international acts of a variety of genres. The first headline artists will be announced within the next two weeks, Jones said. 

"If you're a music lover, there will be something for everybody," he said.

Event celebrates back to school for London students

The airport has played host to other large events, including the annual air show and drive-in movies.

"It's a massive, wide open space with lots of concrete and lots of grass space that's well-suited for large events," London International Airport President Scott McFadzean said.

For this first Rock the Runway, the intent is to get post-secondary students out to the show. That crowd is so important that McFadzean and Jones are partnering with Western's University Students' Council (USC) to make the school's annual back-to-school concert, called "PurpleFest," part of Rock the Runway.

"We just think it's super valuable to get students out of the on-campus bubble and into the community quickly," said USC chief operating officer Jeff Armour. 

Oftentimes, PurpleFest is a closed on-campus concert exclusive to Western students, but this year's event will allow them to interact with the general public.

"Everyone can take some value from having a shared experience with others, where you're out enjoying yourself," Armour said.

While details are still being finalized, Armour said Rock the Runway will have similar safety features as an on-campus concert with lots of security present. There will also be transportation options for students, and the USC is working to subsidize ticket prices to ensure they are affordable, he said. 

Creating an "aerotropolis"

Rock the Runway is one of the airport's latest initiatives to bring people to the area for reasons beyond travel, McFadzean said, pointing to the pickleball and volleyball courts that have opened in recent years.

"We're really trying to create what I call an 'aerotropolis,' which is like a small city within a city," McFadzean said. "We want to continue to give reasons for people to come out to the east part of our city and to our airport, and remind them that there's a lot of cool things happening out there."

The festival will not interfere with flights those two days, McFadzean said, and eventgoers may even see a few planes arriving during the show. 

"You will see some airplanes in the background. They won't be directly overhead, but it's still a cool viewing spot," he said.