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Empanadas Ilegales: The Feeling of Free

Empanadas Ilegales: The Feeling of Free

El español sigue al texto en inglés

Enjoy a free, music-filled midday break in the O'Brien Atrium. Bring your meal, grab a spot, and experience incredible live performances by talented artists—it's the perfect way to recharge over a lunch break!

Formed in 2017 through late-night jam sessions and rogue rooftop gigs, Empanadas Ilegales is a psychedelic tropical music collective made up of musicians with roots in Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Canada. Their music is both homage and invention: cumbia meets surf rock, salsa runs through Persian melodies, and folklore collides with free jazz.

With performances at major events including Sled Island, Montreal Jazz Festival, Calgary Folk Fest, SunFest, Mixto Fest and JUNOFest, the band continues to expand their reach bridging cultures, sounds, and generations through rhythm-forward, dance-driven musical storytelling. Their music is a call and response connecting hemispheres and igniting dance floors across cultures.

Formado en el 2017, en sesiones de jam nocturnos y toques improvisados en azoteas, Empanadas Ilegales es un colectivo de música tropical psicodélica integrado por músicos con raíces en Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina y Canadá. Su música es a la vez homenaje y reinvención: la cumbia se encuentra con el surf rock, la salsa se entrelaza con melodías persas y el folclor choca con el free jazz.

Con presentaciones en grandes eventos como el Sled Island, el Festival Internacional de Jazz de Montréal, el Calgary Folk Fest, SunFest, Mixto Fest y JUNOFest, la banda sigue expandiendo su alcance, tendiendo puentes entre culturas, sonidos y generaciones a través de historias musicales llenas de ritmo, hechas para bailar. Su música es un llamado y respuesta que conecta hemisferios y enciende pistas de baile a través de culturas.

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Event Details

Wed, Aug 5, 2026, 08:00 AM
to Wed, Aug 5, 2026, 09:00 AM
Free
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Place
National Arts Centre

National Arts Centre

Canada's bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts, featuring four performance venues, the NAC Orchestra, and the 1 Elgin restaurant with Rideau Canal views. A National Historic Site with Brutalist architecture and a striking 2017 glass addition by Diamond Schmitt Architects.

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