Grolsch is taking over a 
parking lot in downtown Toronto during the opening weekend of the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF).
The event, called Grolsch Open House, will be open daily Friday Sept. 6 through Monday Sept. 9, and will feature concerts by Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene and Julie Fader in addition to art exhibits and food trucks.
Held at the corner of Pearl Street and John Street, just around the corner from TIFF headquarters, Grolsch Open House is the physical manifestation of the brand’s festival sponsorship, which also includes billboards around Toronto, a fleet of six Grolsch branded eco-cabs and a presence at industry events through partnerships with companies like E1 Entertainment.
This is the second year Grolsch has been the official beer of TIFF. Sarah Waldock, director of marketing at SABMiller Canada, Grolsch’s Canadian distributor, said the sponsorship is an activation of its global Grolsch Film Works program, an initiative that supports independent and emerging filmmakers.
As part of its sponsorship Grolsch is presenting TIFF Discovery, a program that shows directors’ first feature films. It’s also presenting the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Awards to a filmmaker at TIFF, given for the first time last year to Rola Nashef for the film Detroit Unleaded, an Arab American romantic comedy.
Waldock said SABMiller decided to sponsor TIFF because it aligns well with the brand’s global film program and is a chance to reinforce the brand’s relationship with the arts.
“TIFF provides us with an exceptional opportunity to showcase our commitment to independent film and emerging filmmakers as well as artistry and artists in general,” she said.
Unlike many TIFF events, the Grolsch Open House is open to consumers. Throughout the weekend, the brand expects roughly 1,200 people to visit the Open House.
Read more of our ongoing coverage of Toronto International Film Festival sponsorships and activations at MarketingMag.ca’s TIFF Sponsor Spotlight
