Empanadas Ilegales: The Feeling of Free

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Spend your night with us under the stars! Access our terrace directly from Elgin Street, the canal, or the Mackenzie King Bridge and take in the best free beats offered in Ottawa this summer.

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, igniting dance floors across cultures.

Admission is free, but space on the Wood Terrace is limited to 400 guests and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited and cannot be reserved, so we recommend arriving early and bringing a chair to enjoy an evening of music and entertainment. For guests arriving after capacity is reached, an overflow seating area outside the Wood Terrace with an obstructed view will be available.

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.