The annual Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle is a non-profit, award-winning blues and jazz festival held in Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario. Established in 1999, the three-day outdoor festival features three stages at Port Credit Memorial Park, presenting over 40 Canadian and international acts, along with performances from over 20 musical acts during its free Saturday afternoon street party known as the LIUNA Local 183 Street Shuffle held in the village from 1-5 p.m., followed by a 2nd line parade guided by our Dixieland band, leading the crowd into Memorial Park. The park is fully licensed, offers food vendors, an artisan market, two free stages, and one paid stage, attracting thousands of attendees to the park each day. The entire village participates all weekend long, with bars, restaurants, and coffee shops offering live music that makes the village a blues Disneyland.
The Southside Shuffle has received many awards over the years including:
2024 Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) Top 100 Festivals 2023 Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) Top 100 Festivals
2023 MBOT-Creative City Business Award
2023 Cultural Heritage Award
2023 Mississauga Civic Award of Recognition
2021 Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) Achievement Award for 2020 virtual festival
2018 Marty Award- Mississauga’s Best Festival
2013 Maple Blues Awards -Blues Booster of the Year
2009 Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) Best Printed Program
In 1999 when we started, there were four bands – Downchild Blues Band, Fathead, Jack de Keyzer, and Jake & The Blue Midnights – playing in a soccer field at Lakeshore and Hwy 10. We didn’t even have a liquor license,” said Chuck Jackson. “I think we might have seen 2,300 people on the two days,” recalls Jackson, the founder of the festival and a Port Credit resident for 56 years. “Now we have close to 150 bands. And over the last 25 years, we’ve employed probably 35,000 bands and over 15,000 musicians.
Near the end of August, the Southside Shuffle also holds its annual Beggars Blues Banquet, featuring performances by several artists playing during the festival. Giving a sneak preview of what fans can expect, the evening includes dinner, drinks, and dancing, and really kicks off the Southside Shuffle season. It also gives attendees a first look at the official festival program.
To pull together such a production, Chuck Jackson credits its great board members, a dedicated crew of 300-plus volunteers, festival sponsors, and the help of the City of Mississauga, the Port Credit BIA, and the various levels of government which provide funding. The Southside Shuffle has consistently raised funds for charities over our 25 years. “I just want to emphasize it’s a great team effort,” he says. “In crunch times, it’s quite hectic. It’s like a little village there in the park that week, and our whole community pulls together to make The Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle the pride of The Mississauga Delta.”