'An honour to be chosen': Forest City London Music All-Stars ready to ring in new year

Jag Huligin is not taking his first selection into the Forest City London Music All-Stars (FCLMA) for granted.

The London, Ont. rapper will be part of the band which will perform in front of thousands of fans at Victoria Park during the New Year’s Eve celebration.

“It means a lot because I feel like in the hip hop community a lot of us don't get that opportunity to kind of showcase more than just us being rappers,” said Huligin, who will perform hits from his homeland of the Bahamas, as well as Los Angeles.

He continued, “It's my first time playing in front of Victoria Park. I’ve played in front of big crowds, but like it's homegrown. So it feels different. It's an opportunity that I know that I could pass on to other artists and creatives eventually coming down the road.”

Event organizer and lead of the FCLMA Mario Circelli chooses the band each year, and this year brought in Huligin to add a different vibe.

“What we try to do with a project is showcase the diversity of the musicians in London,” said Circelli. “Every once in a while though, we bring in a few new folks but these are all seasoned professionals. These are all musicians from our backyard who would be at home on any stage in the world.”

The free celebration begins at 7 p.m. with a countdown and fireworks for kids at 9 p.m.

Another countdown and fireworks display will take place at the stroke of midnight.

“We're ready for a big crowd 15-20,000 people and you will know every song,” said Mario Circelli, the event organizer.

Jude Coyle is a lead singer for the Forest City London Music All-Stars who will ring in the new year at Victoria Park in London, Ont. on Dec. 31, 2023. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Singer Jude Coyle is back for her fourth year and ready to perform a wide variety of hits from different genres.

“It's mostly well-known songs,” said Coyle, who performs regularly with her band Pepper Jones and the Rockits.

“It’s something that is going to appeal to a wide variety of people they'll be able to sing along. They'll know the artists, they'll know the words to the song and it's something that is uplifting for the crowd.”

For those on stage, this is the biggest crowd they will play in front of all year, so they all confirm it’s an honour for them to be chosen.

This event was in jeopardy until recently when WSIB came on board as the main sponsor, which allowed the free tradition to continue.