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FYI

ON Country Music Awards Schedule Announced

The sixth edition of the annual CMA Ontario festival and awards weekend will feature a power-packed lineup of talent comprising both established Canadian country stars and promising newcomers onstage in London.

ON Country Music Awards Schedule Announced

By FYI Staff

The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAO) has announced the programming for this year’s CMA Ontario Festival & Awards weekend, taking place June 1-3 in London, Ontario. Anchored by perennial favourite the CMA Ontario Awards on June 3 at Centennial Hall, weekend festivities also include the newly added Songs and Stories, New Faces Showcase and Concert, Legacy Revival, Charity Softball Challenge and the 2-day R2I TuneUp Conference. The annual events will take place at various venue spaces throughout the city and offer both free open to the public activities as well as ticketed events.


The New Faces Showcase and Concert takes place on Sat. June 2, from 7-11pm. The free event at Market Square features sets by Meghan Patrick and The Reklaws, plus emerging Ontario artists Brad Battle, Johnson Crook, Kelsi Mayne, Joshua David, and The Redhill Valleys.

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On June 3 (2-4 pm) the Legacy Revival, at Bishop Cronyn Memorial Place, stars Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Michelle Wright, country music star Aaron Pritchett, The Good Brothers and songwriting maven and country queen Patricia Conroy along with special guests Randy Owen and Bob Funk. Tickets for this killer lineup here.

Sure to be a favourite is Songs and Stories, a songwriters circle style evening at Run Rummers on June 1 (7-9 pm). Hosted by Wendall Ferguson, it will feature performances and commentary by Jason Blaine, Ryan Langdon and Dan Davidson.

The week's activities are capped with the CMA Ontario Awards Show on June 3 at Centennial Hall in London. Hosted by Jason McCoy, the awards show will feature performances by major Canadian country acts and emerging artists. Andrew Hyatt, Dan Davidson, Jason Blaine, River Town Saints and The Reklaws, join previously announced artists Meghan Patrick, Michelle Wright, Tebey, Tim Hicks, Cold Creek County and Western Swing Authority for the festivities.

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The sixth annual CMA Ontario Awards, presented by Slaight Music, with support from the Ontario Media Development Corporation, acknowledge the talent and achievements of Ontario's country music industry across 16 categories. Ticket info here

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Charlotte Day Wilson
Jessica Foley
Charlotte Day Wilson
Concerts

CNE 2026 Bell SOUNDSTAGE Lineup: Charlotte Day Wilson, JoJo, Finger Eleven and More

As part of its partnership with NXNE and a renewed focus on live music, CNE will also welcome a special soon-to-be revealed global headliner presented by Billboard Canada on Aug. 28.

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is embracing its musical roots with a high-profile lineup for 2026.

The beloved long-running fair, baptized The Ex by Torontonians, has unveiled the full list of artists who will be headlining the newly-named Bell SOUNDSTAGE at the Bandshell to celebrate the event's 147th edition. Canadian stars like Charlotte Day Wilson and Finger Eleven as well as international pop star JoJo have been added to this year's programming, which reflects a diverse mix of renowned names and rising stars across a multitude of genres including pop, hip-hop, Punjabi music and soca, among others. They join previously announced acts like Lights, Lupe Fiasco, Shaggy and more.

This year, the exhibition is partnering with Toronto music festival NXNE, to modernize its musical programming with chart-topping artists and newer acts, and revamping the Bandshell as the Bell SOUNDSTAGE. “Music is such a massive part of who we are,” Mark Holland, CEO of the CNE, told Billboard Canada in April during his Executive of the Week interview. "Connecting everybody to that is a democratic mission that we are really invested in."

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