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Tim Snow
The Beaches at Osheaga 2025.
Concerts
Summer Music Festivals in Canada in 2026: The Highlights
Spanning coast to coast and highlighting a variety of genres, these festivals are must-attend events of the season for Canadian music lovers.
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The summer music festival season is kicking off.
As the warm weather kicks in, Canadian music fans will have a variety of options to enjoy live music across the country between June and September. From a female-led music festival to a nostalgic pop weekend to the country’s record-breaking biggest jazz event, there will be a range of international, emerging and local acts playing at various stages from coast to coast.
While this may not be an exhaustive list, it’s a comprehensive guide to some of Canada’s most significant music festivals. Whether you’re an electronic music fan, a jazz aficionado, or a lover of all genres, this list details the must-attend summer festivals across the country.
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All Things Go Toronto
When: June 6-7
Where: Toronto
Participating Acts: Lorde, Kesha, The Beaches, Wet Leg, Rachel Chinouriri, Sofia Camara, Jade LeMac and more.
For its second-ever edition, All Things Go is moving its Toronto festival to peak summertime. The 12-artist lineup spotlights a diverse group of musicians who collectively reflect the festival's commitment to uplifting female and non-binary artists. While it’s fronted by international superstars, there is a slight Canadian focus on the lineup, with three acts repping their home country.
For more information, click here.
NXNE
When: June 10-14
Where: Toronto
Last year, legendary festival NXNE celebrated 30 years. It kicked off a partnership with Billboard Canada, featuring unforgettable shows from the likes of Daniel Caesar and The Beaches, plus the first Billboard Summit boasting global acts like Diljit Dosanjh and deadmau5. This year’s edition is coming in hot, bringing global talent and exclusive live music moments to various venues throughout Toronto.
Participating Acts: Fionn, Frank Walker, Sickick, Covet, Yot Club, A Weekend At Ramona’s, Grae, Pony Girl, Quarterback Baby and more.
For more information, click here.
Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival
When: June 20-21
Where: Burlington, Ontario
After being announced as the replacement for Burlington’s Sound of Music Festival — which shuttered due to financial challenges — the two-day Ontario culture fest is returning with a new name, a multi-stage set-up and its first wave of Canadian headliners. Plus, over 30 artists will be added to the lineup. It’s major news for the MRG Live-operated festival, which took over the reins back in December.
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Participating Acts: Walk off the Earth, The Trews, Katie Tupper, The Dirty Nil and more.
For more information, click here.
Montreal Jazz Festival
When: June 25-July 4
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: Diana Krall, Angine de Poitrine, Willow, Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire, St. Vincent, Father John Misty, Smino and more.
Lauded as the biggest jazz music festival in Canada, the multi-day event has seen millions of visitors flock to the country’s largest city each year to witness some of jazz’s biggest names and smaller acts alike. Notably, it was awarded the biggest jazz festival in the world by Guinness World Records in 2004. While the festival takes over 20 different stages across Montreal, organizers offer a range of free outdoor events and indoor stages for attendees.
For more information, click here.
Calgary Stampede
When: July 3-12
Where: Calgary
Participating Acts: The Beaches, Alanis Morissette, Deadmau5, Alessia Cara, Mother Mother and more.
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The multi-day Western Canada summer rodeo will see a range of Canadian talent and international acts stomping onto the main stage at Stampede Park. From pop and country to rock and afrobeats, the festival showcases a diverse range of genre artists. Still, country music remains at the heart of the event, with the festival reserving its own stage for the genre, flexing a stacked lineup.
For more information, click here.
Halifax Jazz Festival
When: July 7-12
Where: Halifax
Participating Acts: Men I Trust, Broken Social Scene, Bahamas, Rose Cousins, Elysia Biro and Robert Lee Group, The Mingus Project and more.
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This year, the east coast city is celebrating its 40th anniversary, bringing some of the country’s most eclectic artists and rising acts to the forefront. To celebrate the festival’s four-decade milestone, organizers have announced free programming on the Halifax waterfront, which includes three early-evening stages that run earlier in the evenings of the six-day event.
For more information, click here.
Winnipeg Folk Festival
When: July 9-12
Where: Winnipeg
Participating Acts: Lucy Dacus, Sylvan Esso, Wolf Parade, Black Country, New Road, Father John Misty, Of Monsters and Men, Angine de Poitrine, Kathleen Edwards and more.
Amidst the setting of the Birds Hill Provincial Park, the Winnipeg Folk Festival has been bringing people together since its 1974 inauguration, which was initially a one-off celebration of the city’s centennial. Since then, the festival has grown in scale, exceeding 60,000 attendees each year. Over nine stages, the festival offers fans of bluegrass, blues, folk, indie, Celtic and French-Canadian music a copious of talent to take in.
For more information, click here.
Ottawa Bluesfest
When: July 9-19
Where: Ottawa, Ontario
Participating Acts: Angine de Poitrine, The Guess Who, Limp Bizkit, HARDY, Ella Langley, Gwen Stefani, Conan Gray, The Lumineers and more.
What started as a three-day blues gathering in 1994 has become a multi-weekend genre-bender featuring some of music’s biggest acts. The event gives the country’s capital city the chance to see a range of artists that might not otherwise stop in town. While Ottawa’s Bluesfest has expanded consistently over its lifetime — now flexing 11 days — it still retains its focus on the local music scene.
For more information, click here.
Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ)
When: July 9-19
Where: Québec City
Participating Acts: Michael Bublé, The Lumineers, Kesha, Limp Bizkit, Jelly Roll, The Lumineers, Gwen Stefani, Sean Paul, Jessie Reyez and more.
After settling a legal dispute with SOCAN, Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ), Quebec City’s 11-day music festival is back for another star-studded edition. It's always an eclectic group of headliners and emerging artists, from nu metal to pop to hip-hop — plus a selection of Quebecois favourites. The festival brings some of music's biggest acts to mainstage crowds ranging from 80,000 to 100,000. With passes starting at $180, it's a true hidden gem.
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For more information, click here.
Phillips Backyard Music Festival
Date: July 10-12
Where: Victoria, B.C.
Participating Acts: Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade, Angine de Poitrine, Chance the Rapper, Father John Misty, Sudan Archives, Duckwrth and more.
Victoria, B.C.'s Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. has booked another summer of its Backyard Music Festival programming. One of the few west coast fests, a slew of genre-spanning artists are heading to the backyard, from Canadian indie legends to acclaimed rappers to rising homegrown acts. Described as an "electrifying music festival" held in the heart of the city's craft brewery, "community vibes blend seamlessly with epic beats," mapping it out to be a high-energy three-day event.
For more information, click here.
Neon Skies Festival
When: July 17-18
Where: Edmonton
Participating Acts: Kesha, Conan Gray, Slayyyter, Myles Smith, Natasha Bedingfield, Heidi Montag and more.
There's a brand new pop festival in town, and it's coming to Edmonton in July — joining the string of events taking place in Western Canada. The inaugural Neon Skies Festival is an open-air celebration bringing together unadulterated energy and poignant nostalgia. Case in point: its first-ever lineup is the perfect fusion of Y2K-era and modern acts — all designed for scream-worthy crowd sing-alongs under the sky.
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For more information, click here.
Osheaga
When: July 31-Aug. 2
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: Tate McRae, Lorde, Twenty One Pilots, Zara Larsson, Sombr, The XX, Geese, Wolf Parade and more.
Arguably, Osheaga is Canada’s biggest all-genre music festival. The three-day event caters to an array of sonic palettes, bringing in three distinct headliners to cap off each night. This year’s lineup follows the fest’s running formula with two contemporary solo headliners and one rock duo or group. What’s more, the Montreal festival is known for booking artists right before they get big — including Doechii and Chappell Roan — so all eyes are on this year’s lineup.
For more information, click here.
Veld Music Festival
When: Aug. 1-3
Where: Toronto
Participating Acts: Armin van Buuren, Kx5, Subtronics, James Hype, Galantis, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Charlotte De Witte and more.
Toronto’s biggest electronic music festival is back. After last year’s major success — which saw the most Canadian talent in its 12-year history — the three-day event returns to Downsview Park with some of the biggest artists of the genre. Gear up for huge crowds dancing in unison for the big-stage theatrics from the genre’s most sought-after live acts. Not to mention, breathtaking light and visual shows accompanied the high-energy soundscapes.
For more information, click here.
Vans Warped Tour
When: Aug. 21-22
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: Simple Plan, All Time Low, Jimmy Eat World, Bowling For Soup, Yellowcard, Silverstein, Mayday Parade and more.
The iconic Vans Warped Tour is making its grand return to Montreal after 12 years. After a highly successful 30th anniversary run in the U.S., the punk fest organizers are hitting up the city, which has served as a major market for punk, emo and ska throughout the years. “Montreal has always made classic punk bands feel at home, and they'll definitely be represented on the lineup,” founder and organizer Kevin Lyman told Billboard Canada. This year’s comeback lineup spans generations of rock from genre-defining favourites to up-and-comers.
For more information, click here.
Boots & Hearts West
When: Aug. 28-29
Where: Edmonton
Participating Acts: Shaboozey, Russell Dickerson, Max McNown, Midland, Kalsey Kulyk, Thelma & James and more.
Edmonton country music fans: get ready to say yeehaw. Boots and Hearts, one of Canada’s biggest country music festivals, is heading to Edmonton. In 2025, the festival celebrated its 15th anniversary, so expanding was a natural next step, as organizers took note of the “passionate country-music community providing the perfect environment," Eva Dunford, co-founder of Boots and Hearts Music Festival, shared with Billboard Canada. While the first-ever Western Canada edition shares artists with the festival’s Oro-Mendonte edition, its standout lineup promises a unique experience for country fans out west.
For more information, click here.
First Class Fest
When: Aug. 28-29
Where: Toronto
Participating Acts: Lucki, Osamason, Che, Bktherula, Nettspend and more.
After two years, the underground rap event, First Class Fest, is in the 6ix. For two days, the festival will be led by some of the genre's most buzzing names. After a smaller, intimate format that brought rising artists to Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal for the first time, the festival is upgrading to an outdoor festival hosted by The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, which “hit pause” last year, and is marking its return.
For more information, click here.
Festival Fono
When: Sept. 10-12
Where: Québec City
Participating Acts: Sombr, Gims, Alessia Cara, Sofi Tukker, Natasha Bedingfield, Ariane Moffatt and more.
Another stacked festival lineup is coming to Quebec City. Festival Fono — backed by BLEUFEU, the same company behind FEQ — returns for its third edition at the University of Laval campus, featuring three stages and a mix of international stars and local acts. With a diverse roster of artists on deck — many of whom are Canadian — organizers will channel liveliness and musical discovery on the festival grounds.
For more information, click here.
Sommo Festival
When: Sept. 11-12
Where: P.E.I.
Participating Acts: Twenty One Pilots, Sombr, Natasha Bedingfield, Lawrence, Baby Nova, Leith Ross, Sofia Camara and more.
The tail end of Prince Edward Island's summer is looking bright. Sommo Festival is returning for two days, boasting major headlining acts and a range of rising homegrown artists. If the same sounds familiar, it’s because Alex Warren controversially withdrew from the event on short notice last year. Produced by the team behind the popular Cavendish Beach Music Festival, last year’s edition drew an estimated 35,000 festivalgoers.
For more information, click here.
Harvest Music Festival
When: Sept. 15-20
Where: Fredericton, N.B.
Participating Acts: The Beaches, Young the Giant, Barenaked Ladies, Graham Nash, Sloan, The Strumbellas and more.
The long-running east coast music festival is bringing together legendary artists, emerging voices, and unforgettable discoveries across blues, roots, rock and soul for one last hurrah ot close out the warm weather. Bringing beloved rock icons and rising powerhouse acts to the stage, the 2026 program will balance familiar music favourites with exciting discoveries — capturing the true spirit of the festival.
For more information, click here.
Other Canadian Festivals to Check Out This Summer
Picnik Electronik
When: May 17-Oct. 18
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: Jordan Gardner, Brunello, Eric Prydz, Steve Aoki, Four Tet, Zeds Dead, Sammy Virji and more.
For more information, click here.
Sled Island Music & Arts Festival
When: June 17-21
Where: Calgary
Participating Acts: Black Country, New Road, Homeshake, clipping., Lil Mariko, Virgo Rising, Backxwash, Palehound, Illuminati Hotties and more.
For more information, click here.
ÎleSoniq
When: Aug. 8-9
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: Dom Dolla, Deadmau5, REZZ, Sub Focus, Gryffin, Badgalquirit, Wooli, Zorza and more.
For more information, click here.
Mariposa Folk Festival
When: July 3-5
Where: Orillia, Ontario
Participating Acts: Steve Earle, Father John Misty, Sarah Harmer, Billy Bragg, Dan Mangan, Leith Ross and more.
For more information, click here.
Cavendish Beach Music Festival
When: July 9-11
Where: P.E.I.
Participating Acts: HARDY, Tucker Wetmore, Cody Johnson, Jade Eagleson, The North Sound, Terra Spencer and more.
For more information, click here.
Wolfe Island Music Festival
When: Aug. 7-8
Where: Kingston, ON
Participating Acts: Shad, Ken Yates, Georgia Harmer, Noble Rot, Rachel Bobbitt, Lake Porter, Tiny Horse, The Codas and more.
For more information, click here.
Boots & Hearts
When: Aug. 7-9
Where: Oro-Medonte, ON
Participating Acts: The Chicks, Rascal Flatts, Jonas Brothers, Brett Kissel, Savannah Jade, School House and more.
For more information, click here.
LASSO
When: Aug. 15-16
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: Thomas Rhett, Mumford & Sons, Jon Pardo, Koe Wetzel, Turnpike Troubadours, Cameron Whitcomb and more.
For more information, click here.
RoadTrip Music Festival
When: Sept. 12
Where: Kingston, Ontario
Participating Acts: Peach Pit, Kasador, Katie Tupper, Tiny Horse, Mariel Buckley and more.
For more information, click here.
POP Montreal
When: Sept. 23-27
Where: Montreal
Participating Acts: To be announced.
For more information, click here.
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