Igloofest Returns To Montreal With Diplo, Armin Van Buuren, 100 gecs and More

Montreal’s annual outdoor winter electronic music festival Igloofest is back with the release of its 2024 lineup. This year, the roster of artists draws in DJs from across the globe from January 18 to February 10, but also has some key Canadian representation.

Artists include Armin van Buuren, Rezz, Diplo, Eric Prydz, CMD, DJ Holographic, 100 gecs, Surf Gang and Marc Rebillet. This is the 16th edition of the winter festival which will be held in Montreal’s Old Port.

Igloofest’s second weekend in particular stands out, with Toronto-based queer-collective Pep Rally taking over the Videotron stage, on January 26 with Toronto and Montreal DJs Syana, Chippy Nonstop, Karim Olen Ash playing while heavyweight Diplo takes the main stage. Then, on January 27, NYC’s queer-collective SKSKSKS takes over the same stage while Armin van Buuren headlines the main stage, with DJ Pacifier, Himera, founder of SKSKSKS THELIMITDOESNOTEXIST and Petal Supply.

The Toronto-based Petal Supply is excited by this year's overtly queer lineup, and says it's a sign that the underground electronic queer club scene that grew online during the pandemic is making its way to bigger mainstream festivals. The virtual environment at online parties like Club Quarantine created a welcoming scene for new talent, and once post-pandemic parties began to happen offline, Canada became a country to look out for in regards to queer nightlife.

That's happening in Montreal at Igloofest, but also internationally. “People booking for the U.S. are also starting to take note of more really amazing queer Canadian DJs,” says Petal Supply.

That happened for Petal Supply, who began producing music and DJing during the pandemic at online queer events. Since then, she's played in real life and major events like NYC’s Rash at Time Square, Boiler Room in Los Angeles and SKSKSKS parties.

This type of festival is a new dynamic for Petal Supply. She's excited to see how the crowd will react, including the fans there to see Armin van Buuren.

“When you’re DJing a club or ticketed event that is more curated, you know the crowd is going to like it because they're coming for you,” she says, and she's excited to show them something new. “I think [Himera and I] have a very unique sound that we’ve developed through the pandemic as young people.”

The festival is returning for its second post-pandemic festival, with tickets starting at $42.50. Tickets are available on the festivals site.