The new MRG Live-operated event will feature three music stages and a downtown street festival, taking place on June 20 and 21. The inaugural event will take place in the old home of the storied Sound of Music Festival, which was forced to cancel after 40 years due to financial hardships.
A new festival will take place at Burlington, Ontario’s waterfront. The Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival is coming to Spencer Smith Park on June 20 and 21.
In December, the city named MRG Live as the new operator for a two-day fest, which is set to replace the four-day Sound of Music Festival. The weekend event will feature three music stages, a downtown street festival, according to a five-page city staff report.
To accompany the report, the festival organizers drafted a one-page brief detailing their plans for the inaugural event, which will be presented to the city’s committee on Feb. 9.
advertisement
“The event is envisioned as a vibrant, multi-stage festival that brings together nationally recognized Canadian artists, emerging performers, local and Indigenous talent, and family-friendly programming, while generating meaningful cultural and economic benefits for Burlington’s downtown and waterfront,” the one-pager reads.
According to the brief, the heart of the festival will be the Spencer Smith Park main stage with a lineup of Canadian musicians from several music genres, with a “notable Canadian headliner” closing out each evening.
The concept includes an additional two stages: a community stage, focusing on family-friendly and youth-oriented programming, including music, dance and storytelling, along with the Brant Street stage, which will feature city-based musicians, emerging performers and Indigenous artists.
“Festival planning is centred on celebrating Canadian talent, strengthening community connections, supporting local businesses and positioning Burlington’s waterfront and downtown as dynamic and inclusive cultural destinations,” reads MRG Live’s submission. Performers are set to be announced in the coming months.
While the Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival will remain free to attend, there will be a paid VIP option to “further enhance the visitor experience.” The brief outlines that the planned VIP section will include “premium site lines, exclusive beverage offerings, lounge seating, merchandise and optional artist meet-and-greet experiences.”
advertisement
Despite being one of the largest free music events in Canada, the Sound of Music Festival faced significant financial problems in recent years and was reliant on government funding to maintain its over 40-year legacy.
Previous festival performers include Marianas Trench, Gord Downie, Tom Cochrane, Carly Rae Jepsen, Blue Rodeo, Kim Mitchell, Arkells, Collective Soul and Cowboy Junkies.
Back in October, the Burlington city council declined funding requests for the proposed 2026 edition of the four-day fest and instead will provide its $150,000 of base funding to a potential new waterfront music festival.
Dave Shepherd, the Sound of Music Festival board chair, told Inside Halton that the non-profit organization is talking to “a few other municipalities” about possibly holding its event elsewhere this summer, but nothing is set in stone.
“Our name is still a draw, and it doesn’t matter what city we are in,” he stated in a Feb. 2 email. “We are doing our best to try for an event this year, but it’s really getting late in the game. Obviously Burlington would have been ideal to continue to work with.”
As it operates as a for-profit entity, MRG Live would not qualify for the city funding, with the staff report stating the festival organizer is responsible for all event production costs. No budget was included in the report or the organizer’s festival concept.
