Rise Against Join Avril Lavigne As  2025 All Your Friends Fest Headliners: Canadian Music Festival News

Festival announcements are starting to tumble in, to keep music fans going through the slow winter months.

Ontario's All Your Friends Fest added Chicago punk stars Rise Against as headliners this week, joining previously announced headliner Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan. Rise Against will close out the Saturday night of the pop-punk festival, which pairs legacy acts with up and coming artists in the genre.

Australian sister duo The Veronicas, Floridian rock group Underoath, and emerging singer Taylor Acorn have also been added to the lineup for the festival's second edition.

The Republic Live-booked festival saw a sold-out inaugural year in 2024 at its Burl's Creek grounds, tapping into a pop-punk revival and a strong appetite for nostalgia. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, State Champs, Faber Drive, Relient K will all play this year, too, with more acts to come. Canadian acts include IllScarlett, the often-reuniting Moneen and more.

All Your Friends Fest takes place June 28 and 29. Tickets are on sale now.

For music lovers looking for some sand this summer, P.E.I.'s Cavendish Beach Music Festival has also revealed its mainstage lineup. Shania Twain, Tyler Hubbard and Lainey Wilson are set to headline, bringing country boots to the beach. Supporting acts include this year's leading Juno nominee Josh Ross, 2024 chart breakthrough Bayker Blankenship, and southern Indiana songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr.

Billed as Atlantic Canada's largest multi-day festival, Cavendish takes place July 10-12. Tickets are on sale now.

And for the grassroots and experimental heads, as reported in today's Billboard Canada FYI Music News Digest, Calgary's Sled Island has announced a wonderfully left-field lineup for 2024. Japanese punk group Otoboke Beaver are this year's guest curator for the alternative festival, selecting California garage group The Mummies and Tawainese indie punks BB Bomb for the lineup, among others. Also appearing are R&B star Yaya Bey, Montreal sophisti-pop icons TOPS, slowcore trio Horse Jumper of Love, and ambient harpist Mary Lattimore.

Sled Island runs June 18-22. Passes are on sale now.