The lineup is filling it out for the first-ever Boots and Hearts West.
Today (Feb. 10), Republic Live — the producers of Boots and Hearts Music Festival — revealed six acts who will take the stage at the two-day country fest’s inaugural edition in Edmonton, which runs from Aug. 28- 29, 2026, in Fan Park @ ICE District.
On Friday, Gold-certified selling artist and emerging singer Max McNown, known for his current Billboard Canada Country Airplay chart hit “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)" and earlier Canadian Hot 100 hit "A Lot More Free," has been added to the lineup, along with three exciting Canadian country voices — Juno Award-nominated artist and RLive signee Tyler Joe Miller, Alberta rising star Kalsey Kulyk and singer-songwriter Dawson Gray.
The following day, Grammy-nominated neotraditional country trio Midland hits the stage, along with a string of Canadian artists, including duo Thelma & James — comprised of singers MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge — and B.C-born singers Zach McPhee and Brock Phillips. Additional artists will be added to the lineup at a later date.
They join Russell Dickerson and Shaboozey, who were announced last year as the festival’s first headliners.
While Dickerson is set to play Boots and Hearts' Ontario edition earlier in August, his Edmonton headlining slot comes hot on the heels of his hit “Happen To Me,” spending five weeks at No. 1 on the Canada Country chart. After performing at some big music festivals and the Grammys last year, Shaboozey is building on his Canadian momentum, following the record-breaking success of "A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which spent the most-ever weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.
“Seeing Boots and Hearts West continue to take shape with our partners at OEG is incredibly exciting,” shares Eva Dunford, co-founder of Republic Live. “This lineup builds on the energy we’re bringing to Edmonton and reflects our commitment to a thoughtfully curated festival experience.”
The Western Canada expansion of Boots and Hearts marks a milestone for festival organizers as they embark on their first major festival outside of Ontario. As the brand reaches music fans across the country, they'll continue to expand their roster of emerging talent.
In addition to bringing in global talent, the festival is known for boosting homegrown country artists, including the now-charting Owen Riegling and 2024’s Boots and Hearts Emerging Artists showcase winner, Sarah Vanderzon.
"As we grow geographically and continue investing in artist development, our goal remains the same: to create more opportunities for rising talent to step onto big stages and to welcome fans across the country into the Boots family,” the Billboard Canada Power Player 2025 honouree told Billboard Canada during last year’s headliner announcement.
A few weeks before Boots and Hearts West, the original iteration of the festival will take place in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, from Aug. 7-9. The Chicks and Rascal Flatts are set to headline, with an additional headliner being announced soon.
Tickets are available for sale at www.bootsandhearts.com/west.
