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Concerts
Osheaga Highlights 2026: Tate McRae, Angine de Poitrine, Zara Larsson, Gunna & More
It was a big year for Osheaga.
The Montreal festival had its second-highest attendance in its two-decade history while presenting a major Canadian-born headliner in Tate McRae on Saturday night, which was also the fastest sellout for an individual date. This year presented some major names even beyond the headliner slot, with buzzy bands like Turnstile and Geese alongside big pop names like Zara Larsson and Stella Lefty, legends like Clipse and a big surprise from Canada's hottest band.
Billboard Canada was there for all three days. Here were the highlights.
Tate McRae Proves She’s 'Canada Down'
Tate McRae is a certified A-lister. The Calgary-born hitmaker took the stage at Osheaga Saturday night (Aug. 1) to headline the second of its three nights, achieving a major career milestone by headlining a major music festival for the first time. In doing so, she reached a new apex for a young Canadian artist, becoming the first Canadian to headline what might be the country's highest-profile festival since Arcade Fire in 2022, and the second since The Weeknd in 2017, nearly a decade ago. (The scaled-back all-Canadian pandemic edition in 2021 also featured headliners like Charlotte Cardin.)
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Playing for a fully packed crowd on the main stage, the singer proved her status as an international star and a national treasure, delivering a 70-minute set filled with hit singles, athletic choreography and heavenly stage production and visuals, all while embracing her pride for her home country. “I am so f---ing excited to be back home," she later told the crowd during her first address. "Montreal, in my opinion, has always been one of the loudest crowds on tour. And y’all know I’m Canada down.” She giggled, referencing her infamous phrase that launched a viral meme earlier this year and launched her new era on Saturday night.
Read our full review here. — Stefano Rebuli
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Angine de Poitrine in Montreal at Osheaga 2026.Vincent St-Pierre for Billboard Canada.
Angine de Poitrine Beam In For a Surprise Set
Angine de Poitrine are not letting their momentum slow, continuing to deliver high-impact festival sets as they continue to be one of music's hottest bands. They were announced Saturday morning for their set at 5 pm that day, but many fans had already figured it out from their name appearing on Osheaga's official merch. Fans packed the stage for the two heroes from their home province, with many showing up in Angine de Poitrine shirts or black and white polka dot clothing. Undoubtedly, there were some uninitiated in the audience, especially since the day was already sold out before they were announced, but the Billboard Canada cover stars seemed to put them all into a trance. As visions of hot dogs and polka dots flashed behind them, the band led the full festival crowd to raise their hands into a triangle and move up and down in unison. They have an undeniable charisma that is taking them to bigger and bigger stages, but it's clear Quebec crowds just get them. — Richard Trapunsk
Lorde at Osheaga 2026 in Montreal.Lucas Domínguez for Billboard Canada.
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Lorde Recalls Her Long History with Canada and Osheaga
Returning to Osheaga almost ten years after headlining in 2017, Lorde brought the glitchy, bodily realm of her Virgin and Ultrasound Tour to life onstage with a stellar set bridging music, video and performance art. She gave an extensive speech in which she deemed Osheaga “one of the coolest festivals in the world” and recalled first playing the festival in 2014, praising Canada’s vivid nature for making her feel safe and reminding her of her native New Zealand.
Lorde became one with all elements of her body-focused performance, with the singer controlling bodymapped and scanned visuals behind her, as well as having lasers reflect off her own heavyweight jacket during “Man of the Year.” She performed atop her LED stage blocks as they were suspended in midair, as her dancers performed interpretive choreography from below. “Green Light” proved to be a cathartic anthem for the entire audience as they jumped along, while the more mellow “David” saw Lorde hand them a giant flag to pass around, which revealed the song’s phrase, “I don’t belong to anyone.” During the closing track “Ribs,” fans grabbed their friends and loved ones while chanting “you’re the only friend I need,” living a euphoric experience as rain washed over the site and the singer performed from within the crowd.
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“I have been so many different versions of myself, I’ve gone through so many phases,” Lorde shared, and her headlining set was a celebration of every one, dedicated especially to those who have been along for the ride since 2013. — S.R.
Twenty One Pilots Hand the Mic to a Security Guard
Twenty One Pilots were the headliner of the first night and the only rock headliners of the festival, so they brought some chaos with stunts and surprises all night long. Lead singer Tyler Joseph briefly disappeared into the crowd before emerging above a bar kiosk to kick off “Ride” from the roof. After running around the perimeter of any barricade he could find, he and drummer Josh Dun invited a security guard on stage and handed him the mic to give an enthusiastic rendition of the song’s chorus in front of a packed-out crowd. Joseph collected gifts from fans in the crowd, while Dun climbed atop a ladder to drum from almost 50 feet in the air.
Alongside their own classics like the nostalgic “Stressed Out,” which has become its own symbol of the “good old days” ten years after its release, the duo also incorporated several famous hits into bridges and interludes of their own material, such as Milky Chance’s “Stolen Dance,” Cher’s “Believe” and a full cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” From the front of the crowd to the Osheaga sign at the back, Twenty One Pilots fans had no shortage of memorable hooks to sing throughout the night. — S.R.
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Geese at Osheaga 2026.Lucas Domínguez for Billboard Canada.
Geese Pay Tribute to Angine de Poitrine and Leonard Cohen
Geese closed out the first night on the second stage, and their hype and set time seemed to volley them for a pseudo-headlining set like Doechii's star-making performance last year. Instead, it wasn't quite as packed as expected on Friday, which was the festival's only non-sold-out day. They didn't seem to plan for the big spotlight, either, with frontman Cameron Winter admitting midway through the set that they thought they had only five minutes left but actually had 20. The Brooklyn band blends classic rock, punk, indie and grunge into a taste that many have acquired, and they showed it off here. They have a tendency to reference other bands on the bill at festivals they play, like Justin Bieber at Coachella, and they saved a few doozies for Montreal. They led a singalong to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," before launching back into their own song "2122." While tuning and warming up for another song, Winter said "this is a song called Angine de Poitrine," before noodling a riff in the style of the microtonal math-rock breakouts that would play the next day. — R.T.
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sombr at Osheaga 2026.Lucas Domínguez for Billboard Canada.
Sombr Rolls Up In a Vintage Convertible
The Hollywood vibes were present when Sombr rolled up to his Osheaga set backstage in a vintage convertible, smiling to the camera and doing push-ups while simultaneously sipping from his drink. The sound of his bandmates’ guitars and drums rippled throughout the crowd as he cycled through his alternative rock hits, swung the mic around, drank from a bottle and danced as his tie continued to loosen. He also shared a message of body positivity and several "I love you"s to the crowd, sharing a more sincere side of himself. The breakthrough star capped off his set by writing “Sombr <3 Montreal” on a flag and running throughout the crowd during his viral single “Back to Friends,” before launching into his hit “12 to 12,” which he played twice back-to-back without a pause. — S.R.
Zara Larsson Invites a 10-Year-Old to Do the “Lush Life” Dance
Zara Larsson brought a brief stop to Sunday's pouring rain with her vibrant set on the main stage, temporarily transporting the audience into a tropical, colourful, Cali-style landscape. She brought more than a decade of hits to the table, pairing tracks like “Midnight Sun” and “Stateside” with incredible showmanship, soaring vocals and elaborate choreography, without missing a step. Her set culminated in the highly-anticipated “Lush Life,” during which she chose a 10-year-old fan named Olivia, rocking a tie-dye Zara Larsson shirt, to join her for the track’s signature dance. She was starstruck and overwhelmed until the music hit, then she ate up the choreography, igniting the crowd. The wholesome moment spoke to Larsson’s longevity as an artist. She first broke through ten years ago, but her hits are now resonating with a whole new generation of fans and delivering her biggest Billboard chart success. “‘Lush Life’ is older than you!” she told the young fan while gifting her with a t-shirt and a core memory. — S.R.
Stella Lefty at Osheaga 2026.Lucas Domínguez for Billboard Canada.
Stella Lefty Revels in Her Hit "Boston" and Covers Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”
Stella Lefty is flying up the charts, and concertgoers were present to catch the rising star in the early afternoon for her first-ever performance in Montreal. Two days after performing at the first Chartbreaker edition of Billboard Canada LIVE in Toronto, where she was presented with a plaque for her first top 5 hit with "Boston," Lefty charmed the audience with her warm, country-tinged and singer-songwriter tunes. Despite her major chart success, Stella Lefty had an early afternoon slot on Saturday — a common occurrence at Osheaga, which often books artists right before they break. She still only has a small catalogue, but she teased that she has an album on the way soon, and treated the warm crowd to new songs “The Summer You Were Mine” and “Lean and Kiss Me,” two catchy love songs that showed her knack for earworm choruses. “Love is a common theme in a lot of my songs, because who doesn’t like being in love?” she said. She also turned the festival grounds into a karaoke session by covering Natasha Bedingfield’s classic tune “Unwritten.” She ended the set with the song that changed her life, singing “Boston” while the packed early crowd sang along in unison. — S.R.
Gunna at Osheaga 2026.Vincent St-Pierre for Billboard Canada.
Gunna Packs a Full Concert's Worth of Hits Into One Hour
Seven years after his first Osheaga appearance, Gunna returned to Osheaga for a tightly paced Sunday-night performance, occupying the penultimate main stage slot before Lorde closed the festival. The Atlanta rapper packed 27 tracks into his hour, moving from newer cuts such as “just say dat,” “him all along,” “one of wun,” “on one tonight” and “wgft” to established crowd favourites including “Drip or Drown,” “Hot,” “Drip Too Hard,” “pushin P” and “fukumean.” The format favoured momentum over elaborate transitions, with songs arriving in rapid succession and Gunna’s relaxed melodic delivery providing a steady contrast to the heavy production. Rain fell throughout parts of the performance, but the crowd remained engaged, with footage shared afterward capturing particularly enthusiastic responses to “one of wun” and “fukumean.” Rather than radically reworking his catalogue for the festival stage, Gunna presented it as a streamlined run of familiar flows and instantly recognizable hooks — a polished, efficient set that demonstrated how comfortably his music carries across a field of thousands. — Yasmine Seck
Turnstile Ignite a Mosh Pit For All Ages
Turnstile have become one of hardcore's biggest bands, extending well beyond the genre's usual fans and up onto the charts. As expected, their set on the second stage ignited one of the weekend's biggest mosh pits, moving the crowd as much as any act in the dance tent. The Baltimore band has caught fire not just because of their weaved-in pop hooks, but because of their welcoming inclusivity. They showed that at Osheaga onscreen as the camera crew moved throughout the audience and put the spotlight on the community getting into the spirit — not just mosh pit agitators, but young children singing along, older fans vibing in sunglasses and everyone in between. It was as much about the audience as it was about the band onstage, and you could feel their undeniable connection. — R.T.
Clipse Go Hard in the Rain
Clipse are certified legends, and they showed why on Sunday. Pusha T and his brother Malice (now known as No Malice) reunited last year for the standout album Let God Sort Em Out, their first together since the 2000s, and it captured an energy many younger rap acts still can't match. That carried over to the Osheaga stage as they went hard for their whole set, each rapping dense but engaging verses without slowing down and without a backing track. The rain started coming down hard, but that didn't stop them either. "A little rain ain't stopping sh--," they said. The band ripped through new songs and older classics, like the Pharrell/Neptunes banger "Grindin'." The only vibe shift came when they played their touching song "The Birds Don't Sing," which pays tribute to their late parents. — R.T.
JID Brings Punk Energy to Hip-Hop
JID played his first-ever Osheaga, wowing the crowd with his usual knack for laser-sharp lyricism and relentless flows. From the moment the bass rattled through the speakers with his God Does Like Ugly opener “YouUgly,” the crowd watched in awe as the rapper weaved his way through beats fast and slow, enunciating every lyric without missing a beat. He dialled up the anger on “Community” for its bold first verse, with the crowd shouting back his “I’ll put a bullet in Bob the Builder” line, and they gave an ovation following his masterful “Off Da Zoinkys” verse a cappella. JID then turned up the heat with a slew of energetic tracks like “151 Rum,” inciting mosh pits across the crowd and further proving his ability to both ignite an audience and have them appreciate the artistry of hip-hop. — S.R.
Oklou Wows the Crowd in French
Oklou delivered one of the most captivating performances of Osheaga 2026, creating an atmosphere that felt both intimate and dreamlike through crystalline synths, airy vocals and emotionally charged electronic pop. Moving between songs from across her catalogue, the French artist performed favourites including “god’s chariots,” “fall” and “choke enough,” alongside “Girl Like Me,” her collaboration with PinkPantheress, and “viscus,” featuring FKA twigs. The staging extended her visual world effectively, drawing on early-2000s pop imagery, blue-toned lighting and lo-fi wide-angle footage that followed her from unconventional angles. Midway through the set, after initially addressing the audience in English, Oklou switched to French, prompting an enthusiastic response from the Montreal crowd. She admitted, somewhat shyly, that she had not known which language to use first, an exchange that strengthened her connection with the audience. One of the set’s most emotional moments came when she paid tribute to a member of her band who was preparing to leave the group. She also acknowledged Mexican and Palestinian flags in the crowd, with both shout-outs met by loud cheers. Without relying on oversized production elements, Oklou stood out through the coherence of her visual universe, the delicacy of her performance and the sincerity of her stage presence. — Y.S.
The xx at Osheaga 2026.Lucas Domínguez for Billboard Canada.
The xx Bring New Shades to Their Music
The xx reunited in 2026 for their first live shows in eight years and played a prominent set at Coachella. In their initial run, the British trio were known for their moody and minimalist sound, which was on display for the beginning of their set on Friday as they played many of the songs from their classic late-2000s/early-2010s era. They were dressed in all black, reflecting that early identity. But they've grown in their own directions since then, expanding beyond their initial palette, and that became evident as the English trio joined together for songs that initially came from their own projects. Jamie xx's "Higher Places" was a major highlight, a song that bridges his adventurous production work with vocals from his bandmate Romy. Later, Canadian legend Beverly Glenn-Copeland's voice rang out as a sample on Romy's song "Enjoy Your Life," which brought the energy from dark and moody to bright, vibrant and cathartic as the crowd turned into a dance floor. Their charisma was on display, even as the sounds veered into new directions. At the end of the set, the three members put down their instruments and hugged, eliciting an "aww" from the audience, then moved to the front of the stage arm in arm. It was an emotional, feel-good moment. — R.T.
Blood Orange at Osheaga 2026.Lucas Domínguez for Billboard Canada.
Blood Orange's Rainbow Moment Abruptly Interrupted
Added to Friday’s lineup at the last minute following Kehlani’s withdrawal, Blood Orange delivered an Osheaga set that felt both intimate and assured. Joined by Eva Tolkin and Ian Isiah on vocals, alongside Tariq Saleem Al-Sabir and Dillon Treacy, Dev Hynes drew from several eras of his catalogue with “Saint,” “Charcoal Baby,” “Bad Girls,” “Somewhere in Between,” “Countryside” and “Champagne Coast.” The rain blended naturally with the hazy contours of his alternative soul, while a four-camera setup shifted between close-ups of Hynes and his musicians, giving the vocalists a central role rather than keeping them in the background. Moving between guitar, synthesizers and electric cello, Hynes led the performance with the restraint of a producer more interested in the balance of the ensemble than in individual showmanship. A rainbow even appeared during “Champagne Coast,” before the song was cut off midway through as the set reached its scheduled end, an abrupt conclusion to a performance that had managed to turn the bad weather into part of its staging. — Y.S.
Wet Leg and Wolf Parade Play Their Heated Rivalry Hits
Wet Leg and Wolf Parade are both indie rock bands with Osheaga history. They've both found bigger audiences in recent years in different ways, but with one common denominator: song placements on the smash Canadian show Heated Rivalry. Both bands ended with those songs, which elicited a big reaction from the Montreal crowd. For Wet Leg, their rise has also been spurred by major opening gigs for Harry Styles and the blossoming of Rhian Teasdale into a can't-take-your-eyes-off-her charismatic frontwoman. But it was a big moment when they broke out "Mangetout" on that stage. For Wolf Parade, a band that started in Montreal, their history goes back even further. They played the first edition of Osheaga in 2006, came back in 2016, and then again this year. Now, they have a younger audience who's discovered them through Heated Rivalry and the pitch-perfect placement of their 2005 song "I'll Believe In Anything" soundtracking a pivotal kiss scene on the show. The audience was still filling out when they played an early slot on Saturday afternoon, but by the time they started the instantly recognizable synth line, you could feel the audience's attention snapping to the stage. — R.T.
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