Classic rock, folk, jazz, blues, hip-hop, rap, electronic, indie, and everything in between – find your live music tribe in Ontario. Make epic live music fests north of the border your summer squad’s goal.
IN TORONTO
Non-stop, round the clock revelry in ‘Canada’s downtown’.
Canadian Music Week, May 6-12: Canada’s leading new music event, 7 nights, over 30 venues, hundreds of bands.
OVO Fest, June 1: performances by Drake and some of his closest friends at Ontario Place’s Budweiser Stage.
NXNE, June 7-16: Canada’s answer to SXSW comes roaring back with Club Land, Game Land & Festival Village.
Bud Light Dreams Festival, June 29-30: 19+ 2 days, 3 stage, outdoor electronic music festival on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Toronto Caribbean Carnival, July 7-Aug 11: a month long, not-to-miss explosion of Caribbean music, food, culture and spectacle.
VELD Music Festival, Aug 3-4: 2 days of internationally acclaimed EDM & hip-hop spinning on the massive stage at Downsview Park.
Where to Stay: from luxe like the Four Seasons Toronto, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto or Shangri-La Hotel to boutique-chic Thompson Toronto, The Drake or The Broadview Hotel, Toronto has a wide variety of great places to stay.
NEAR TORONTO
The sound of summer beats from downtown to small town and countryside.
Mariposa Folk Festival, Orillia, July 5-7: the ‘grand dame’ of Canadian folk festivals – with Jason Isbell and First Aid Kit headlining, also features great food and an Artisans’ Village
Rock The Park, Harris Park, London, July 10-12: three days, three different genres – country, metal, and a Flashback Friday lineup that features Snoop Dogg, Shaggy and Tone Loc.
Roxodus Music Fest, Edenvale Airport grounds, Stayner, July 11-13: legends like Billy Idol, Blondie, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice Cooper and Cheap Trick rock out just north of Toronto.
Big Sky Music Festival, Burl’s Creek, Oro-Medonte, July 20: kick back to country classics with legends Alabama, Diamond Rio and Travis Tritt.
Boots & Hearts, Burl’s Creek, Oro-Medonte, Aug 8-11: one of Canada’s largest annual country camping music mash-up featuring Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Cole Swindell.
Havelock Country Jamboree, Havelock, Aug 15-18: 30th annual music and camping festival continues to celebrate its down-home roots while kicking it up a notch with Canadian classic rockers April Wine and Randy Bachman.
RiverFest, Bissell Park, Elora, Aug 16-18: 10th annual who’s who of the Canadian music scene in an idyllic riverside town.
Supercrawl, James Street North, Hamilton, Sept 13-15: arts, food, fashion and indie music take over downtown with Wintersleep headlining this year.
IN OTTAWA
Canada’s capital kicks the celebration of summer into overdrive.
WESTFEST, June 7-9: annual FREE three-day music and art festival with over 100 Canadian artists.
TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, June 21-July 1: is there anything smoother than jazz? With Nora Jones and The Roots headlining this festival, we think not. Psst: check out the free stuff on Canada Day, July 1.
Bud Light Escapade Music Festival, June 22-23: celebrating 10 years of electronic music with DJ SNAKE, MAR+IN GARRIX and more in Canada’s capital.
RBC Bluesfest, July 4-14: nothing to be blue about here. There’s a sound for everyone at the 25 year anniversary’s epic mixed bag lineup that includes Snoop Dogg, The Killers, Logic, Wu-Tang Clan, Pussy Riot, Backstreet Boys and First Aid Kit.
Stay: just steps from the action, enjoy luxury and style at Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market, ARC THE.HOTEL, The Metcalfe Hotel and Alt Hotel Ottawa, or go for the ultimate heritage boutique digs at the Fairmount Château Laurier. Book your Ottawa accommodation.
That’s just scratching the surface of Ontario’s summer live music lineup. Keep up on all the festivals goings-on at ontariolivemusic.ca. And when you’ve decided where and when, head to ontariotravel.net for ideas on where to stay, where to eat and drink, and everything else there is to see and do in Ontario.