Looking for the best music festivals in Canada? Well, look no further, because I’ve put together what I think is the ultimate Canadian Music Festival Bucket list! From epic weekend-camping adventures, mega raves, and city-wide events, Canada is home to some truly spectacular events throughout the year that’ll keep all music fans entertained!
For international travelers, Canada is a must-visit destination famous for its unbeatable scenery, super friendly locals, delicious cuisine, and incredible cities – so planning a trip to Canada to attend one of these music festivals would be a fantastic decision! I actually just moved up to Seattle, and plan on making tons of trips up there in 2020 to check out a few of these special events!
So without further ado…
Take a look at what I believe to be are the Top 20 Music Festivals in Canada!!
Also, if you’re planning on hitting up a camping festival this summer, make sure you check out The Ultimate Packing Guide To Camping Music Festivals and make sure you’re well prepared .
1) Shambhala Music Festival
Credit: Don Idio Visuals
When: July 24-27, 2020
Where: Salmo River Ranch, British Columbia
“This is Canada’s premiere Electronic Music Festival! Cutting edge Talent, Lights and Sound come together in Paradise to give life to a non-sponsored family run anomaly. Seeing it for yourself is the only way to understand exactly what is Shambhala.”
This has been at the top of my festival bucket list for years, and I’m thinking that 2020 is finally the year I make it to this infamous Canadian festival. Everyone I know who has been (and attend every year) say it’s truly spectacular, and is definitely one of their favorite times of the year. Complete with incredible camping, unbeatable Shambhala Fam vibes, massive stages, and insanely stacked line-ups – Shambhala is guaranteed to be a highlight of your summer!
Voted Best Festival in North America 2019 by the readers of DJ Mag
Join the Shambhala Music Festival Family Group | Shambhala 2020 Facebook Event
Fun Fact: During the festival, Shambhala Music Festival becomes the largest city in the West Kootenay.
Watch this jaw-dropping Shambhala 2019 after-movie below, and start planning your trip now!
2) Veld Music Festival
When: August 2020 (Dates TBA)
Where: Downsview Park, Toronto, Ontario
https://veldmusicfestival.com/
This two-day festival brings an impressively stacked line-up that would please just about any fan of electronic music. Tiesto, Major Lazer, and W&W will be bumping some heavy hitting EDM. Claptone, Mark Knight, Nicole Moudaber, and Sasha & John Digweed will be delivering the sweet sounds of the underground.
3) Snowbombing Canada
When: April 5-7, 2019
Where: Sun Peaks, British Columbia
https://snowbombingcanada.com/
“Coors Light Snowbombing is a festival filled with fresh air, blue skies, black runs and white-hot parties. An exhilarating week-long whirlwind of brilliant bands and world class DJs in the unrivalled setting of Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada.
Canada’s Greatest Music Festival On Snow…”
4) CONTACT WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL
When: December 27, 2019
Where: BC Place, Vancouver
Genre: EDM / Electronic / House / Dance
“Contact Winter Music Festival is a dance music festival held each year in the Canadian city of Vancouver. The largest indoor party of its kind in Western Canada, Contact plays host to a number of the scene’s biggest names as the year approaches its final days.
From big room house and EDM to trance, trap and rap, the lineup features established international DJs, rising stars and promising local talent, all tasked with filling the vast space of the BC Place stadium with their own take on dance music’s diverse sound.”
Join the Contact Music Festival 2019 Facebook Event
5) Dreams Festival
When: June 2020 (Dates TBA)
Where: Echo Beach, Toronto, Ontario
“Dreams Music Festival is a 19+ boutique festival experience for a discerning electronic music fan, taking place at Echo Beach in downtown Toronto, on the shores of Lake Ontario. A new luxury festival with a familiar feel, Dreams is a two day, three stage, outdoor, sensorial celebration of Toronto’s music and arts community.”
6) Osheaga Music & Art Festival
When: July 31-August 2, 2020
Where: Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal
“Osheaga is a unique and eclectic music and arts festival staged in the breathtaking landscape of Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau.” Spread out over 3-days with a massive line-up, this is a festival that will please just about everyone!
Since 2006, the OSHEAGA Music and Arts festival presented by Bell Alt TV, in collaboration with Coors Light has established itself as the most important festivals in Canada. With its numerous outdoor stages located at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Montreal’s Saint Helen’s Island, OSHEAGA attracts 135 000 music lovers from around the world. A huge celebration dedicated to music and visual arts, OSHEAGA has given itself the objective of championing the discovery of local and national emerging talent offering them the opportunity to play alongside some of the biggest international artists in the business including: Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Mumford and Sons, The Black Keys, Krendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Muse, Travis Scott, Artic Monkeys The Lumineers, The Chemical Brothers and Childish Gambino. Over the course of several days, over 100 bands will take to the various stages at Parc Jean-Drapeau and across the city in the festive ambiance that only a Montreal summer can provide. OSHEAGA also holds a series of concerts and exhibitions in several locations around the city during the week leading up to the main event.
Join the Osheaga Festival 2020 Facebook Event
7 ) North by Northeast (NXNE) Festival
When: June 12-21, 2020
Where: Toronto, Ontario
“NXNE is a raging annual 10-day summer festival and conference, featuring music, gaming, comedy, interactive and more at this packed cultural explosion. The U.K. Guardian says “NXNE has crowned itself Toronto’s leading music event.” NXNE celebrates its 26th year in 2020 and takes over Toronto with showcases, panels, parties, installations, and more. NXNE includes a major three-day music festival that also features comedy, food, art installations and midway rides and games at NXNE’s Port Lands festival site. NXNE Game Land will present Canada’s largest-ever, free outdoor e-Sports competition at Yonge Dundas Square. We take over Toronto’s best live music clubs to present our must-see Club Land series of emerging music with extended last calls at your favourite sweaty club/bar/pop up venue.
NXNE takes place across the city of Toronto, one of the greatest cities in the world. The epicentre of the festival is Yonge Dundas Square in the heart of the city, some call it the 6’s Times Square. We shut down two blocks of Canada’s longest street. We also program in Toronto’s top live music venues as well as non-traditonal music spaces. NXNE has featured bands: at the airport, in parks, on streetcars, a ferry boat and much more.”
8) Quebec City Summer Festival
Image via FEQ
When: July 9-19, 2020
Where: Toronto, Quebec
Every year, the Festival d’été de Québec attracts over one million festival-goers to Québec City’s historical district for concerts by international superstars and top new talent. Colourful street performers also bring their special magic to the Festival, not to mention the great program of shows and activities for the whole family.
“300 shows, 10 venues and 11 days of music make the Festival d’été de Québec one of Canada’s biggest music festivals. In 2016: Sting and Peter Gabriel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Brad Paisley, Duran Duran, The Lumineers, Ice Cube, Selena Gomez, Flo Rida, Half Moon Run, Hedley and Rammstein.”
9) Astral Harvest
When: July 2020 (Dates TBA)
Where: North Country Fair festival grounds, Lesser Slave Lake North
Home is not a place. It’s a feeling.
“Astral Harvest is a celebration of music, art, knowledge, community and the human experience. Enjoy the sounds of talented musicians and producers from all over the world showcased on enticing stages that are sure to provide the ultimate visual and auditory experience. Daytime, Night-time, Chill, and Acoustic; There is a little something for everyone.
Explore untapped elements of your intellectual, intuitive, and creative mind. Join skilled facilitators from our community as they share their knowledge on a variety of topics and artistic mediums. Seek an inner truth or learn a new art form. Whatever it may be, walk away feeling inspired.
Get your body moving, explore a new skill, or sharpen up a familiar one. The variety of workshops are sure to stimulate some curiosity within, so embrace the intrigue and challenge yourself. The diversity of workshops include yoga, dance, flow arts, and many more. People of all levels of experience are welcome, especially beginners!”
10) Motion Notion Festival
When: 2020 Dates TBA
Where: Beaverfoot Lodge, British Columbia
“Motion Notion lives in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and in the heart of Canadian underground electronic-music culture. We invite you to the spectacular Beaverfoot Lodge near Golden BC to experience the bliss we and the attendees have created over the past 18 years! The festival has always been something off the beaten path and a thing of discovery and amazement for all”
11) Pop Montreal
Credit: Pop Montreal/ Louis Long
When: September 23-27, 2020
Where: Montreal, Quebec
“POP Montreal International Music Festival is a non-profit community organization that supports independent art forms, showcasing emerging and celebrated artistic talents worldwide. Now entering its 19th year, POP Montreal’s main event is a five-day long festival of music and art, which takes place in early fall, presenting more than 450 bands.
12) Chasing Summer
When: August 3-4, 2019
Where: Calgary, Alberta
13) Meme Festival
When: August
Where: Winnipeg, Canada
“The Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition (MEME) is the only annual event in Western Canada that highlights local and international electronic musicians at such a high profile and free public venue (The Cube). MEME is a festival that presents refined cutting edge electronic music performed using the latest in new creative technologies. MEME is a combination of 21st century artistic exploration and a collective celebration of human creativity expressed through a symbiotic relationship with technology. MEME is an experience that delivers a wide array of eclectic sonic soundscapes that are intellectually stimulating and also beckoning to the dancefloor. Some of the musical styles you can expect to hear at MEME include a broad spectrum of house, techno, deep dub, psychedelic, world, nu-jazz, ambient and experimental sounds.”
14) Mutek Montreal
When: August 2020
Where: Montreal, Quebec
“A beacon signaling the beginning of the summer festival, MUTEK returns to the heart of the Quartier des spectacles and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal (MAC) for 5 days and nights of carefully curated performances. Emphasizing live and original expressions of contemporary electronic music and audiovisual arts, the festivities run at a breakneck pace at various indoor and outdoor downtown locations.”
Organizing festivals across Mexico, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Dubai, San Francisco, and Tokyo – it’s safe to say that MUTEK is making a massive global splash in the international festival scene!
15) Center of Gravity
When: NO 2019 Edition. Returning in 2020 (Dates TBA)
Where: Kelowna, British Columbia
“Canada’s Hottest Beach Festival is back! Now in it’s 10th year, the much anticipated Monster Energy Center of Gravity returns to Kelowna’s City Park July 28 – 30, 2017. Produced by Wet Ape Productions and Live Nation Canada, the biggest, adrenaline-pumping festival to hit the Okanagan includes three days packed with extreme sports, sandy beaches, bikinis, and some of the biggest DJ names in the world.”
16) Escapade Music Festival
When: June 2020
Where: Ottawa, Canada
“Dedicated to the development of the electronic music scene, the event to be held in the nation’s capital will be presented on 4 distinct stages: the main stage, the bass stage, the trance stage, and the Dreambox stage, which will be devoted to local and emerging artists.
17) Evolve Festival
When: July 2020 (Dates TBA)
Where: Moncton, New Brunswick
Voted “Best Festival in Canada” 2010 by listeners of CBC Radio 3 Searchlight all over Canada!
“The Evolve Music and Awareness Festival is an annual 3-day summer celebration of music, culture, and social awareness. From its start in 2000 as a grassroots music and awareness festival featuring local bands, the festival has grown to showcase world-class performers from around the globe.
Evolve also plays host to workshops that inform spectators about social issues such as personal wellbeing and environmental awareness.”
18) Field Trip
When: No 2019 Date. Returning in 2020 (June Dates TBA)
Where: Fort York & Garrison Common, Toronto, Ontario
“Since its launch in 2013, we have proudly grown Field Trip Music & Arts Festival into a multi-disciplinary, cross-generational event unlike any other. Thanks to the timeless performances of each artist, our partners, supporters, and most of all, our fans, Field Trip has become the distinctive start of summertime in Downtown Toronto, and our favourite weekend of the year.
“Field Trip is about so much more than just great, world-class music. Food, art, comedy, family, fashion and a spirit of discovery are among our many inspirations and each year’s Field Trip is dedicated to collaborative explorations of these themes.”
19) Bass Coast Festival
When: Merritt, British Columbia
Where: July 10-13, 2020
MUSIC. ART. NATURE
“Bass Coast Festival is an independent international exhibition of electronic music and art. Founded in 2009 by Andrea Graham and Liz Thomson, the artist owned and operated event is a distinguished platform for Canadian artists and a destination for innovative international talent.
The natural beauty of British Columbia is a quintessential element of the Bass Coast experience. Our festival site, located outside the city of Merritt, in the picturesque Nicola Valley, invites attendees to be present with nature. Bass Coast prides itself in being an inclusive gathering that brings together people from diverse backgrounds and inspires them to participate to the fullest.”
““A DIY endeavour founded and run by women with no sponsors or corporate presence whatsoever, it’s a unique fixture in a region already known for its plethora of festivals…” –Resident Advisor
Join the Bass Coast 2020 Facebook Event
20) Canadian Music Week
When: May 19-23, 2020
Where: Toronto, Ontario
“Now in its 38th year, Canadian Music Week (CMW) is recognized as one of the premier music conferences and festivals in Canada. Known for its world class and expert keynote speakers, CMW has established itself as one of the largest and single longest running entertainment and networking events, attracting delegates from around the world. With seminars, keynotes/celebrity interviews, international match-making, mentoring sessions, networking & Canada’s largest new music festival – 1000+ artists, 40+ countries, 60 venues and 9 days – it is the official meeting ground for those leading and shaping our industries. For artists, it is a chance to learn and network with pros from all sectors of the industry who are at your disposal with the tools and knowledge to build your career in music.”
Am I Missing Any Epic Music Festivals in Canada?
There really are an incredible amount of festivals up in Canada, so i’m sure I missed some good ones! If you think I need to add any specific Canadian music festivals or city-wide event, please do let me know! I’d love to keep this list as up-to-date as possible :-) .
Credit: Don Idio Visuals
Looking for more music festivals around the world?
My travel blog is filled with articles jus like this discussing the best international events, global parties, and epic music festivals. Check out a few of my favorite posts below, and feel free to reach out with any suggestions/ questions!
- The 50 Best Music Festivals in the U.S.A | US Festival Bucket List
- 30 Music Festivals in Europe to Experience Before You Die
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- The 25 Best Music Festivals in Asia
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- Top 25 Music Festivals in Florida To Experience Before You Die
- The 25 BEST MUSIC FESTIVALS IN TEXAS
- Top 21 Music Festivals in Las Vegas to Experience Before You Die
- Top 25 Music Festivals in Arizona To Add to your Bucket List
I’m not quite sure where my summer travels will take me this year, but I’m always on the hunt for my next music festival. If you’re new to this site, check out my Facebook & Instagram to follow along on my international adventures.
Thanks for reading about the best Canada Music Festivals
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Ottawa Bluesfest, the biggest festival of the Canadian lot. Everyone’s invited!!