If you’re craving a music fix this summer there are plenty of places you can get it across the country. From Toronto to Montreal to Calgary there are unique music festivals going on to get you moving and grooving this season.
Montreal Jazz Festival
From June 26 to July 6, visitors to Montreal can enjoy what is ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival. Fifteen concert halls and eight outdoor stages will host as many as 3,000 musicians. A few big names on this year’s bill include Cassandra Williams, Rufus Wainwright, and Elvis Costello.
Toronto Urban Roots Festival
Music fans get a three-day dose of great music in Toronto from July 4-6 at the Toronto Urban Roots Festival (TURF). The festival takes place at Fork York Garrison Common, a historic site in downtown Toronto. Ticket prices vary, but expect a great lineup that includes Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeff Tweedy, Violent Femmes, and Beirut.
Vancouver Island MusicFest
Comox Valley, British Columbia will be home to the Vancouver Island MusicFest from July 11-13. There will be several stages, each with its own flavour of music, and on-site camping is available. Expect a laid-back, summer-ready vibe, friendly people and great music, including Bonnie Raitt and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Osheaga
Another reason to visit Montreal this summer is the popular Osheaga Festival happening Aug. 1-3 in Jean Drapeau Park. This year’s lineup is stacked with some very heavy musical hitters including Outkast, Lorde, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
Pemberton Music Festival
This music festival in Pemberton, British Columbia, happening July 16-20, boasts a lot of big names in music including Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, The Flaming Lips, Snoop Dog, Modest Mouse and Metric with more to be announced. Camping is available, or book a hotel nearby.
Blueberry Bluegrass & Country Music Society Festival
Get your country music fix in Stoney Plain, Alberta at one of Western Canada’s largest festivals from Aug. 1-3. Expect some of the biggest names in bluegrass on the bill like Suzy Bogguss, Rambling Rooks and Jimmy Whiffen.
RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest
Started in 1994, Ottawa’s Bluesfest is still going strong and attracting more visitors each year. More than 300,000 people paid a visit last year, with good reason. The music is top-notch and this year you can expect to see Blake Shelton, Tegan and Sara, Lady Gaga, Darius Rucker, and Queens of the Stone Age among many more from July 3-13.
Winnipeg Folk Festival
If you like folk music, get yourself to Winnipeg from July 9-13 for the 31st annual folk festival. Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ani Difranco, Joan Baez and The Sheepdogs will be there, among many other artists. Children under 12 get in free and there is camping available.
(Main image: Shawn Carpenter used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
