From Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan, with several stops across Québec, here are six events worth taking the time to discover, music gatherings that stand out for the quality of their programming and the important role they play in their regions.
Ultramarine Music & Arts Festival
June 19 & 20, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
On Yarmouth’s waterfront, the cries of seagulls will mingle with human voices at the gateway to Par-en-Bas, the Acadian region opposite Par-en-Haut, which corresponds to Clare County.
The lineup features well-established folk artists such as Mo Kenney and Dusted, alongside up-and-coming Nova Scotian acts. Among those new faces is Mi’kmaq rapper Gearl, who was nominated for Indigenous Artist of the Year and Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards in late May.
Photo by Michael Gorman
Festival Fransaskois
July 4, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Quebecers tend to forget about their Prairie cousins. In Saskatchewan, only 1% of the population can claim French as their first language, yet the local francophone scene, known as Fransaskois, is remarkably vibrant.
The Fransaskois have their own flag as well as musical flag-bearers, like the late Carmen Campagne and Mario Lepage, known for his Ponteix project. They also have their own festival, which this year will welcome Fransaskois Étienne Fletcher and Sylvie Walker, as well as BéLi, Naïma Frank, and many others.
Festival Colline
August 6–8, Lac-Mégantic, Québec
Francophone music, fresh air, and shooting stars come together naturally in the Eastern Townships at this relatively new festival launched just five years ago and held during the Perseid shooting stars season. There’s even a charming campsite set up near the stages, with ready-pitched tents available if needed.
As for the lineup? You will get a concentrated dose of the last few years’ best of what Québec has to offer. Among the headliners performing in this edition are Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Ariane Roy, Paul Piché, Comment debord, Naïma Frank, Klô Pelgag, Pierre Lapointe, Louis-Jean Cormier, Les sœurs Boulay, Alphonse Bisaillon and Pierre Kwenders. Beautiful people all around!
Photo by Claude Grenier
Soul of the City, August 12–16, Montréal, Québec
This new festival fills a gap by shining the spotlight on Montréal’s anglophone soul and R&B scene. Three of the festival’s founders are musicians active in that community: Hanorah, Avery Jane, and Christian, who will also be performing at the event.
The inaugural edition also features Clerel, Nyota Parker, Olivia Khoury, and Janette King, to name just a few of the many extraordinary voices you’ll get to hear.
Le Festival à deux têtes
August 12-16, Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, Québec
One of Québec’s most beautiful stages can be found there, somewhere in the heights of the former Seigneurie de Beaupré. La Montagne à deux têtes lends both its lookout and its name to new event, now in its fourth consecutive year, presented across several truly magnificent sites in Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, about 30 minutes east of Québec City.
The event has a multidisciplinary focus where music holds a prominent place. Martha Wainwright, Alphonse Bisaillon, Ariane Roy, NOBRO, Queen K, and DVTR are among the artists who will be part of this edition.
Photo by Carlos Sainte-Marie
Festival Motel Calix
August 22, 2026, Calixa-Lavallée, Québec
Here’s the story of a village of 509 souls that puts on its finest for one packed day. The Motel Calix Festival was launched last year by a flock of music lovers in their early twenties, quite reminiscent of the early days of Le Festif! in Baie-Saint-Paul.
For this second edition, two sites will be set up—one outdoors and one in a barn—to welcome Marco Ema, Alphonse Bisaillon—who is really everywhere this summer! —Zouz, Jeanne Côté, and a handful of others.