There’s something for everyone in the nation’s most populated province, whether it’s folk, rock, or country music, bluegrass or jazz and everything in between. There are so many opportunities to experience the finest music Ontario has to offer, all summer long!
Credit: Veld Music Festival
Contents:
- Music Festivals from our calendar
- Ontario Music Festivals
You may like:
Summer Music Festivals in Ontario
Famous Summer Music Festivals in Ontario
North By Northeast
North By Northeast, or NXNE is another of Ontario’s most sought after music festivals. A musical cousin of America’s “South by Southwest” film festival, held in Texas each year, North by Northeast puts a decidedly Canadian spin on the nomenclature, featuring many Canadian up-and-comers. It’s the place where many internationally-renowned bands have made their start! NXNE is a fantastic nine days in Toronto filled with memory-making music. Details.
June 10 to 14, 2026
Various Venues, Toronto
Burlington’s Sound of Music Festival
Burlington will ring with the sound of music in the middle of June this year! The Sound of Music Festival features a wide array of music and artists, from up-and-coming talents to past favourites and contemporary musicians from a variety of genres and styles. Details
On Hiatus
Spencer Smith Park, Burlington
Toronto Jazz Festival
Love jazz music? Visit Toronto’s largest jazz festival of the summer and what is known as one of Canada’s premier jazz festivals. The festival welcomes both Canadian and international jazz musicians and seeks to promote jazz throughout the country through their work as a registered charity. Details
June 19 to 28, 2026
Various Venues, Downtown Toronto
Ottawa International Jazz Festival
The Ottawa International Jazz Festival is nearly 40 years old! It was founded in 1980 by local musicians Bob Misener and Tony Page. The festival was quick to grow and to draw international attention — and remains very high on the list of must-headlines of any aspiring jazz artist today.Welcoming hundreds of thousands of people over the course of ten days, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival is not one to be missed. Details
June 19–28, 2026
Multiple locations throughout central Ottawa
Escapade Music Festival
An electro techno festival to check out is the Escapade Music Festival. You must be 16 or older to enter the festival, but if you do, two days of electrifying musical fun await! Details.
June 26 to 28, 2026
RA Centre Grounds,
2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
Ottawa Bluesfest
Kick July off with the Ottawa Bluesfest, one of the country’s biggest blues music festivals. Running for ten days right in the middle of the summer, outside of Canada Day, it’s Ottawa’s biggest party of the year! Details.
July 9 to 19, 2026
LeBreton Flats Park, Ottawa
Sunfest World Music and Jazz Festival
TD SUNFEST is a FREE one‐stop travel portal ready to transport patrons to first class destinations around the globe, thanks to more than 30 of the world’s most iconic performers and over 275 evocative food, craft and visual art exhibitors, the festival will continue to offer one of summer’s most immersive cultural experiences. Details
July 9 to 12, 2026
Victoria Park, 580 Clarence St, London
Mariposa Music Festival
Mariposa is Ontario’s premier folk festival of the summer, put on with the full support of the Mariposa Folk Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to promoting and maintaining folk music throughout Canada. Details
July 3 to 5, 2026
Tudhope Park, Orillia
Northern Lights Festival
The Northern Lights Festival is Canada’s longest continually-running outdoor music festival, having opened in Bell Park in 1972. The festival brings together a variety of artists from across Canada for three days of fantastic folk-style music. Details
July 10 to July 12, 2026
Bell Park, Greater Sudbury
Beaches International Jazz Festival
The annual Beaches International Jazz Festival showcases jazz, blues, big band, vocalists, African, Caribbean, reggae, hip-hop, South American, Latin, rhythm and blues and more.
Details
July 3 – 26, 2026
Queen St. E. and Woodbine Park, Toronto
Rock The Park
Harris Park in London, Ontario, is the site of “Rock the Park” – three days of eardrum bursting, adrenaline-pumping, heart-pounding rock music await. Details
July 15 to 18, 2026
Harris Park, London
Toronto Summer Music Festival
Toronto Summer Music Festival brings outstanding classical music experiences to the city in the summer with a program featuring renowned Canadian and international artists in 20+ mainstage concerts, plus masterclasses, free outreach concerts, lectures, and workshops. Details
July 9 – August 1, 2026
Various Venues, Downtown Toronto
Hillside Summer Festival
Hillside Festival is a unique experience, quite apart from the more traditional music festivals that we’ve listed, it is an eco-friendly festival, featuring great live music, traditional Indigenous drum artists as well as children’s entertainment and environmental learning. Located in a Conservation Area, Hillside makes a point about being environmentally-friendly, while also promoting a good time. Details
July 17 to 19, 2026
Guelph Lake Conservation Area
Lighthouse Blues Festival
Recognized as Top 100 Festival and Events in Ontario by tourism industry for the last seven years and the known as the “Best Little Blues Festival” around! This boutique blues festival has presented outstanding artists like Victor Wainwright, Shemekia Copeland, Joe Louis Walker, Ghost Town Blues Band, Brandon Santini, Steve Strongman, Jack deKeyzer, Jeff Jensen, Cheryl Lescom, Layla Zoe, Dawn Tyler Watson, Angel Forrest, Bryan Lee and many, many more!
July 9 to July 12, 2026
750 Queen Street, Kincardine
Go North Music Festival
This two-day Music Festival offers an afternoon and evening featuring a range of new music, local artisans, local craft beer, delicious food vendors, and overnight camping in a relaxed outdoor venue unlike anything else in the area. Details
July 24 to 25, 2026
St. Joseph Township Centennial Grounds, 1511 Richards Street, Richards Landing
Festival of the Sound
Located on Parry Sound, the appropriately-named Festival of the Sound is all about classical music! Featuring artists from across the country and around the world. It even takes place aboard a cruise ship on Canada Day! Whether your fancy is string instruments or vocals, the Festival of the Sound has it all to offer. Details
July 22 – August 8
1 Avenue Rd, Parry Sound
VELD Music Festival
Techno music returns to Toronto in early August at the VELD Music Festival. The festival is in its 15th year and is a surety for any fan of techno who perhaps couldn’t make the earlier festivals of the summer. Details
July 31 to August 2, 2026
Downsview Park, Toronto
Boots & Hearts Country Music Festival
Canada’s largest annual country music festival comes to Oro-Medonte once again and brings with it three days of amazing country music and lots of fun! If you like to sing, dance and have a good time — and love country music, then you’re one summer festival should definitely be Boots & Hearts. Details
August 7 to 9, 2026
Burl’s Creek Event Grounds, Oro-Medonte
Goderich Celtic Roots Festival
Do you have Irish or Scottish blood in your veins and want to go back to your roots? Well, now you can! Reestablish a connection with your celtic ancestry at the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. Goderich Celtic Roots Festival is not just any old Celtic music festival, it’s also home to an educational centre for kids and offers a “Celtic College” for those wishing to learn more about traditional Irish and Scottish music and instrumentation. Details
August 7-9, 2026
Lions Harbour Park, Goderich
Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival
A final summer folk bash awaits you at Kelso Beach Park. For those who love folk music and want to end the summer on a high, the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival in Owen Sound is not to be missed. Welcoming talented folk artists from across the continent, the Summerfolk Music Festival is one end-of-summer folk fest not to be missed. Details
August 21-23, 2026
Kelso Beach Park, 2nd Avenue West, Owen Sound
TD Markham Jazz Festival
August 21, 22 & 23, 2026
Along Main Street Unionville (Markham)
View Comments (2)
where the hell is the rock music??? also only one venue for country music??
I was taking a look at this list (even though the season's over basically) and I noticed that the Peterborough Folk Festival isn't on it! This year's festival was packed! Bahamas, The Trews, Odario Williams, My Son the Hurricane (among many others) were there. It's a free festival with two ticketed events leading up to the weekend (August 23-24, 2023). Please add us to your list for next year!! Thank you :)