Canada’s biggest music festival has delivered once again, with monumental performances from artists new and old, all situated at the gorgeous Jean-Drapeau Park with its views of Old City Montréal and the St. Lawrence River over the August long weekend.
This year’s edition of Osheaga – its nineteenth since its inception, accounting for two missed COVID years – was a powerhouse on all fronts, with fantastic performances from artists spanning genres, efficient organizing which avoided some of the ills of navigating Osheagas past, and, happiest of all, a friendly, exuberant crowd, just as quick to lend a hand as to sing along when there’s a mic pointed in their direction.
Day 1 (Friday, August 1) started off with a bang, with killer performances from headliner The Killers – who launched their show with a blazingly hot rendition of “Mr. Brightside” – and an impressive turn from their de facto opener Glass Animals, whose “Heat Waves” was the first of many, many singalongs across the weekend.
Other highlights from the opening day included the Beast Boys-like Joey Valence & Brae (“No Hands” is a banger), Lucy Dacus (who also cameoed on The Killers’ “Read My Mind”), and this summer’s hip hop It Girl, Doechii. Day 1 was also our first experience of the rightly acclaimed Osheaga logistics: between helpful security guards and plentiful signage, it was quick and easy to navigate the grounds (before and after), and we never felt like we were ever more than a few steps from a washroom facility, water fountain, or sweet, sweet swag booth to scoop up some merch.
Day 2 (Saturday, August 2) was a case study for the diversity of Osheaga programming, ranging from popstar/influencer Alex Warren (you know him from “Ordinary”) to Tommy Richman (who got TikTok famous with “Million Dollar Baby” last year) to Kaleo, whose “Way Down We Go” is the best non-Hozier Hozier song we’ve ever heard. Other Saturday highlights included Shaboozey (who played “Tipsy” twice because why the heck not) and Future Islands, whose lead singer Sam Herring had the single-best stage presence of any artist of the weekend, delighting audiences with his evocative, enthusiastic, Joe Cocker-like dance moves. (“Seasons (Waiting on You)” was met with huge applause. Saturday’s biggest gets, however, were reserved for the primetime slots, with Gen Z icon Gracie Abrams (son of J.J.) winning over the crowd at the main “Mountain Stage” while The Chainsmokers (whose set was sadly curtailed by a thunderstorm) dominated the “Valley Stage” further into the grounds. Tyler, The Creator’s packed finale at the River Stage closed out the night in style.
Day 3 (Saturday, August 3) saved, if not the best for last, certainly the highest-profile of the weekend, with Olivia Rodrigo closing out the festivities with an energetic, scream- (and tear-)inducing set that drew the largest, and youngest, crowd we’d seen. But before Rodrigo could take the stage, “vampire” and all, festivalgoers were treated to an incredible mix of final day acts, from Toronto’s own rockers The Beaches (“Blame Brett”) to electronica artist Chet Faker (“Drop the Game”). And for those, like us, who dared abandon Rodrigo mid-set to go check out the happenings over at the “Forest Stage”, there was much fun – and love – to be found at the dance-happy Jamie xx, which officially closed out the festival as the final performance of Sunday night.
Aside from the music, we were delighted by how well everything worked this Osheaga. From the plentiful water stations where it was easy to refill bottles and stay hydrated, to the efficient security checks, to the even more efficient organizing – seriously, every performance somehow managed to magically start exactly on time, avoiding any domino effect delays – to the great (not just poutine) food options, we were consistently impressed too. Impressive too was the diversity of the audience, Osheaga bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds – including some very adorable, far too hip kids (Under-10 admission remains free!) joining in the fun. Honestly, we hear far too many horror stories of festivals gone wrong or unpleasant, but perhaps it’s just the Canada of it all; but Osheaga was genuinely just a lovely experience.
With rumors already flying about potential headliners for next year, we’re already getting excited for our return.
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Stay tuned for all things Osheaga, including early bird tickets now on sale for Osheaga 2026, at the official festival website.
