Toronto’s festival calendar can sometimes feel dominated by the same big names, big crowds and even bigger ticket prices. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a different side of the city’s music scene: smaller, artist-driven festivals where discovery is still the point.
This summer and early fall, three festivals in particular are worth putting on your radar. One is turning a waterfront park into a free celebration of Canadian music, another is taking over Ward’s Island with a grassroots folk festival built around community, and a brand-new festival is bringing independent music to Toronto’s West End.
If you’re looking for something beyond the usual festival circuit, start here.
Wavelength Summer Thing — August 16
Wavelength does some wonderful work in the city shining a light on some incredible new Canadian artists. If your ideal festival involves live music, a lake breeze, a campfire and absolutely no admission fee, their annual Wavelength Summer Thing should be on your list.
Taking place Aug. 16 at Trillium Park, Wavelength’s summer celebration returns with two stages and a distinctly Toronto approach to programming. It’s free, all ages and runs from 5–11 p.m.
The lineup jumps across genres and scenes. Shad headlines a main stage that also features Toronto’s disco-rock/pop group Absolute Treat, CJ Wiley, Tauro and Montreal’s Janette King. Over at the lake stage, you’ll find artists including Bells Larsen, Sister Ray, Diar, Eliza Niemi and Maracatu Mar Aberto.
And the music is only part of the experience.
There will also be art installations, dance, a vendor market, food vendors and a licensed bar, plus the festival’s signature campfire hangs.
Toronto Folk Festival — August 21–23
A week later, Toronto music fans can hop on a boat and head to Ward’s Island for another festival with a decidedly community-first spirit.
The Toronto Folk Festival runs August 21–23, at the WIA Pavilion on Ward’s Island. The festival is a grassroots not-for-profit festival, which gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
The Toronto Folk Festival leans into intimacy, artists and community at an idyllic location. It’s the sort of event where the setting is almost as important as the lineup: getting away from the downtown core and onto the Island makes the festival feel like a little musical escape.
Among the artists featured this year are Abigail Lapell, Ahmed Moneka & Friends, Bobby Dove, Burs and The Young Novelists. There are also artisans, vendors and workshops.
And getting there is part of the fun. Festival attendees can make their way to Ward’s Island by ferry or water taxi, turning what could be an ordinary festival trip into a mini Toronto adventure.
Second Summer Festival — September 24–26
Okay, not officially summer, but this new music festival might also be one of its most intriguing.
Second Summer is a new festival set to take over 13 venues across the west end of Toronto from Sept. 24 to 26, bringing together a broad mix of independent artists and music fans.
Performances will take place everywhere from the Horseshoe Tavern, Lee’s Palace and The Garrison to the Drake Underground, Longboat Hall, Monarch Tavern, Sneaky Dee’s and Wavelength @ St. Anne’s Parish.
The festival includes headliners cleopatrick, EKKSTACY, Militarie Gun, MIKE, High Vis, Folk Bitch Trio, D1une Rats, Esprit, W.I.T.C.H., Clarion, Adrian Younge and DEADLETTER, alongside a huge list of Canadian and international artists .
The festival’s founders, Brendan McCarney and Claire Rosenbaum, built Second Summer around a feeling that has become increasingly difficult to find: discovering an artist in a tiny room before they break.
There’s also a boutique conference for emerging music professionals and industry leaders will take place Sept. 24 and 25 at the Drake Hotel.
