We've entered the heart of festival season — this weekend alone, there are dozens hitting Canada — so grab some sunscreen and prepare yourself for a summer marathon of music. As per usual, we've pored over everything happening to help you find out about the incredible shows you won't want to miss. This week, we've got festivals that focus on everything from country music to pop divas to classic rock legends like the Zombies (pictured above), all crammed into diverse lineups that offer something for anyone.
Take a look below at our Can't Miss Concert picks for the week of July 6 to 12, then head over to our Concert Listings section for even more shows.
Calgary Stampede
If a rodeo paired with live music sounds like a good time to you, you're in luck: This year's Calgary Stampede has loads of awesome musicians performing, such as Usher backed by jazzy hip-hop group the Roots, folk-rock act Whitehorse and pop singer Alessia Cara, among others — not to mention carnival rides, midway games and a parade to check out between the shows.
07/07-16/2017 Calgary, AB – Various Venues
Bob Dylan
Legendary folk singer Bob Dylan has been consistently pumping out new music for nearly 60 years at this point, and he's showing no signs of letting up after releasing this year's Triplicate. If you wanted to see the icon live this week, you're in luck, as he'll be playing in London, ON before making his way out west to Manitoba's capital city the following week.
07/06/2017 London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
07/12/2017 Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
Gorillaz
Animated alternative hip-hop act Gorillaz released their highly anticipated comeback album Humanz this year, and now they're bringing their diverse soundtrack back to the stage. Fans of the virtual band can see them perform this week both in Toronto with Vince Staples opening, and at Festival d'été de Quebec with Danny Brown and Kelela.
07/10/2017 Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
07/15/2017 Quebec City, QC - Festival d'été de Québec, Bell Stage
Festival d'été de Quebec
Quebec City is set to be taken over by a wide range of musical acts this week, from famed Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar to '90s boy band Backstreet Boys to Nashville country trio Lady Antebellum, and everything in between. The festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and they're ringing it in with an exhibition to highlight their last 49 years, plus street art shows on top of all the fantastic music going on.
07/06-16/2017 Quebec City, QC – Various Venues
Mauno
Halifax experimental pop trio Mauno have been on a lengthy coast-to-coast tour, bringing their laidback sounds to adoring fans in every corner of the country. You can help the band finish the tour on a high note by hitting up one of their three final shows this week in either Guelph, Ottawa or Montreal.
07/06/2017 Guelph, ON – eBar
07/07/2017 Ottawa, ON – Bar Robo
07/08/2017 Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo
Northern Lights Festival Boréal
Northern Ontario's longest-running music festival has been showcasing some of Canada's best up and coming artists since the early '70s, and this year's festival is bringing tons of indie, folk and bluegrass artists. Across three days, the festival will play host to musicians such as A Tribe Called Red, Rae Spoon, Yukon Blonde, Whitehorse, Andy Shauf and many more that you don't want to miss out on.
07/07-09/2017 Sudbury, ON – Bell Park
RBC Ottawa Bluesfest
RBC's Ottawa Bluesfest returns for another round of amazing live music, with performances this year coming from the likes of legendary psych band the Zombies, Atlanta rap trio Migos, virtuoso guitarist Gary Clark Jr. and a ton more. The festival also has an autograph tent where you can meet your favourite artists and win prizes like a Fender Stratocaster signed by a ton of the acts playing across the 11 days.
07/06-16/2017 Ottawa, ON – LeBreton Flats
Winnipeg Folk Fest
Western Canadian folk fans are in luck, as the city's long-running festival returns this week with a stacked lineup of artists. This year, the festival grabbed City and Colour, Feist, the Shins, Barenaked Ladies and Bruce Cockburn, among other fantastic Canadian and international folk artists.
07/06-09/2017 Winnipeg, MB – Birds Hill Park
Visit Exclaim!'s Concert Listings for more upcoming shows.
Take a look below at our Can't Miss Concert picks for the week of July 6 to 12, then head over to our Concert Listings section for even more shows.
Calgary Stampede
If a rodeo paired with live music sounds like a good time to you, you're in luck: This year's Calgary Stampede has loads of awesome musicians performing, such as Usher backed by jazzy hip-hop group the Roots, folk-rock act Whitehorse and pop singer Alessia Cara, among others — not to mention carnival rides, midway games and a parade to check out between the shows.
07/07-16/2017 Calgary, AB – Various Venues
Bob Dylan
Legendary folk singer Bob Dylan has been consistently pumping out new music for nearly 60 years at this point, and he's showing no signs of letting up after releasing this year's Triplicate. If you wanted to see the icon live this week, you're in luck, as he'll be playing in London, ON before making his way out west to Manitoba's capital city the following week.
07/06/2017 London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
07/12/2017 Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
Gorillaz
Animated alternative hip-hop act Gorillaz released their highly anticipated comeback album Humanz this year, and now they're bringing their diverse soundtrack back to the stage. Fans of the virtual band can see them perform this week both in Toronto with Vince Staples opening, and at Festival d'été de Quebec with Danny Brown and Kelela.
07/10/2017 Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
07/15/2017 Quebec City, QC - Festival d'été de Québec, Bell Stage
Festival d'été de Quebec
Quebec City is set to be taken over by a wide range of musical acts this week, from famed Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar to '90s boy band Backstreet Boys to Nashville country trio Lady Antebellum, and everything in between. The festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and they're ringing it in with an exhibition to highlight their last 49 years, plus street art shows on top of all the fantastic music going on.
07/06-16/2017 Quebec City, QC – Various Venues
Mauno
Halifax experimental pop trio Mauno have been on a lengthy coast-to-coast tour, bringing their laidback sounds to adoring fans in every corner of the country. You can help the band finish the tour on a high note by hitting up one of their three final shows this week in either Guelph, Ottawa or Montreal.
07/06/2017 Guelph, ON – eBar
07/07/2017 Ottawa, ON – Bar Robo
07/08/2017 Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo
Northern Lights Festival Boréal
Northern Ontario's longest-running music festival has been showcasing some of Canada's best up and coming artists since the early '70s, and this year's festival is bringing tons of indie, folk and bluegrass artists. Across three days, the festival will play host to musicians such as A Tribe Called Red, Rae Spoon, Yukon Blonde, Whitehorse, Andy Shauf and many more that you don't want to miss out on.
07/07-09/2017 Sudbury, ON – Bell Park
RBC Ottawa Bluesfest
RBC's Ottawa Bluesfest returns for another round of amazing live music, with performances this year coming from the likes of legendary psych band the Zombies, Atlanta rap trio Migos, virtuoso guitarist Gary Clark Jr. and a ton more. The festival also has an autograph tent where you can meet your favourite artists and win prizes like a Fender Stratocaster signed by a ton of the acts playing across the 11 days.
07/06-16/2017 Ottawa, ON – LeBreton Flats
Winnipeg Folk Fest
Western Canadian folk fans are in luck, as the city's long-running festival returns this week with a stacked lineup of artists. This year, the festival grabbed City and Colour, Feist, the Shins, Barenaked Ladies and Bruce Cockburn, among other fantastic Canadian and international folk artists.
07/06-09/2017 Winnipeg, MB – Birds Hill Park
Visit Exclaim!'s Concert Listings for more upcoming shows.
