One of Canada's longest-running music festivals, the Northern Lights Festival Boréal is returning to Sudbury, ON, in 2025 for its 54th edition. From July 4 to 6, 35 of Canada's most exciting acts will be heading up north to play across seven different stages and venues.
In addition to the captivating performances, a can't-miss aspect of the NLFB is its workshop series, which will be taking place on July 5 and 6 at the CBC Stage. These artist-led events offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to interact differently with the music you know and love.
Single-day and weekend passes are available here. Below, you can find Exclaim!'s five must-see acts stopping by Sudbury this summer.
Begonia
The Winnipeg-hailing indie-pop singer has been dazzling listeners with her silky-smooth vocals and swooning instrumentals for almost a decade now. She's no doubt headed for stardom, and you won't want to miss her performance on the main stage on July 6.
Destroyer
This year's full-length release, Dan's Boogie, was praised by Exclaim! for its seamless blend of everything frontman Dan Bejar has built up through Destroyer's extensive catalogue over the years. Don't miss the Vancouver band close out the festival with their headlining set on July 6.
Kate Maki
Coming off the release of her first new album in nine years, Impossible Knot, the folk-rock musician will be gracing the Cabaret Stage on July 4 for a charmingly soft and sweet hometown performance.
Lights
The beloved Canadian synth-pop singer is on fire this spring following the release of her sixth album A6 on May 2. She's currently bringing this new batch of darkwave anthems across North America on her (A)live Again Tour, before making a string of summer festival appearances, during which she'll stop by NLFB to headline the main stage on July 5.
Shad
The rapper from London, ON, made his gripping debut exactly two decades ago, and shortly after earned the title of "Hip Hop Royalty" from Exclaim! He has since won a JUNO Award, earned multiple nominations on the Polaris shortlist, and just last year returned to his alma mater of Wilfred Laurier University to teach a course on hip-hop. Don't miss him on NLFB's main stage on July 5