There's no false advertising in the New Maritime Music Festival — when picking the festival's five must-see acts, four of the artists we picked hail from Canada's East Coast, making this a celebration of the region's abundant musical talent.
These Canadian artists will descend upon Miramichi in northern New Brunswick for two days on July 4 and 5. Early-bird tickets are already sold out, but weekend passes are still available. Find info about those over at the festival website, and see Exclaim!'s five must-see acts from the 2025 New Maritime Music Festival below.
Goldie Boutilier
Arriving with the classic swagger of an old-school pop rock star, Exclaim! declared that Nova Scotia songwriter Goldie Boutilier's recent Toronto set marked the arrival of a new indie icon. Come see what we're talking about at the New Maritime Music Fest.
July Talk
Peter Dreimanis has been busy launching his solo project Peter Dreams this year — but July Talk are still very much a going concern. Come catch the electric chemistry between the gruff-voiced singer and his co-frontperson Leah Fay's softer approach.
Joel Plaskett Emergency
What would a Maritime music festival be without Mr. East Coast himself? The Nova Scotia songwriter has had a decades-long career as one of the region's (and the whole country's) most beloved artists, so don't miss him reliably commanding the festival stage.
The Trews
From the moment the Trews released their single "Not Ready to Go" way back in 2003, they established themselves as staples of Canadian radio rock — and now, more than two decades later, they're still not ready to go.
Wintersleep
It's been a few years now since Wintersleep released a new album, but they remain one of the East Coast's most prominent indie exports, with band members who are constantly popping up in other projects (including POSTDATA, Holy Fuck, Contrived and Billy Talent). Come catch these stage vets in the core project.