Welcome to the 2017 edition of the Canadian EDM summer festival guide - a comprehensive source for all upcoming summer festivals that's relevant to the electronic dance music fan. This year's guide features 24 festivals from coast to coast, big and small, and offers a variety of lineups to fit almost any taste. From camping festivals to big city ones in Toronto, the Canadian EDM summer festival season has it all.
2017 is a time of flux for the festival scene as a few notable festivals are no longer with us like Pemberton, Squamish, Bestival Toronto, Mysteryland, Tomorrowworld, and more. There may have been too much of a good thing as festivals flooded the market trying to capture the zeitgeist of the new generation of festival goers, with some winning the hearts and minds of fans while other results were more mixed. This summer is an important moment, more than ever, to support your favourite festival because we can no longer take it for granted that they will be there next year without continued support.
In this guide you will be presented with a festival listing in chronological order. Each listing will have details like time and place, why you should go, a link to the event page for more information, and in some festivals, a list of must-see artists. If you click any of the artists names, you'll be directed to their Soundcloud page to get a preview of what to expect when you see them live. Without further delay, start making your festival summer plans now!
June
Ever After Music Festival
When: Friday, June 2nd until Sunday, June 4th, 2017.
Location: 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener, Ontario N2B 3X7.
Why you should go:
For the past 2 years the Ever After Music Festival kicked off the summer festival season in Canada. They have always delivered in bringing the biggest names in bass to Kitchener, managing to attract huge numbers of Toronto fans. This year is no exception as they're bringing bass god Bassnectar to headline the first night, while the very best in Canadian bass Excision and Zeds Dead will headline Saturday and Sunday respectively. There is a lot to like about this lineup as the organizers have invited the who's who of the bass scene, while adding a few more acts like Desctruto with his G House appeal, trap act Troyboi, and a separate stage on day 3 for the more underground vibes with local legend Sydney Blu headlining. Do not miss the special 12th Planet B2B Cookie Monsta B2B Funtcase set on day 3.
Must-see artists: Bassnectar, Excision, Habstrakt, Crankdat, Ghastly, Snails, Zeds Dead, NGHTMRE, 12th Planet B2B Cookie Monsta B2B Funtcase.
Glowfair Festival
When: Friday, June 16th until Saturday, June 17th, 2017.
Where: Bank Street, Ottawa, ON.
Why you should go: Glowfair Festival is a free 2-day event that takes over one of the busiest streets during business hours for the weekend and transforms it into a fun environment that caters to all ages. There's yoga classes, art installations, a bazaar, a "glow forest", and event a silent disco. On top of all of this they have 2 stages of music featuring recent JUNO winner Bit Funk, the chillwave group Fjord, Montreal bass DJ Vilify, and more.
Tall Tree Music Festival
When: Friday, June 23rd until Monday, June 26th, 2017.
Location: Browns Mountain, Port Renfrew, B.C.
Why you should go:
Coming back for it's 8th year, the Tall Tree Music Festival offers up a mix of strong Canadian talent while inviting artists from 7 different countries. The lineup emphasizes the full spectrum of bass music as well as a variety of more experimental electronic music acts – Tall Tree Music Festival flutters with eclecticism. Set at the picturesque Vancouver Island on top of Browns Mountain, Tall Tree Festival is an amazing opportunity to connect with music and nature at the same time.
Escapade Music Festival
When: From Saturday, June 24th until Sunday, June 25th, 2017.
New Location: Lansdowne Park, 450 Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5J3.
Why you should go:
Escapade is the national capital region's biggest EDM festival as it ushers in a new home this year at Lansdowne Park for another huge 2-day festival. With 3 stages to choose from, a variety of genres represented, and some of the biggest names in the scene like Above & Beyond and Tiesto - Escapade is going to be big. With 30,000 expected at this year's festival, Escapade has a lot of Canadian talent to help celebrate Canada's 150th birthday with Zeds Dead on the mainstage, Richie Hawtin headlining the underground stage on day 2, and Snails getting his own curated stage on day 2. Escapade offers a well rounded lineup that is fitting for Canada's special 150th birthday celebrations in Ottawa this year.
Must-see artists: Above & Beyond, Zeds Dead, Andrew Bayer, Alan Walker, Slushii, Richie Hawtin, Snails, Bro Safari, Maya Jane Coles.
Kamp Festival
When: Friday, June 30th until Monday, July 3rd, 2017.
Location: Whatshan Lake Retreat, 645 Whatshan Lake Rd, Edgewood, Kootenays, V0G 1J0 B.C. (Between Nelson, Vernon, Kelowna, and Revelstoke)
Why you should go: Think of Kamp Festival as a 3-day summer camp specially catered for adults with an electronic dance music lineup added in. The festival combines electronic music with a wide breath of activities like “Drum n Bass Dodge Ball”, yoga, swimming, capture the flag along with more artistic pursuits like painting, glass blowing, poetry, and more. This is a place of peace and comfort for fans who want to get away from it all, engage in fun activities, and party at night.