The 16th edition of the OSHEAGA Music and Arts Festival presented by Bell in collaboration with Coors Light is one for the record books, with the biggest crowd in the festival’s history. As of 2 p.m. on Friday August 4 when the gates opened, there was a febrile energy on the festival site, where a whopping 155,000passionate music fans from here and abroad would converge to party for three days with some of the top musical acts in the world on the the island paradise of Ile Sainte-Hélène.
The festival lineup was so stellar that the OSHEAGA 3-day passes sold out a full 10 days before the festival even began. Daily tickets for Saturday and Sunday sold out next, generating massive buzz online (OSHEAGA kicks off with a bang as Canada’s most Googledfestival) leading up to a perfect weekend!
The weather on Friday was picture perfect as Turkish psychedelic funk outfit, Altin Gün got the party going on the Green stage with some modernized middle eastern musical magic. Japanese/British phenom Rina Sawayama channeled sheer prowess in a high-energy performance, proving why she is the future of queer pop, and then festival favourites, The Flaming Lips (who played the very first edition!) adorned the stage with giant pink robots and proceeded to throw the psychedelic party of the summer. Montreal’s own Charlotte Cardin came in like an assassin, slaying the crowd as a last minute addition to the lineup. By the time Australian headliners, RÜFÜS DU SOL, took the stage, the crowd was already an endless mass of humanity, ready to dance the night away, and dance they did, moving in a state of ecstasy to the driving new wave beats and heavy electronic grooves.
Saturday was a stellar day, featuring an all-out latin fiesta breaking out on the Valley stage, when Canada’s Lido Pimienta brought out special surprise guest Nelly Furtado to join her along with Colombian singer Li Saumet from Bomba Estéreo, who was all bombast and technicolor when her band unleashed an electro tropical storm on the crowd. Miami duo Sofi Tukker strutted their way across the stage, in complete command of the adoring crowd, delivering a high energy and dance-heavy set highlighted by a remix of the White Lotus theme song. The National, who have been a festival favourite since they first played Osheaga in 2010, delivered a high-intensity set with singer Matt Berninger’s deep baritone echoing across the festival grounds. Local star Alicia Moffet was joined onstage by the indomitable Fouki, while afropop star, Rema,had the crowd singing along to his summer smash “Calm Down”, and Canada’s CarlyRae Jepsen was a flash of pure pop perfection. Kendrick Lamar’s cousin and protégé, Baby Keem, proved why he is one to watch, just before the phenom known as Billie Eilish took the stage and took control. Over the shrieks of joy from her young army of fans, Billie managed to set her whispery voice afloat, while the low-frequency bass shook the entire festival grounds. It was a triumphant return for the young performer, who last played the festival at 16 years old. She seemed to be genuinely having a blast, and the most incredible moment had to be when UK rapper Armani White joined Billie onstage to sing his viral smash hit named after her, in a spontaneous moment that was actually the first time the two singers met in real life. There was magic in the air!
Sunday started with intense sets from some of Canada’s top talent, including 2023 INDIES Award winner for Indigenous Artist of the Year, Aysanabee; and Ontario’s Preston Pablo, who demonstrated why he’s one of the world’s most celebrated young R&B stars. Montreal’s Milk & Bone weaved a web of beautiful melodies and refined electro beats, while UK rapper, Central Cee, got the W’s up from the crowd, unleashing sheer pandemonium from his dedicated fans. Meanwhile, Japanese Breakfast served up some tasty morsels for fans at the Green Stage, as Fred Again.. created an all-out dance party, with an inspired set of hypnotic beats, sweetspot samples, and enough energy to power an entire city! The crowd was ecstatic – truly an unforgettable moment in the festival`s history! The night, however, belonged to headliner Kendrick Lamar, the reigning king of hip hop, who had the people bouncing to his slick beats and razor-sharp lyrical prowess. Mixing his signature jazz samples with live instruments, Kendrick had the crowd hanging on his every rhyme.
OSHEAGA has become a global reference for great music and top-notch festival experiences. Fans now come to the festival to live something they cannot find anywhere else. It’s an indescribable feeling when arriving on-site: the city skyline in the background, a wide variety of top-tier artists, the new talent on multiple stages, all over a perfect island setting. This year, OSHEAGA attracted people from all over the world, and of course, Canadians from coast to coast (51% from outside the province). Paired with record engagement online, the festival’s international recognition has exploded, promising a very successful future for the next editions!
The festival experience for fans remains a priority for the team behind OSHEAGA, and once again this year our partners brought festival-goers a host of activations designed to enhance the on-site customer experience, such as the Chevrolet massage station, Club Bell and the many areas with unobstructed views of the various stages. The festival also offered the opportunity to take in the sights of the muralists at work at the Music on Paper exhibition, and dine in style with some of the best restaurateurs in Montreal’s culinary community at YUL EAT Gardens including Babacool, Kwizinn, El Gordo, Pan American and Red Tiger.
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