Festival fever
No shortage of blockbuster events this summer,
BEN RAYNER POP MUSIC CRITIC
So many festivals, so little summer.
The number of music fests on the Toronto (and area) concert calendar for the next four months is absurd. We lost count over here some time ago. So, yes, while the following breakdown is far from complete, it should give you a rough idea of what to expect from some of the bigger and betterknown festivals on the horizon.
Plan your summer accordingly.
FIELD TRIP Saturday and Sunday, Fort York and Garrison Common, fieldtriplife.com MUST-SEES: Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, the War on Drugs, Father John Misty, Dan Mangan and Blacksmith, Arkells, Purity Ring. THE VIBE: Family-friendly, downtown-hipstery, indie-rockery presided over by the folks at beloved Toronto indie label Arts & Crafts. Bikes, beards, plaid, gourmet food-truck offerings. You know the score. EXTRAS: Kids under 12 get in free and have access to a play area replete with glow-in-the-dark hula hoops, bouncy castles and the like. The food also tends to be excellent. THE PRICE: $143.50 for a weekend pass, $235 for VIP access. $89.75 for a singleday ticket, $148.50 for VIP access.
BESTIVAL TORONTO June 12-13, Hanlan’s Point on Toronto Island, bestival.ca MUST-SEES: Florence and the Machine, Nas, Caribou, Banks, SBTRKT, Jamie xx, Flume, Owen Pallett. THE VIBE: Hippie-dippy, artsy-fartsy indie/rave-y, inspired by the bent shenanigans of the original U.K. Bestival on the Isle of Wight. EXTRAS: An inflatable church wherein you can marry a friend, a Bollywood-themed area, a dress-up area, a costume parade, general whimsy. THE PRICE: $149.50 for a weekend pass, $77.77 for a single-day ticket. Plus service fees and ferry rides. WAYHOME July 24-26, Burl’s Creek, Oro-Medonte, wayhome.com MUST-SEES: Neil Young and Promise of the Real, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith, St. Vincent, Run the Jewels, Hozier, Alt-J, Modest Mouse, Django Django, Courtney Barnett, Viet Cong, F---ed Up. THE VIBE: The celebrated Bonnaroo camp-out comes north from Manchester, Tenn., to a radically revamped outdoor event space in central Ontario. And spares no expense in the process. EXTRAS: Camping, baby! Camping! THE PRICE: Weekend passes — including tent camping and parking — currently available at the Tier 3 rate of $249.99, Tier 4 passes available at $289.99 when those sell out. Numerous upgrades available, including RV camping at $299.99, VIP access at $599.99 and a super-duper VIP “glamping for two” pass (with plush tent, memory-foam mattress and concierge!) at $2,499.99. CAMP WAVELENGTH Aug. 28-30, Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island, wavelengthtoronto.com MUST-SEES: The Wooden Sky, Do Make Say Think, Doomsquad, Absolutely Free, the Weather Station, LIDS, Pierre Kwenders, with more performers to be announced. THE VIBE: Modestly sized, non-profit DIY weekend at the beach carefully curated from the indie underground by Toronto’s esteemed Wavelength crew. EXTRAS: Camping space for 150 patrons on the island. Quality food. Art exhibits. Swimming at Gibraltar Point beach. THE PRICE: $75 for an early-bird festival pass, $150 with camping. NORTH BY NORTHEAST June 17-21, various venues across downtown Toronto, nxne.com MUST-SEES: Warpaint, A Place to Bury Strangers, Girl Band, Moon King, No Joy, Liturgy, Iceage, Ibeyi, Zola Jesus, Real Estate, Atlas Sound, Health, Mission of Burma. THE VIBE: Everyone and every sound all at once, everywhere, as some 500 next-wave acts descend upon dozens of live-music spaces around the city. EXTRAS: Free shows in Yonge-Dundas Square on June 20 and 21. The Sunday hip-hop show is currently without a headliner due to the recent public uproar over Action Bronson’s now-cancelled appearance, but Saturday has the New Pornographers, Best Coast and Dilly Dally. THE PRICE: $49 for a four-day wristband granting access to as many shows as you can stomach, $30 for single-day wristbands. Plus taxes and service fees. VELD MUSIC FESTIVAL Aug. 1-2, Downsview Park, veldmusicfest.com MUST-SEES: Deadmau5, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, A$AP Rocky, Hardwell, Above & Beyond, DVBBS, Carnage. THE VIBE: Corporate rave in a big field north of the city, this one a little more keyed toward the mainstream tastes of the recent North American “EDM” boom. EXTRAS: Elaborate production. “Bros” aplenty. Hometown deadmau5 throwdown. THE PRICE: Tiered ticketing starts at $154 and tops out at $244 for weekend passes. VIP access starts at $256 and tops out at $304. TORONTO URBAN ROOTS FESTIVAL Sept. 16-21, Fort York and Garrison Common, torontourbanrootsfest.com MUST-SEES: Wilco, Neko Case, Of Monsters and Men, Deerhunter, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lucinda Williams, Built to Spill, Avett Brothers, Passenger. THE VIBE: Laid-back, grassroots hang for those who like their roots ’n’ roll peppered with a bit of punk and noise. EXTRAS: Club shows at the Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace to keep the party going after outdoor curfews set in. Quality eats. THE PRICE: $149.50 for a three-day pass, $69.50 for single-day tickets. $249.50 for VIP access for the weekend, $119.50 for VIP single-day tickets. $349.50 for “VIP-plus” access. “Early bird” pricing ends June 10. DIGITAL DREAMS June 27-28, Ontario Place, digitaldreamsfestival.ca MUST-SEES: Carl Cox, Pete Tong, Deep Dish, Dubfire, Armin Van Buuren, Claude VonStroke, John Digweed, Excision, Sander Van Doorn, Porter Robinson. THE VIBE: Corporate rave on the lakeshore heavy on big-room DJ vets who were at it well before “EDM” events endorsed by Live Nation could draw 30,000 patrons a day. EXTRAS: Elaborate production. Bottle service. Locker rentals so you can ditch your gear while you shake a tail feather on the dance floor. THE PRICE: $189.99 for a weekend pass, $99.99 for single-day tickets. $279 for VIP access. OVO FEST Aug. 1-3, Molson Amphitheatre, drakeofficial.com MUST-SEES: Drake, J. Cole and Big Sean, Kevin Hart. THE VIBE: Hometown love-in for Toronto’s most famous hiphop export and his many famous friends. With a comedy lead-in on Aug. 1 from Kevin Hart. EXTRAS: “Special guests” aplenty. Everyone from Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg to Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill and TLC have popped by unannounced in the past, so expect more celebrity surprises this year. THE PRICE: This one’s already sold out, so it will likely cost you well above the original two-day pass cost of $138.80 to $366.30. RIOT FEST Sept. 19-20, Downsview Park, riotfest.org/toronto/ MUST-SEES: Alexisonfire, Wu-Tang Clan, Rancid, Motorhead, Gwar, Tyler the Creator, Thurston Moore, Eagles of Death Metal, Coheed & Cambria. THE VIBE: A punk-spirited Warped Tour for grown-ups imported from Chicago. EXTRAS: Indie marketplace selling cool duds, jewelry and objets d’art. THE PRICE: $99.98 “early bird” tickets sold out. New price to come when next round of performers is announced on June 16.