Montreal Folk Festival on the Canal

Listen to live music, eat great food and groove the day away at the Montréal Folk Festival on the Canal. The family-friendly, community-minded festival offers a full weekend of free shows set alongside the picturesque Lachine Canal. Playing fast and loose with the genre of folk music, the festival features smooth country-folk, high-energy alt-folk, soulful indie-folk, roots, bluegrass and more from Canadian and international musicians.

From Friday evening to Sunday night, you'll find music played on three outdoor stages and plenty of space to lay out a picnic blanket on the grass. Specialty food trucks serve up delicious meals, locally brewed beer and more, while the artisanal market offers local work. Activities just for kids also abound. Drop by the Lhasa de Sela Youth Stage to discover emerging artists honing their craft and inspiring young musicians.

Thursday: The festival kicks off with the Tejano BBQ Burrito party at Bar de Courcelle, featuring blues-country rhythms from Frisco Lee.

Friday: Rock out with headliners The Damn Truth, while earlier in the evening Québec singer-songwriter Hanorah captivates, lively blues-folk band Durham County Poets gets everyone dancing and Mon Doux Saigneur gets a serious groove on, alongside more great acts.

Saturday: Star Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac headlines, with a roster of amazing acts throughout the day. Stomp your feet to Canailles, don't miss Hawksley Workman's signature folk-rock or guitar player Cécile Doo-Kingué, and relax with folk-pop duo Oliver the Crow, plus many more artists.

Sunday: The festival ends harmoniously with Canadian folk-country trio Good Lovelies, along with performances by singer-songwriter and banjo player Old Man Luedecke, North Carolina modern string folk quartet Mipso, traditional Québécois band De Temps Antan, Cape Breton singer-songwriter Mike McKenna Jr, art-folk group Moonfruits and more entertainment all afternoon.