Carly Rae Jepsen or the symphony? This list of free concerts is your guide to Canada Day FOMO
CBC Arts | Posted: June 28, 2017 8:45 PM | Last Updated: June 28, 2017
Finding the best place to party on Canada Day all depends on your taste in music...
The biggest homegrown stars are mysteriously absent from this year's Canada Day programming. Where's Drake? The Weeknd? Arcade Fire? Où est Céline? Still, there are so many Canadian acts worth seeing, and when July 1 hits, the country will become a buffet of CanCon with free shows happening everywhere. And for that, we are grateful for whatever entertainment and complimentary sheet cake our tax dollars will allow.
But where, exactly, is the best show for you? Are you more about classical or classic rock? Or maybe your appreciation of Canadian music begins and ends in the Big Shiny Tunes era? Whatever your taste, this list of free shows is your comprehensive guide to Canada Day FOMO...
Love pop? Dance yourself to Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton or Halifax
Run away to Montreal, why don't you? Carly Rae Jepsen headlines a giant "open-air discotheque" at Place des Arts during a night of that pop also features '80s Safety Dancers Men Without Hats. That free show is brought to you by Montreal Jazz Fest. Tegan and Sara are going home to Calgary this Canada Day, doing a set on Riverfront Avenue East starting at 10 p.m. Alberta's capital, Edmonton, is also going pop July 1. Alyssa Reid, arguably best known for her 2010 cover of Heart's "Alone," performs at the Legislature grounds. And on the other side of the country, Halifax will be hosting a pop music first. EDM star Deadmau5 plays the Halifax Common, and according to CBC Nova Scotia, the show will mark the first appearance of the Toronto DJ's elaborate LED stage set-up — CUBE 2.1 — in Canada.
For Canadian icons, it's all about Ottawa, Toronto...and the Edmonton suburbs?
While you'll find pop stars in Ottawa, too (shoutout to Alessia Cara) — plus acts from just about every genre imaginable — the capital's double-stuffed lineup features a bona fide legend in Gordon Lightfoot. And if you want to get a jump on the celebrations, none other than Buffy Sainte-Marie does a free show in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square on June 30. For an altogether different act — one that is just as, if not more, influential for an entire generation of Canadians — you'll want to be in Sherwood Park, Alta., a suburb just outside of Edmonton. Skinnamarink, Canada! Sharon & Bram are going to be there.
Can-rock? Victoria, Vancouver, Regina, Quebec City, St. John's and Surrey, B.C. are for you
A rock show for The Rock? Well, obviously. The Sheepdogs are the Canada Day headliners in St. John's. Back in their home province of Saskatchewan, another radio rock band, Marianas Trench, plays Regina. Quebec City has Billy Talent and over on the West Coast it's all rock all the time. Arkells play Canada Day in Victoria, Vancouver has the Sam Roberts Band and in Surrey, B.C. Hedley are the headliners. That particular bill also features a cover band called "The Big Shiny Band," which leads us to our next category…
Still listening to your old Big Shiny Tunes CDs? Get your tribal tattooed butt to southern Ontario
The '90s are so hot right now — in Kanata and Brantford, Ont. especially. Finger 11 plays the former, and The Tea Party is in the latter.
Classic rock fan? Take off to Saskatoon, Yellowknife, Peterborough and Waterloo, Ont.
Tell your dad: Kim Mitchell is in Peterborough, Ont., Bruce Cockburn is in Yellowknife and Platinum Blonde is in Saskatoon. Or, because life is a highway and you're going to ride it all the way to southern Ontario, check out Tom Cochrane with Red Rider, who are playing the University of Waterloo.
So indie it hurts? Toronto, Quebec City, Moncton, Saint John, Winnipeg and Whitehorse are waiting
We say Toronto, but technically, Basia Bulat and Cold Specks are doing Canada Day in Etobicoke, where they were born and bred. Metric, another group with an Etobicoke connection (Emily Haines attended Etobicoke School of the Arts) is headlining Quebec City's celebration. Further east in New Brunswick, you'll find Said the Whale in Saint John and Coeur de Pirate in Moncton. In Whitehorse, Toronto duo July Talk are the main attraction — and as for Whitehorse the band, they're doing a Canada Day show, too. Find them in Winnipeg, playing The Forks.
Hip hop? Scarborough, Ont. is the place
We'll say it again: Where's Drake? Scanning the Canada Day listings across the country, there's precious little hip hop, but the show planned for Scarborough boasts an act we've championed several times in past. Be there to see Vancouver artist Horsepowar, who plays a lineup also featuring Ottawa rappers Deen Squad and local indie-electro duo Bonjay.
Classical music? Choose Fredericton, Toronto, Winnipeg or Whistler, B.C.
Hometown soprano Measha Brueggergosman sings at Fredericton's Officers' Square, and at Toronto City Hall, Ron Sexsmith performs with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. For purists, Winnipeg or Whistler, B.C. are your preferred options. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra provides a Canada Day concert under the stars — bring a blanket to the Whistler Olympic Plaza to catch that show. In Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra will do a one-hour performance at The Forks before the fireworks/light show kicks off – and they'll be providing a soundtrack for that spectacle, too.
Dig all of the above? Stay home
It's a completely shameless plug, but hopefully a helpful one nonetheless. Starting at 9 p.m. ET, we'll be broadcasting a three-hour special called Canada Day 150! From Coast to Coast to Coast. Featuring concerts and comedy sets happening around the country the show includes a bunch of the stars already listed — including Alessia Cara, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Gordon Lightfoot. Find it on CBC-TV or livestream on cbc.ca/2017, the Canada 2017 Facebook page, the CBC YouTube channel or via the following apps: CBC TV, CBC Music or Apple TV.