TORONTO — Summer doesn’t officially begin until June 21, but the Victoria Day long weekend marks the beginning of the city’s jam-packed summer music season.
From classical and folk to heavy metal and EDM, there are concerts, shows and festivals catering to fans of every genre — and those looking to broaden their musical palates.
Enjoying live music in the city doesn’t always mean spending cash. A number of the city’s music festivals — including the TD Toronto Jazz Festival (June 18-29), Beaches Jazz Festival (July 10-26) and Waterfront Blues (July 11-13) — offer both ticketed and free shows. There is also free live music at events like Pride Toronto, the Scotiabank CHIN Picnic and all summer long at Yonge-Dundas Square.
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Pop fans can catch performances on June 21 at Queen and John Streets as the MuchMusic Video Awards welcome Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Shawn Mendes, Jason DeRulo and The Weeknd.
Here’s a look at some of the artists, bands and DJs playing in Toronto this summer.
VENUES
Air Canada Centre
Drake (June 2); Ed Sheeran (June 6 & Sept. 20); Rush (June 17 & 19); Bette Midler (June 20); Shania Twain (June 24 & 25); NKOTB, TLC, Nelly (June 28 & 29); Imagine Dragons (July 4); U2 (July 6 & 7); Ariana Grande (Aug. 9); Motley Crue (Aug. 22).
Danforth Music Hall
Paul Weller (June 15); Rickie Lee Jones (July 13); Interpol (July 14 & 15).
Massey Hall
Spirit of the West (June 6); Philip Glass, Ashley MacIsaac (June 10).
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Lana Del Rey (June 3); Darius Rucker, Brett Eldredge, Brothers Osborne, A Thousand Horses (June 6); Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters (June 7); Fall Out Boy, Wiz Khalifa, Hoodie Allen (June 17); Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Sam Hunt (June 18); System of a Down (June 19); Train, The Fray, Matt Nathanson (June 23); The Tragically Hip (July 1); Foo Fighters and Royal Blood (July 8-9); Tim McGraw, Billy Currington, Chase Bryant (July 16); Deep Purple (July 20); Dave Matthews Band (July 21); Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Rae Sremmurd (July 28); Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson (Aug. 4); Peter Frampton, Cheap Trick (Aug. 5); Van Halen, Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Aug. 7); Blue Rodeo (Aug. 22); 5 Seconds of Summer (Aug. 25); Rascal Flatts, Scotty McCreery, Raelynn (Aug. 27); Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire (Aug. 28); Zac Brown Band (Sept. 3-4); Jason Aldean, Tyler Farr, Cole Swindell (Sept. 17); Marc Anthony, Carlos Vives (Sept. 23).
The Opera House
Nate Ruess (June 22)
Rogers Centre
One Direction (Aug. 20)
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
Brian Wilson (July 4); Idina Menzel (Sept. 2); Josh Groban (Sept. 21 & 22); Chris de Burgh (Sept. 23).
FESTIVALS
The UK-based Bestival makes its North American debut June 12 and 13 on Toronto Island. Acts include Florence + The Machine and Nas.
This year’s Boots and Hearts Music Festival, taking place Aug. 6 to 9 at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte (north of Toronto), features country headliners like Brad Paisley, Eric Church and Florida Georgia Line.
The Flats at Ontario Place will play host on June 27 and 28 to Bud Light Digital Dreams, which features huge names in EDM like Armin Van Buren, Martin Garrix and Zedd.
Field Trip takes over Fort York and Garrison Common on June 6 and 7 with acts like Alabama Shakes, Arkells, My Morning Jacket and Marina & The Diamonds. Also look forward to a performance by Sharon & Bram.
Luminato Festival runs June 19-28, offering music at several venues around the city. Highlights include Contemporary Color featuring David Byrne, Nelly Furtado, St. Vincent and Kelis (June 22 and 23 at Air Canada Centre).
The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival takes place July 15 at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre and features Slayer, HellYeah, King Diamond and The Devil Wears Prada and more heavy metal bands.
The annual North by Northeast festival (June 17-21) brings dozens of artists from all genres to venues around the city. Included in the mix is Willow Smith (June 18 at Danforth Music Hall), whose father is in the city making Suicide Squad.
OVO Fest is hometown rapper Drake‘s 6th annual party. Performing at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre on Aug. 2 will be J. Cole, Big Sean and others, while Drake and special guests are there on Aug. 3.
Panamania, the arts and culture program running during the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, includes a series of free concerts at Nathan Phillips Square from July 10 to 26 and from Aug. 7 to 12. Performers include The Flaming Lips (July 19), The Roots (Aug. 8), Janelle Monae (Aug. 9) and Jann Arden (Aug. 11).
The TD Toronto Jazz Festival, running June 18-29, features Al Jarreau, Tower of Power, Booker T. Jones, Jamie Cullum and many more.
The Veld electronic music festival takes over Downsview Park on Aug. 1 and 2 and features big names like Deadmau5, Kaskade, Hardwell, Above & Beyond, Steve Aoki and ASAP Rocky.
The inaugural WayHome festival takes place July 24 and 25 at Burl’s Creek Even Grounds north of Toronto in Oro-Medonte. The diverse line-up includes Neil Young, Sam Smith, Kendrick Lamar, Alt-J, Modest Mouse and Hozier.
Follow @GlobalJRK for updates on concerts in Toronto.
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