2026 Festival Programming Announcement
POP Montreal2026 – September 23 to 27, 2026
25th edition
POP Montreal is getting ready for its 25th anniversary edition!
“POP Montreal is turning 25 OMFG! Pretty damn cool! This year’s festival has some excellent surprises from the past, a few legends, some up-and-coming gems and everything magical that makes POP Montreal the freshest fest in the land. I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone. Check out the line-up, pick up your passes, keep voting for submission bands at vote.popmontreal.com and see ya in September, cuz we “still got it!”
—Daniel Seligman, Creative Director
*Breaking News*: The legendary Divan Orange will come back to life for three special nights, including two with the band Plants & Animals.
A Winged Victory for the Sullen: The duo of Dustin O’Halloran and Adam Wiltzie (from Stars of the Lid). Masters of neoclassical and ambient music, they create cinematic soundscapes of immense beauty.
Luna: The iconic and influential indie rock “band’s band” formed in 1991 by singer/guitarist Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, will be playing a specially curated set for the festival of Luna and Galaxie 500 tunes.
Uffie: Patron saint of the bloghouse era. Ed Banger chaos gremlin. Electro-pop brat energy in its purest form.
High Vis: A British band merging the raw energy of hardcore punk with post-punk and Britpop melodies. Intense and unifying.
Chad VanGaalen: Calgary’s beloved basement wizard continues building entire sonic universes out of cracked folk songs, psychedelic detours, strange cartoons, and existential dread.
Nardwuar the Human Serviette: The world’s most famous interviewer. His appearances are a mix of chaos, extreme musical erudition, and pure entertainment.
Infinity Song: The New York sibling group returns after last year’s sold out Montreal show with velvet harmonies, cosmic soft-rock glow, and songs that feel suspiciously timeless.
Secret City 20th Anniversary: A big emotional family reunion for one of Montreal’s defining indie labels featuring Klô Pelgag, Brad Barr, Basia Bulat, Antoine Corriveau, Unessential Oils, La Force, Shad, Bye Parula, and more.
Heated “POP” Rivalry: Join POP Montreal and Joie des Livres with a live and sexy Heated Rivalry live show and book launch on september 28 with special guests including Dumas, La Bronze, Phillipe B, Night Lunch, Peter Perter and other special guests.
Sabrina Raté and Roger Tellier Craig: An audiovisual performance where cutting-edge digital art meets experimental electronic sound.
Toujours Ensemble: Thanya Iyer and Sarah Rossy lead an ensemble reimagining the work of some of Montreal’s cherished artists, translating their songs into expansive new arrangements for chamber orchestra and choir
La Sécurité: One of the hottest bands in Montreal right now. Danceable, funky, and irresistible art-punk.
Les Hay Babies: The Acadian trio returns with their authentic and harmonious indie-folk-country sound.
Plants and Animals: Veterans of the Montreal scene, known for their fresh rock compositions and dynamic live shows coming back to re-introduce the Montreal to Divan Orange.
Julie Doiron: A Canadian indie-folk legend (of Eric’s Trip fame), whose soft voice and vulnerable lyrics hit the heart hard.
Think About Life: The cult Montreal band returns with all the joyful chaos, weird chemistry, and euphoric indie-pop nonsense intact.
Spencer Krug: The creative force behind Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, a master of complex and epic song structures.
Automatic: A post-punk trio from Los Angeles. It’s cold, minimalist, motorik, and terribly effective.
Dune Rats: An Australian surf-punk/garage rock trio. Maximum energy and a guaranteed party vibe.
Hana Stretton: Australian-British composer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for her unique warm and ambient pastoral folk music.
Squirrel Flower: Ella Williams’ project, offering atmospheric and powerful indie-rock with introspective lyrics.
ESPRIT 空想: The instrumental, hazy synth project of vaporwave pioneer George Clanton; a masterclass in nostalgic, emotionally charged electronic soundscapes.
Cutty Ranks: Actual dancehall royalty. One of the greatest voices to ever come rumbling out of a sound system.
JayaHadADream: British rapper and lyricist on the come up, known for reshaping the UK rap scene with her gritty sharp flow
Lord Sko: A young New York rapper bringing back the classic “boom bap” sound with a modern twist.
Infinite Coles: An R&B/Soul artist (and son of Ghostface Killah) with a silky voice and a refined musical universe.
Thunderheist: Legendary Canadian club-rap duo returning to detonate dance floors like it’s still 2009 and the party accidentally went until noon.
Lucrecia Dalt: The Colombian artist and composer continues bending avant-garde electronics, surrealism, bolero, and voice into something that feels genuinely unfamiliar.
Fred Frith: A legendary figure in improvised music and experimental rock (Henry Cow). A monument of the avant-garde.
René Lussier: Iconic Québécois guitarist and composer, a central figure in “musique actuelle”.
