Music Festivals in Toronto | Indie, Jazz, EDM & World Beat

Here’s where to catch your must-see bands at an epic music fest or curate your own tour of Toronto’s live music scene.

Toronto is a heavy hitter on the festival and live music circuit, luring performers and fans from far and wide. But what if—gulp!—your travel dates don’t sync with your dream festival? Don’t panic! With all the great venues and shows year-round, you can program your own music tour. Here’s who’s headlining and where.

Rock, alt & roots

Annual festivals:

Catch the hottest alt, roots and indie acts at Field Trip, which takes over the grassy field of Fort York National Historic Site. It’s fun for the whole music-loving family, with food trucks and a kids’ camp, where small fry can play, create art or catch shows on the kids’ stage.

The Wavelength Winter Festival showcases emerging artists. Catch their lineup of indie musicians at the Wavelength monthly concert series (venues across Toronto).

…Or build your own tour:

The Queen West neighbourhood is the best place to catch indie bands. Try these venues.

Horseshoe Tavern | Drake Underground | The Cameron House | The Garrison

EDM, dance & hip-hop

Annual Festivals:

Veld Music Festival (August 4 to 6, 2023)
OVO Fest

Downsview Park heats up summer with the 10th annual Veld Music Festival’s three-day lineup of 60+ EDM, dance and hip-hop artists. This year’s headliners include Tiësto, RezzMau5, Zedd, Illenium and Loud Luxury.

With 30,000-strong crowds, Veld is one of Canada’s biggest EDM events, with concert stages, food vendors, beer tents and more.

OVO Fest is hometown hero Drake’s not-quite annual hip-hop love-in. Past performers at this Toronto music festival have included Rihanna, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Eminem and another notable local, The Weeknd. Typically held in October, a future festival was teased pre-pandemic.

…Or build your own tour:

Catch DJ sets and musicians at these electronic, dance and hip-hop focused nightclubs.

Rebel | Coda | Toybox

Jazz

Annual festivals:

Toronto Jazz Festival (June 23 to July 2, 2023)
Beaches International Jazz Festival (July 6 to 30, 2023)

After nearly three decades of legendary shows from the likes of Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and Diana Krall, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival is the elder (hepcat) statesman of Toronto’s festival scene. This year’s acts include Herbie Hancock, Ashanti, BadBadNotGood and George Benson.

The Beaches International Jazz Festival takes a more lifestyle approach, with visual art, a street festival and a charity run to enhance its eclectic lineup of jazz, blues, African, Caribbean, Latin and R&B performances.

…Or build your own tour:

Catch live performances at the city’s top jazz lounges.

The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Club | Jazz Bistro | The Reservoir Lounge | Poetry Jazz Café

World beat

Annual festivals:

TD Salsa in Toronto Festival (July 8 & 9, 2023)
Toronto Caribbean Carnival (August 3 to 7, 2023)

Toronto Caribbean Carnival, a month-long celebration of Caribbean music, cuisine and revelry, has been a don’t-miss event for over 50 years.

Highlights include reggae, soca, steel drum and calypso performances, as well as the King and Queen competition showcase, and the Grand Parade (August 5, 2023), which attracts more than a million spectators and participants each year.

The TD Salsa in Toronto Festival brings concerts, dance parties, performances, art exhibits and salsa cruise nights—to venues throughout the city.

The highlight is the weekend-long TD Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival, which features live music, dancing (including salsa lessons), a kids’ zone and plenty of food trucks and booths.