This weekend (August 2-4) Montreal will play host to Osheaga, one of Canada’s most anticipated music festivals. With over 40,000 people attending each of the three days, concert goers will be coming from all parts of the world to witness the all star cast of bands. You may be wondering where to start, which bands are headlining, and if there are any good ‘sleeper’ acts to catch. Here is a few tips for the weekend:
Prepare for the Worst and Expect the Best
The forecast is calling for rain so prepare yourself. You are allowed to bring a backpack with rain gear and an umbrella. Be sure to check your ticket package to see the list of things you are not allowed to bring into the venue. Expect bouts of rain followed by sun. Remember this is Canada, if you don’t like the weather just wait ten minutes.
The Headliners
Osheaga is jam packed with great bands on each day of the show. Friday’s featured acts include ‘The Gaslight Anthem’, ‘Phoenix’, ‘Vampire Weekend’, and ‘The Cure’.
Saturday features ‘Beck’, ‘Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’, ‘Imagine Dragons’, ‘Jimmy Eat World’, and Tegan and Sara.
Sunday the biggest of all the headliners performs, ‘Mumford and Sons’. With one of only a few stops in North America this summer, Mumford will likely continue to build their legacy as one of the best folk bands of all time. Not to be overshadowed, ‘The Lumineers’ also hit the chord for any of you folk music fans out there. For other tastes, there is ‘Kendrick Lamar’, ‘Big Boi’, ‘Silversun Pickups’ and ‘Icona Pop’.
The Sleeper Acts
Although most headliners play in the evening, don’t forget to arrive early and check out some other great bands playing during the day. The festival kicks off with Capital Cities and K-OS on different stages at 1:00-1:30. Friday also features some less publicized bands such as Jake Bugg and Ellie Goulding.
Saturday be sure to check out the lead singer of famous Canadian band ‘Our Lady Peace’, Raine Maida, performing on his own as well as popular UK artist ‘Frank Turner’.
Sunday features great headliners as well as fantastic set up acts. Bands like ‘Hollerado’ and ‘The Neighborhood’ are overshadowed by some of the great acts already playing on that day.
Regardless which bands you are going to see, Osheaga will play out to be a memorable experience for each day of the show.