🎵 Northern Lights Festival Boréal
📅 July 10–12, 2026
📍 Bell Park, Sudbury
👪 Family Friendly
🏆 Since 1972
Northern Lights Festival Boréal 2026
On the shores of Ramsey Lake in Sudbury’s Bell Park, Northern Lights Festival Boréal (NLFB) returns for another summer of music, art, and community — and it’s not just another festival on the circuit. NLFB has run every single year since 1972, making it one of Canada’s longest continuously running outdoor music festivals. In 2026, it runs July 10 to 12, with new Artistic Director Kerri Stephens curating her first lineup for the festival.
Headliners Sarah Harmer, Begonia, and Terra Lightfoot anchor a weekend that also features Dan Mangan, Foxwarren, and a genre-bending crossover concert pairing the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra with 2V+. Add in folk, roots, hip hop, afrobeats, and global music acts from across the country, and you’ve got a festival that’s still finding new ways to surprise people after more than five decades.
🎵 Multiple stages
🏖 Lakeside beaches nearby
🍺 Beer tent
☕ Coffee tent
👶 Children’s area
🎨 Juried craft & art vendors
🐞 Dogs welcome (daytime)
💡 Full Festival Pass is $145, Youth Pass is $110, and kids 14 & under get in free. A 3-night Best Western accommodations package with 2 full festival passes is also available for out-of-towners.
✨ Why This Festival Is Worth Your Time
Longevity alone makes NLFB worth paying attention to: it’s run every single year since 1972, including a scaled-back drive-in car concert during the height of the pandemic in 2020. That kind of continuity is rare, and it shows in how the festival runs — over 300 community volunteers, a non-profit charitable structure, and a genuine commitment to reflecting Northern Ontario’s francophone, Indigenous, and multicultural communities in its programming every year.
2026 also marks a real turning point: it’s the first lineup curated by new Artistic Director Kerri Stephens, who’s brought in Sarah Harmer, Begonia, and Terra Lightfoot as headliners alongside a genuinely eclectic supporting bill spanning folk, hip hop, afrobeats, and a classical crossover set with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. If you’ve been to NLFB before, this is a noticeably fresh chapter. If you haven’t, it’s a good year to start.
And then there’s the setting: Bell Park sits right on Ramsey Lake, with beaches close enough that you can genuinely plan a swim break between sets.
🎵 The 2026 Lineup
Curated by new Artistic Director Kerri Stephens, blending folk, roots, indie, hip hop, afrobeats, global music, and a classical crossover set.
Headliners
Sarah Harmer · Begonia · Terra Lightfoot
Featured Artists
Dan Mangan · Foxwarren · 2V+ with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra (classical crossover concert)
Full Lineup
Andrina Turenne · Arielle Soucy · Arny Margret · Aske Skat · The Bobby Tenderloin Universe · Bye Parula · Cayenne · Charlotte Cornfield · Clerel · Denise De’ion · Duane Andrews & The Hot Club of Conception Bay · Hendrika · JD Crosstown · Jessica Pearson & The East Wind · Jim Bryson · Kelly McMichael · Koziithegoat · Lennie Rayen · Logan Staats · Mark Petersen · Mattmac · Merrick Winter · Nikki D & The Sisters of Thunder · Okavango African Orchestra · Petunia & The Vipers · Supalung · Tommyphyll
💡 Day-by-day stage schedules weren’t published in text form at the time of writing — check the official Schedule page or download the festival app closer to the date for set times.
📍 The Essentials
Festival Dates
July 10–12, 2026
Friday through Sunday
Friday through Sunday
Venue
Bell Park (Grace Hartman Amphitheatre), 900 Paris Street, Sudbury, ON
Tickets
Full Pass $145 · Youth Pass $110 · Kids 14 & under free · Gate-only afternoon passes $15
Accommodations
3-night Best Western package with 2 full festival passes available through NLFB
Refund Policy
No refunds or exchanges — treat tickets like cash. Festival runs rain or shine.
Best For
Folk & indie music fans · Canadian music lovers · families · lakeside festival-goers
🚗 Getting There
The festival site sits at 900 Paris Street in Sudbury’s Bell Park, surrounding the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre on Ramsey Lake. The closest major intersection is York Street & Paris Street, where street parking can be found — there is no parking available directly on-site, no exceptions. NLFB recommends walking, biking, or taking transit since the nearby lots fill up quickly; a staffed bike valet is available on-site during the day.
📍 Get Directions on Google Maps →
💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
🏃 Bring your own seat. Main stage seating is limited and acoustic stages have none at all. Canvas camp chairs or blankets work well — old-style folding lawn chairs aren’t permitted in the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre for safety reasons (chairs need 4 points of ground contact).
🏖 Pack a swimsuit and towel. There are beaches right next to the festival grounds — a towel also doubles as comfortable seating at the acoustic stages.
💵 Buy in advance to save. Tickets purchased ahead of time online or at the NLFB office cost less than buying at the gate, and afternoon-only gate passes ($15) don’t include the evening shows.
🐞 Dogs are welcome during the day, on leash. Pets aren’t permitted at evening and night concerts due to safety concerns.
☔ Pack for sun and rain. This is an open-air event that runs rain or shine, with no refunds if weather rolls in — sunscreen and a hat for the day, foul-weather gear just in case.
Help Keep the Music Alive 🎵
NLFB is a non-profit, charitable music presenter that’s been a fixture of Northern Ontario’s cultural life since 1972. The festival is currently fundraising to help secure its future beyond 2026 — donations and ticket purchases both go directly toward keeping the tradition running for another 50+ years.
Donate to NLFB →
❓ Common Questions
Details may change — always confirm on the official Northern Lights Festival Boréal website before heading out.
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