🎵 NXNE 2026 – North by Northeast
📅 June 10–14, 2026
📍 Multiple Venues — Toronto
🎟 300+ Artists · 30+ Venues · 5 Nights
🗣 19+ Event
NXNE 2026 — North by Northeast
Every June, Toronto’s club circuit becomes something else entirely. For five nights, the city’s best live music rooms — the Horseshoe, Lee’s Palace, The Garrison, the Drake Underground and two dozen more — fill with artists who might be headlining arenas in three years. That’s what NXNE has always done best: put you in a room with what’s next before everyone else figures it out.
NXNE 2026 runs June 10–14 and it’s bigger than usual. More venues, new premium spaces, a full industry conference at TIFF Lightbox, a Canadian Sync Awards ceremony, FIFA World Cup watch parties on Nathan Phillips Square, and the Long & McQuade Day Party — a free afternoon block party on Bloor Street. And, as always, the music: 300+ artists, every genre, across 30+ Toronto stages.
🎶 Live showcases
🎙 Industry panels
🏆 Canadian Sync Awards
🅾 Free day party
⚽ FIFA watch parties
🏠 Artist House
🗣 19+ only. Valid government ID required at all venues. The Discovery Pass ($49) gets you into all 30+ participating stages for 5 nights — first come, first served.
✨ Why NXNE Still Matters in 2026
NXNE has been around for over 30 years, which means some people have a vague sense of it without having actually gone. That’s worth fixing. The premise is simple but the execution is remarkable: a $49 pass lets you wander freely between 30+ Toronto venues over five consecutive nights, catching hundreds of artists at the exact moment in their careers when the shows feel like something special rather than something rehearsed.
The alumni list tells you what NXNE actually does. Daniel Caesar played Port Lands in 2016 — a small crowd, an early set. The Beaches were at the Rivoli in 2013. Lizzo did a Streetcar show in 2014. Post Malone and KAYTRANADA both came through in 2017. These weren’t accidents. NXNE has consistently been the place where the next wave shows up before everyone else has caught on.
In 2026, the festival is expanding while keeping the things that made it work: club-scale intimacy, real discovery, and a week-long energy across the city that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Canada. If you’re in Toronto in June and you care about music — even a little — you should be there.
🎫 Passes & Pricing
Three tiers, depending on how deep you want to go.
Discovery Pass
$49
5 nights of music across 30+ venues. Access to all participating emerging artist showcases and special partner shows. First come, first served at the door — perfect for the music fan who wants maximum freedom to roam.
VIP Pass
$149
Everything in Discovery, plus front-of-line priority access, full NEXT LEVEL Panels at TIFF Lightbox, Billboard Summit, exclusive networking events, and 1 guaranteed headliner showcase credit for a Billboard Canada LIVE show of your choice.
Platinum Pass
$499
The full package. Everything in VIP, plus 5 guaranteed headliner credits, highest priority access, invitations to exclusive parties, a souvenir tote bag, and billboard-level networking events you won’t find anywhere else during festival week.
👥 Group passes: Buy 10 of the same pass type and get 20% off automatically at checkout. Great for friend groups, companies, or industry teams.
Buy NXNE Passes →
Note: VIP & Platinum Passes are listed under ‘Memberships’ on Showpass.
🎶 Headliners & Featured Shows
Some headline acts require individual tickets in addition to your pass. VIP and Platinum pass holders get guaranteed access to Billboard Canada LIVE shows.
Rolling Stone Canada
Future of Music Showcase
Presented by SiriusXM — THXSOMCH, Sadboi, Baby Nova
Tickets →
More artists are being announced continuously. Check the full 2026 artist list and the music schedule at nxne.com for the latest.
📅 Key Events Beyond the Showcases
NXNE is always more than a string of club shows. Here’s what else is happening across the week.
Wed · June 10
Sound + Vision Education Day — W Hotel
A full day of panels, networking, and inside conversations on sync licensing and music supervision for film, TV, advertising, and digital media. Organized with the Guild of Music Supervisors Canada. Artists and industry professionals both will find real value here.
Tickets →
Thu · June 11
Canadian Sync Awards — The Concert Hall
The best in Canadian music supervision across film, TV, and advertising. Presented with the Guild of Music Supervisors Canada and featuring live performances by Cat Clyde, Miesha and the Spanks, and La Sécurité. The GMSC Impact Award goes to Serena Ryder this year. An actual event, not just an industry night.
Tickets →
Fri Jun 12 & Sat Jun 13
NEXT LEVEL Panels — TIFF Lightbox Theatre
Two days of industry education at 350 King Street West. Friday is the Live Music Business day (festivals, venues, ticketing, touring, agents vs. promoters). Saturday covers the Artist & Recorded Business (A&R, JUNO Awards, royalties, global strategy, management). Speakers confirmed so far include CAA’s Ben Buchanan, AEG’s Elliott Lefko, Universal Music Canada’s Kwaku Agyemang, JUNO winner Aysanabee, and many more. Included with VIP and Platinum passes.
Sat · June 13 — 🅾 Free
Long & McQuade Day Party — 925 Bloor St W — Noon–5pm
Completely free outdoor block party outside the Long & McQuade flagship store. Five emerging NXNE artists doing 30-minute sets through the afternoon. Free hot dogs. Neighbourhood festival energy. No pass required — just show up and enjoy the afternoon.
Sat · June 13 — London Spotlight
City of London Showcase — Horseshoe Tavern
Tourism London takes over the Horseshoe for a night celebrating London, Ontario’s music scene. Canada’s UNESCO City of Music gets a proper showcase — a curated lineup of artists from one of the country’s most underrated music cities.
Tickets →
All Week — ⚽ Free
FIFA World Cup Watch Parties — Nathan Phillips Square
The World Cup is in North America in 2026, and Toronto is part of it. NXNE is programming the Nathan Phillips Square outdoor stage with DJs, live performances, and activations around FIFA match screenings throughout festival week. Equal parts sport and festival.
New for 2026
NXNE Artist House — 192 Spadina Ave
Open daily Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–7pm. The festival’s dedicated artist hub for registration, networking, and community. Low-key music programming throughout the week. Free drinks courtesy of 7-Eleven, Propeller Coffee, Paradise Grapevine, and Collective Arts. A step-and-repeat media wall for the obligatory photos.
New for 2026 — Premium Venue
Soundstage @ W Toronto — Yorkville
A new open-concept space on the 6th floor of the W Toronto hotel in Yorkville. Launched by ArtsHouse Media Group and anchored by Billboard Canada and Rolling Stone Canada, this is where the most prominent showcase events — including several Billboard Canada LIVE performances — will be staged. Think elevated production, intimate layout, and the kind of venue you’ll want to photograph.
🎙 NEXT LEVEL Panels — For Industry & Artists
The conference side of NXNE is genuinely worth your time if you work in music or are trying to. Two days at TIFF Lightbox, divided by theme, with real speakers who run real things in the industry.
Friday June 12 — The Live Business
› How Festivals Are Built in 2026
› How Venues Collaborate with Ticketing
› Marketing & Monetizing Music Experiences
› Agent vs. Promoter
› The New Touring Map: Breaking Artists Internationally
› How Venues Collaborate with Ticketing
› Marketing & Monetizing Music Experiences
› Agent vs. Promoter
› The New Touring Map: Breaking Artists Internationally
Saturday June 13 — The Artist Business
› How Artists Get Signed: Inside A&R
› Navigating the JUNO Awards
› Where’s My Money? International Royalties
› Managing Artists for Global Success
› Global Release Strategy in 2026
› Navigating the JUNO Awards
› Where’s My Money? International Royalties
› Managing Artists for Global Success
› Global Release Strategy in 2026
Speakers confirmed across both days include CAA’s Ben Buchanan, AEG Concerts’ Elliott Lefko, Universal Music Canada’s Kwaku Agyemang, Sony Music Publishing’s Mishelle Pack, JUNO winner and Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee, CARAS’ Liz Morgante, Music Publishers Canada CEO Margaret McGuffin, TuneCore’s Nicki Shamel, Believe’s Alejandra Olea, and more. Full schedule is at nxne.com/next-level-panels-2026.
📍 30+ Venues Across Toronto
The Discovery Pass gets you into all participating venues, first come first served. Here’s a taste of where the shows happen:
Horseshoe Tavern
Lee’s Palace
The Garrison
Drake Underground
The Mod Club
Rivoli
Sneaky Dee’s
Burdock Music Hall
Cameron House
Bovine Sex Club
Hard Luck Bar
The Phoenix
Soundstage @ W Toronto
Poetry Jazz Cafe
The Concert Hall
+ Many More
Full Venue Map →
🏆 NXNE Alumni — The Proof Is in the History
This is the part that makes the $49 Discovery Pass feel like a genuine bargain. Artists who played NXNE before the rest of the world caught up:
Daniel Caesar
2016 — Port Lands
The Beaches
2013 — Rivoli
Lizzo
2014 — Streetcar
The Lumineers
2012 — Horseshoe
Post Malone
2017 — Port Lands
KAYTRANADA
2017 — Port Lands
Mac DeMarco
2011 — The Garrison
Yungblud
2018 — YDS
Bleachers
2017 — Port Lands
NOBRO
2019 — Monarch Tavern
The pattern holds year after year. Whoever’s playing the small stages at NXNE 2026 might be selling out Budweiser Stage by 2029.
💡 How to Do NXNE Right
🕒 Arrive early at your target venues. Discovery Pass entry is capacity-based and first come, first served. For the highest-demand shows, showing up 30–45 minutes early is not overkill.
📷 Download the FEST app. The official NXNE festival app at festapp.io lets you browse the schedule, build a personal calendar, vote in the PRIME People’s Choice Award, and get real-time updates across the week. Essential for navigating 300+ artists.
🚗 Most venues are walkable. NXNE’s core cluster runs from Queen West through College Street and up to Bloor. Many shows are a short walk or streetcar ride from each other — which is how you end up seeing five acts in one night.
🅾 Don’t skip the free events. The Long & McQuade Day Party on Saturday (noon–5pm, 925 Bloor St W) costs nothing, requires no pass, and features real NXNE artists. Perfect way to ease into the weekend.
🗣 ID is non-negotiable. Valid government ID at every door. Don’t try the venues without it — you’ll be turned away.
👥 Going in a group? 10 passes of the same type gets you 20% off automatically on Showpass. Groups of 10+ can split up across the city and meet at shows — the pass works everywhere.
📍 Festival Essentials
Dates
June 10–14, 2026
5 nights
5 nights
Location
Multiple venues, Toronto
Queen West · College · Bloor · Yorkville
Queen West · College · Bloor · Yorkville
Scale
300+ artists
30+ venues
30+ venues
Age Restriction
19+ at all venues
Valid ID required
Valid ID required
Passes
Discovery $49 · VIP $149
Platinum $499
Platinum $499
Tickets
showpass.com/o/nxne
Individual shows via Ticketmaster, TicketWeb, Dice
Individual shows via Ticketmaster, TicketWeb, Dice
❓ Common Questions
Details may change — confirm the latest lineup, venues, and schedules at nxne.com before you go.
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