The charmed rain-free life that Peterborough Musicfest has lived for the most part over close to four decades continued Wednesday morning (May 13), as the skies cleared just in time for its reveal of this year’s free-admission summer outdoor concerts at Del Crary Park.
Musicfest supporters along with some concert series sponsors gathered at Quaker Foods City Square in downtown Peterborough as 13 of 16 headliners for the festival’s 39th season, running Saturday and Wednesday nights from June 27 to August 19, were revealed.
Along with the three concerts previously announced (Gowan, Tyler Joe Miller, and Dwayne Gretzky), original Canadian musical acts performing this summer include Good Lovelies, Sass Jordan, Lighthouse, Julian Taylor, Crash Test Dummies, and Trans-Canada Highwaymen.
Musicfest is also presenting four tribute acts, including Neon Nostalgic (retro rock), Garth Brooks + Shania Twain, Crystal Faith (Bon Jovi and Styx), and The Dreamboats (rock ‘n’ roll from the 1950s and 1960s).
Headliners for three more concert dates — Wednesday, July 22, Saturday, July 25 and Saturday, August 6 — are still to be announced.
Here’s the full lineup announced to date:
- Saturday, June 27 – Gowan (Pop)
- Wednesday, July 1 – Neon Nostalgic (Retro Rock Tribute)
- Saturday, July 4 – Good Lovelies (Folk/Country)
- Wednesday, July 8 – Sass Jordan (Rock)
- Saturday, July 11 – Lighthouse (Rock)
- Wednesday, July 15 – Tyler Joe Miller (Country)
- Saturday, July 18 – Julian Taylor (Soul/Roots/Blues)
- Wednesday, July 22 – To be announced
- Saturday, July 25 – To be announced
- Wednesday, July 29 – Dwayne Gretzky (Canada’s Greatest Party Band)
- Saturday, August 1 – Garth Brooks + Shania Twain (Tribute)
- Wednesday, August 5 – Crash Test Dummies (Alt Rock/Folk)
- Saturday, August 8 – To be announced
- Wednesday, August 12 – Trans-Canada Highwaymen (Canadian Supergroup)
- Saturday, August 15 – Crystal Faith (Bon Jovi/Styx Tribute)
- Wednesday, August 19 – The Dreamboats (’50s & ’60s Rock N Roll)
As an added treat at Wednesday’s announcement, Cobourg native Sue Passmore — one third of Good Lovelies — performed solo before and after the lineup reveal, providing a tantalizing musical preview of the trio’s July 4th appearance.
Following the much-anticipated lineup reveal, Musicfest executive director Tracey Randall was smiling the smile of someone who just passed on a closely guarded secret.
“Our festival is alive,” said Randall in reference to the legacy tag that close to 40 years brings to bear. “It’s just so great that we can continue to offer free music to our region. People fly in from all over Canada to see our acts for free, where you might pay $100 elsewhere.”
“We’re very proud of what we stand for — to be able to carry on Fred Anderson’s (legacy) is very cool,” Randall added, referring to the festival’s founder. “I’m just really proud that we’re still here after 39 years, and I’m looking forward to planning our 40th (anniversary) next year with our board.”
Beyond the reveal of which acts will perform when, it was also announced that the Cogeco Future Sound series, which sees local performers entertain prior to main stage concerts, will not only return but has been expanded to cover 15 concert nights.
“Where is the next Serena Ryder?” says Randall of the significance of that opportunity for local artists, before explaining why they rarely headline the festival.
“We weren’t putting them on main stage because they can’t fill a four-acre park, but certainly we want to honour them, with a lot of local venues closing and a lot of the festivals having stopped. They need somewhere to play. What a great experience for them to be out in front of thousands of people.”
Also returning is Woven Stories Night on July 18, headlined by acclaimed Toronto-based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor, who won the Contemporary Singer of the Year award at the 2026 Canadian Folk Music Awards in April.
Of Caribbean and Mohawk ancestry, Taylor is a founding member of the 1990s Canadian alt-rock band Staggered Crossing who has since fashioned a successful career and was a host with Elmnt FM, an Indigenous music and talk-dedicated FM radio station based out of Toronto that ceased operations last fall.
Asked unfairly what act Randall is most looking forward to welcoming, she quickly answered “Trans-Canada Highwaymen.” Judging from the crowd response on its being announced, Randall isn’t alone.
Labelled a Canadian rock and pop supergroup, Trans-Canada Highwaymen consists of Chris Murphy of Sloan, Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies, Craig Northey of Odds, and Moe Berg of The Pursuit of Happiness.
Originally formed in 2016 as a touring-only project performing a selection of songs originally recorded by their primary bands, they have since expanded their repertoire with covers of Canadian classics from the 1960s and 1970s by artists such as the Guess Who, Joni Mitchell, April Wine, Lighthouse, and more.
VIDEO: “Ready For You” by Sloan – Trans-Canada Highwaymen
“I had to get Sloan (Chris Murphy’s band) and Steven Page last year just to get Trans-Canada Highwaymen,” Randall explains. “They sold out at Market Hall (in 2023). If you’ve never heard of them, who cares? Just come down. It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait for August 12th.”
With Dwayne Gretzky making its sixth Musicfest appearance on July 29, Randall was asked if there’s a push to rename Del Cray Park to Dwayne Gretzky Park.
“I don’t know, but I can you tell the first year that Dwayne Gretzky came, everyone was like ‘Who is he?’,” she said of the Toronto-based pop-rock cover band. “Now people flock to see them. I bet you we have 12,000 people in the park that night.”
Acknowledging that the Musicfest budget is “close to” $450,000, Randall spoke to challenge of bringing 16 acts to the stage dollar-wise when that budget has to cover all the expenses involved in mounting a summer-long concert series.
“Insurance has doubled, our production (costs) went up by 38 per cent, and artist’ fees have also doubled,” she noted. “All those sponsors that support us — some of them have been loyal since the beginning — provide us with money to put these artists on our stage.”
“When people ask ‘Why do you have that VIP section at the front of the stage?’, it’s because those people (sponsors) have paid to put those artists on our stage. A lot of people don’t know that. They think we work for the City for Peterborough. We’re a not-for-profit. I have to raise the money (for the season) through the winter.”
VIDEO: “Pathways” – Julian Taylor featuring Allison Russell
Also speaking at the reveal was Musicfest board chair Brian Ellis.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” assessed Ellis of the Musicfest’s success. “Every summer, Del Crary Park fills up with families, friends, visitors, lawn chairs, blankets and people just out enjoying some live music together down by the lake. It’s become a part of Peterborough. I think we’re all pretty proud of that.”
That success, added Ellis, hasn’t gone unnoticed. He noted that, just last year, Musicfest received the Licensed To Play Award from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). That honour, he said, “recognizes organizations that help to keep live music strong in communities right across the country.”
In addition, he noted Musicfest has again been named one of Festival and Events Ontario’s Top 100 Festival and Events.
VIDEO: “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac – Dwayne Gretsky
Since it was originally founded as the Peterborough Summer Festival of Lights by Fred Anderson in 1986, staging its first concert on July 1, 1987 featuring Moe Koffman, Musicfest has welcomed the likes of Gordon Lightfoot, Serena Ryder, City and Colour, Carly Rae Jepsen, Big Wreck, Tegan and Sara, Our Lady Peace, Tom Cochrane, The Reklaws, Kiefer Sutherland, Walk Off the Earth, Tyler Shaw, Randy Bachman, Chad Brownlee, and many more.
An economic impact study commissioned in 2023 pegged the spin-off benefit to the city and region at $4.3 million. Musicfest also helps create the equivalent of 93 jobs over the course of its annual summer run.
For more information about Peterborough Musicfest including this season’s concerts, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2026 season.
