NEXT Summer 2024 Live Music Preview

The hottest live acts and music festivals happening across the city this summer

Get outside in the hot sun and and enjoy the huge range of music festivals happening this summer in Toronto: NXNE, Jazzfest, Veld, Electric Island and more. There’s something for every and any kind of music lover and you won’t want to miss getting out there.

Plus, some of the hottest acts hit stages big and small all around the city, including Janet Jackson, Killer Mike, P!nk, Method Man and Redman, Billy Talent and Avril Lavigne when her “Greatest Hits” tour stops at Scotiabank Arena.

Read the guide below for all the hottest acts and festivals happening in Toronto this summer.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sat., June 8

Where: The Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave.
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: Following the success of Saltburn and that infamous dance scene, Sophie Ellis Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor has had an incredible resurgence in popularity and catapulted her back into the limelight. The British artist will head to Toronto for an atmospheric night full of floor-filler tracks.

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Scenic Route to Alaska

Scenic Route to Alaska

Mon., June 10

Where: The Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St W
Genre: Alternative
Why you should go: Edmonton indie rockers head to Toronto for a headline show at the ’Shoe. The trio will play tracks from their latest album, Lasts Forever, featuring their catchy melodies and smooth vocals.

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Kim Gordon

Kim Gordon

Mon., June 10

Where: The Axis Club
Genre: Alternative
Why you should go: The Sonic Youth co-founder supports her solo album, The Collective, with a headlining tour across North America.

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NXNE

North by Northeast (NXNE)

Wed., June 12 – Sun., June 16

Where: Multiple venues
Genre: Festival
Why you should go: Canada’s leading annual new music festival, NXNE spotlights essential emerging artists from across Canada and around the world with five-act showcase concerts at 23 Toronto live music venues. NXNE has helped launch then-unknowns like Billy Talent, Lizzo, Arkells, Knann, Lumineers, Killer Mike and thousands more. This year’s lineup includes NEXT cover stars Pony Girl (Fri., June 14, Garrison), Alex Porat (Sat., June 15, Queen W. Day Party), Chinese Medicine (Thurs., June 13, Ground Control) with 275 total acts.

Read our exclusive NXNE 2024 guide.

Toronto International Jazz Festival

Toronto International Jazz Festival

Fri., June 21 – Sun., June 30

Where: Multiple venues
Genre: Various
Why you should go: One of the biggest events on the Toronto arts schedule returns for its 37th year as the International Jazz Festival takes over the city for 10 days of music from some of the top names in jazz and beyond. Ticketed festival highlights include Andre 3000’s first Toronto show in a decade as he will perform tracks from his flute album, New Blue Sun (Fri., June 28, Massey Hall) and Hiatus Kaiyote (Wed., June 25, History). Watch for the lineup of free outdoor shows soon.

Hot in Toronto

Hot in Toronto

Sat., June 22

Where: Downsview Park, 70 Canuck Ave.
Genre: Rap
Why you should go: One of the biggest events of the summer will take place in Toronto as hip hop giants descend on Downsview Park for a night to remember. The likes of Lil Wayne, Akon, 2 Chainz and Lil’ Kim will grace the stage over a legendary day for the Hip Hop purists.

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Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies

Thurs., June 27

Where: Sobey’s Stadium, 1 Shoreham Dr.
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: York U tennis stadium launches — again — as a concert venue with BNL, Sam Roberts Band and K.T. Tunstall. Shaggy plays same venue Sat., June 29.

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Gentle Sparrow

Gentle Sparrow

Fri., June 28

Where: Cameron House, 408 Queen St. W.
Genre: Folk
Why you should go: The indie folk singer-songwriter Eastern Ontario honed his craft by performing at parties and events and improvising personalized songs on the spot for his roommates during lockdown. Now he’s gone on to develop an impressive live show that stuns audiences across the country.

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Niall Horan

Niall Horan

Fri., June 28 & Sat. June 29

Where: Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St.
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: The former One Direction band member has carved out an impressive solo career for himself following the band’s split in 2016. Niall Horan has garnered critical acclaim for his most recent album, The Show, and is supporting this release with a huge world tour this year.

Electric Island

Electric Island

Sat., June. 29 & Sun., June 30

Where: Ontario Place, West Island, 955 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
Genre: EDM
Why you should go: The concert+picnic series is the perfect place for EDM lovers in Toronto as huge artists like Diplo (Sun., June. 30), Keys N Krates (Sun., June 30) and Charlotte De Witte (Sat., June 29) hit the stage over a jam-packed weekend.

Lloyd Banks

Lloyd Banks

Sun., June 30

Where: Lee’s Place, 529 Bloor St. W.
Genre: Rap
Why you should go: The U.S. rapper, who gained fame as part of 50 Cent’s G-Unit, will head to Toronto to celebrate 20 years of The Hunger for More. The 2004 album will evoke nostalgia as Lloyd Banks will perform tracks like I’m So Fly and Warrior Part 2 — his collaboration with Eminem.

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Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Wed., July 3

Where: Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St.
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: The iconic Janet Jackson will bring Together Again to Toronto this summer — a tour that marks her 50th anniversary in the industry. Fans can expect an incredible show with a high production value as Jackson will perform hits like That’s the Way Love Goes and All For You to a sold-out arena.

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Killer Mike

Killer Mike

Sun., July 7

Where: The Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave.
Genre: Rap
Why you should go: Don’t miss your chance to see a rapper at the top of his game. Killer Mike became an important rapper beginning with his mid-2010s work as co-frontman of Run the Jewels, including amazing appearances at NXNE 2014. Now a solo act, the rapper achieved mainstream fame earlier this year for his success at the Grammys — including Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

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Schoolboy Q

Schoolboy Q

Thurs., July 18

Where: History, 1663 Queen St. E.
Genre: Rap
Why you should go: The U.S. rapper will kick off his Blue Lips Weekend headlining tour with a show in Toronto as Schoolboy Q showcases his unique style and inventive flows. The rapper from South Central L.A. rose to fame with hits like That Part and Man of the Year and has huge collaborations with the likes of Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky.

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Method Man & Redman

Method Man & Redman

Sat., July 20

Where: Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St.
Genre: Rap
Why you should go: Hip hop legends Method Man and Redman will be embarking on a joint Canadian summer tour, which stops off at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre. The duo has been collaborating since 1994 at the peak of their powers and they continue to blow audiences away 30 years later.

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Greg Hawkes Performing the Music of The Cars

Greg Hawkes Performing the Music of The Cars

Sat., July 20

Where: El Mocambo, 464 Spadina Ave.
Genre: Rock
Why you should go: Greg Hawkes returns to Toronto and the saxophone player from The Cars will perform the band’s famous hits like Drive and Just What I Needed.

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Toronto’s Festival of Beer

Toronto’s Festival of Beer

Fri., July 26 – Sun., July 28.

Where: Bandshell Park, 100 Prince Edward Island Cres.
Genre: Festival
Why you should go: Two perfect worlds collide as beer and music take centre stage at the Beer Festival. There will be over 100 vendors providing the beer and live music performances by the likes of Cypress Hill (Fri., July 26) and Taking Back Sunday (Sun., July 28.)

Redd Kross

Redd Kross

Mon., July 29

Where: Lee’s Place, 529 Bloor St. W.
Genre: Rock
Why you should go: The California rock band will kick off a busy 2024 with a tour of North America this summer, before releasing an album, a memoir and a documentary that will give fans an incredible look behind the scenes of Redd Kross.

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Caribana

Caribana

Thurs., Aug. 1 – Mon., Aug. 5

Where: Various
Genre: Rap, soca, reggae
Why you should go: The Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana) is North America’s largest Caribbean carnival featuring the legendary parade and concerts both planned and impromptu There will be various events running throughout the weekend, including the Carnivale Music Festival on Sat., Aug. 3 at a TBD location with a huge lineup including Rick Ross, Polo G, Lola Brooke and Jadakiss.

Will Linley

Will Linley

Thurs., Aug. 1

Where: Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W.
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: Born and raised in Cape Town, Linley has gone from writing songs in lockdown to a national concert tour in a matter of a couple of years. The South African has built up a community of fans that resonate with his soulful pop tunes.

Add to Calendar America/Toronto
Veld Festival

Veld Festival

Fri.. Aug. 2 – Sun., Aug. 4

Where: Downsview Park, 70 Canuck Ave.
Genre: EDM
Why you should go: Cementing a reputation as one of the biggest electronic music festivals in the country, Veld Festival returns to Downsview Park with an A-list lineup full of the biggest names in the EDM genre, with acts that are guaranteed to put on an incredible show, including Martin Garrix (Sun., Aug. 4) and Steve Aioki (Sat., Aug. 3.)

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Fri., Aug. 2 – Sat., Aug. 3

Where: Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St.
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: Jenny from the block will head to Toronto as part of her This Is Me… Live tour, which marks her comeback after a five-year hiatus. J.Lo will perform from her Greatest Hits, including On the Floor and If You Had My Love.

Fate Gear

Fate Gear

Tues., Aug. 6

Where: Lees Palace, 529 Bloor St.W.
Genre: Japanese metal, steam punk
Why you should go: Bad ass steampunk girl band from Japan kicks ass in their first Canadian tour.

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Boots and Hearts Music Festival

Boots and Hearts Music Festival

Thurs. Aug. 8 – Sun., Aug. 11

Where: Burl’s Creek, 240 8 Line S.
Genre: Country
Why you should go: One of Canada’s biggest country music festivals returns to Burl’s Creek, ON, for a weekend that celebrates the genre with A-list acts like Jason Aldean (Sun., Aug. 8) and Cody Johnson (Fri., Aug. 9.) The outdoor venue can hold up to 100,000, people so expect a busy but lively atmosphere throughout the weekend.

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne

Mon. Aug. 12

Where: Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St.
Genre: Pop-punk
Why you should go: The genre-defining Canadian artist will embark on her first Greatest Hits tour, including a huge date at Scotiabank Arena. Lavigne will also be releasing her Greatest Hits album on Wed., June 21 as she tweeted, “Can’t do a greatest hits tour without a greatest hits album!!!”

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P!nk

P!nk

Wed., Aug. 14

Where: Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way
Genre: Pop
Why you should go: P!nk keeps showing why she is one of the great live acts in recent years with incredible special effects, vocals and ingenuity. The artist will put this on full display at a huge headlining show at  Rogers Centre with big support acts, including Sheryl Crow and The Script.

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Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino

Sun., Aug. 18

Where: Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St.
Genre: Rap, R&B
Why you should go: Childish Gambino recently announced his first tour in five years, which includes a date in Toronto this summer. Donald Glover has gone on to achieve further mainstream success as an actor and a writer over the last few years, but the Atlanta star will be gearing up to make further waves in music as he did in 2016 with the modern classic Awaken, My Love! album.

Add to Calendar America/Toronto
All Your Friends Festival

All Your Friends Festival

Fri., Aug. 23 – Sat., Aug. 24

Where: Burl’s Creek, 240 8 Line S.
Genre: Indie rock, Punk
Why you should go: Two days of indie and punk heroes including Billy Talent, All-American Rejects, Silverstein and Gob on Friday and Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Fefe Dobson on Saturday.

Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo

Sat., Aug. 24

Where: Budweiser Stage, Ontario Place, 909 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
Genre: Country
Why you should go: Canadian legends Blue Rodeo are back for their annual love-in by the lake, joined by Nova Scotia indie rocker Matt Mays and 2024 Juno-nominee, The beautifully voiced Begonia.

Add to Calendar America/Toronto

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