Brampton has definitely seen a rise in arts, culture, entertainment and all-around cool stuff to do in the past couple of years. One thing the city is sorely lacking is a solid music festival. Until the city can host its own music festival, we’re stuck trekking to other cities.
Luckily, there are plenty of cities near Brampton that have festivals worth travelling for. Here are 10 of those festivals you’ll definitely want to check out this year.
Bud Light Dreams Festival — July 7-8
Location: Toronto, ON
Drive Time: 35 minutes
This one is a no-brainer. Digital Dreams has been renamed and rebranded for this year. The festival will still take place at Echo Beach and will have three stages, including a waterfront stage. It goes down on July 7 and 8 this year, and is now a 19+ event.
Sound of Music Festival — July 10-11
Location: Burlington, ON
Drive Time: 35 minutes
This waterfront festival goes down in Burlington on July 10 and 11. Headlining this year will be The Offspring, Smash Mouth, Marianna’s Trench, Spin Doctors and more.
Rock the Park — July 12-16
Location: London, ON
Drive Time: 1 hr 40 minutes
This London, Ontario festival is extra special because homegirl Alessia Cara will be performing and representing Brampton in epic fashion. The festival runs from July 12 to July 16. From pop and country to 90s hip hop, there’s music for everyone’s tastes. Alessia Cara won’t be alone, Wiz Khalifa
Hillside Festival 2017 — July 14-16
Location: Guelph, ON
Drive Time: 40 minutes
Hillside is a non-profit music festival that celebrates Canadian artists. Bonus, it happens on an island near Guelph. It’s also the only eco-friendly festival in the area. This year features Weaves, Zavier Rudd and more.
Wayhome — July 28-30
Location: Oro-Medonte, ON
Drive Time: 1 hr 20 minutes
Music, food and art — what more could a person ask for? Did we mention it’s basically a giant sleep over? The Barrie-area festival has grown a bunch the last couple of years. The 2017 lineup includes Solange, Flume, Justice and Tegan and Sara.
Boots & Hearts Music Festival — Aug 10-13
Location: Oro-Medonte, ON
Drive Time: 1 hr 20 minutes
Picture cowboy boots and hats, BBQ, southern drawls and a whole lot of great country music. This year’s festival lineup includes Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Brantley Gilbert, the Eli Young Band and more.
RiverFest Elora — Aug 19-20
Location: Elora, ON
Drive Time: 1 hr 5 minutes
Although Elora, ON is a quaint town, this festival is anything but. Prepare for things to get loud, and prepare to spend a couple of days in a tent because this festival is camping-friendly. Last year’s lineup included Walk Off The Earth, Kardinal Offishall, Chromeo and more. The 2017 lineup has yet to be revealed.
Supercrawl — Sept 8-10
Location: Hamilton, ON
Drive Time: 45 minutes
A great way to close off summer. Supercrawl is a giant music, arts and food festival that takes over James Street in downtown Hamilton. There are lots of things to enjoy, not just arts, music and food, but fashion, crafts and more. This year’s lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but we’re sure it will be good.
