This year’s Osheaga Music and Arts Festival attracted sell-out crowds of 45,000 people over the three-day spectacle and the event confirmed itself as one of the essential summer stops in Montreal. The 13th instalment of the unique and popular event was an immense success, and it has led the organisers to consider dramatically increasing its size in the years to come to accommodate a greater number of revellers. So what made the 2018 event so fantastic and what can visitors expect from next year’s festival?
The Osheaga Music Festival has long attracted large numbers of music and art lovers to Montreal on an annual basis. The indie music festival held at Parc Jean-Drapeau or Ile Saint-Helene began in 2006 and has taken place every year since. There are usually six stages with various audience capacities, and the names translated to English are the River Stage, Mountain Stage, Trees Stage, Green Stage, Valley Stage, and the Zone Piknic Electronik Stage. These names are appropriately named to fit with the nature and earth themes which give the festival a vibrant and organic feel. When the event founded by Nick Farkas first began, it attracted a crowd of 25,000 people, but by 2012 it maxed out its 40,000 attendance capacity each day.
Word of mouth and exceptional reviews have helped the Osheaga Music Festival expand exponentially, and it is destined to get bigger every year. The festival prides itself on featuring a number of up-and-coming acts along with well-established, world-renowned artists. Attendees of the 2018 event were treated to performances from Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, and Travis Scott. There were also numerous lesser-known artists such as Manchester Orchestra, Alice Merton, and Amy Shark who will doubtlessly see their respective fan bases swell after their excellent performances.
Canada is well known for hosting great music festivals, and the likes of Sappyfest, Boots and Hearts, and Riverfest Elora all bring in music lovers from all over the world. Despite these festivals each being excellent, Osheaga remains the country’s best-loved festival. 70% of visitors came from outside of the province, and 65-70% of the attendees were women. These impressive figures are why the event’s organisers are seeking to make it even bigger and better in the years to come. The regular site of the festival is currently being revamped so that it can accommodate crowds of up to 65,000 people starting from next summer. The organisers aren’t just going for the highest numbers possible, though, and their primary aim is to make sure they continue to maximise event-goers’ comfort and stand out from other festivals in this department.
Osheaga has always been a hugely popular music festival, but now it’s becoming better-known on a global scale. For this reason, it is likely to continue expanding for many years and will keep attracting some of the world’s best talent. If you haven’t yet attended the awesome three-day event, you should try and get down there next summer.
