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A new festival will take place at Burlington, Ontario\u2019s waterfront. The Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival is coming to Spencer Smith Park on June 20 and 21.<\/p>\n
In December, the city named MRG Live as the new operator for a two-day fest<\/u><\/a>, which is set to replace the four-day Sound of Music Festival. The weekend event will feature three music stages, a downtown street festival, according to a five-page city staff report<\/u><\/a>. <\/p>\n To accompany the report, the festival organizers drafted a one-page brief<\/u><\/a> detailing their plans for the inaugural event, which will be presented to the city\u2019s committee on Feb. 9. <\/p>\n \u201cThe event is envisioned as a vibrant, multi-stage festival that brings together nationally recognized Canadian artists, emerging performers, local and Indigenous talent, and family-friendly programming, while generating meaningful cultural and economic benefits for Burlington\u2019s downtown and waterfront,\u201d the one-pager reads.<\/p>\n According to the brief, the heart of the festival will be the Spencer Smith Park main stage with a lineup of Canadian musicians from several music genres, with a \u201cnotable Canadian headliner\u201d closing out each evening. <\/p>\n The concept includes an additional two stages: a community stage, focusing on family-friendly and youth-oriented programming, including music, dance and storytelling, along with the Brant Street stage, which will feature city-based musicians, emerging performers and Indigenous artists.<\/p>\n \u201cFestival planning is centred on celebrating Canadian talent, strengthening community connections, supporting local businesses and positioning Burlington\u2019s waterfront and downtown as dynamic and inclusive cultural destinations,\u201d reads MRG Live\u2019s submission. Performers are set to be announced in the coming months.<\/p>\n While the Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival will remain free to attend, there will be a paid VIP option to \u201cfurther enhance the visitor experience.\u201d The brief outlines that the planned VIP section will include \u201cpremium sightlines, exclusive beverage offerings, lounge seating, merchandise and optional artist meet-and-greet experiences.\u201d <\/p>\n Despite being one of the largest free music events in Canada, the Sound of Music Festival faced significant financial problems<\/u><\/a> in recent years and was reliant on government funding to maintain its over 40-year legacy. <\/p>\n Previous festival performers include Marianas Trench, Gord Downie, Tom Cochrane, Carly Rae Jepsen, Blue Rodeo, Kim Mitchell, Arkells, Collective Soul and Cowboy Junkies.<\/p>\n Back in October, the Burlington city council declined funding requests<\/u><\/a> for the proposed 2026 edition of the four-day fest and instead will provide its $150,000 of base funding to a potential new waterfront music festival. <\/p>\n