We believe music can move people, shift and reflect culture, and bring us together. This is where we share winner announcements, Long/Short Lists, festival news, artist interviews, and behind-the-scenes updates from the Polaris season.
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Public voting for the 2026 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize has opened and the nominees are in. The companion award to the Polaris Music Album Prize, winners and nominees for the Heritage Prize are also Canadian albums of artistic distinction, without regard to sales, genre or affiliation. This is our version of a hall of […]
September 19, 2026 | The Belleville Club, Belleville, Ontario | Thanya Iyer: 4:00 PM | Cadence Weapon: 5:00 PM | Free with registration | All ages The Polaris Festival travels to Belleville this September for an afternoon of live music presented in collaboration with Beautiful View, a homegrown festival. Taking place at The Belleville Club, […]
September 12, 2026 | TD Main Stage, Hamilton, Ontario | William Prince: 10:30 PM | Population II: 8:15 PM | Free All Ages The Polaris Festival travels to Hamilton this September for a free live music experience presented in collaboration with Supercrawl, Hamilton’s premier multi-arts festival. Staged along a pedestrian-only creative corridor in the heart […]
September 30, 2026 | VENUE TBA | 7:00 PM | Limited Capacity In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris brings to you Dreaming With: Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It in People, an immersive hi-fi listening experience that invites audiences to encounter a Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize-winning album in […]
September 24 – 26, 2026 | Location & Stage Times TBA, Toronto, Ontario | Tickets The Polaris Festival joins Second Summer in Toronto’s West End for a live music experience centred on independent artists, real-world discovery and the feeling of encountering something meaningful before it reaches everyone else. This co-presentation brings together Polaris-recognized artists Art […]
CBC presents the 2026 Polaris Music Prize has revealed the five nominee Short List for the second-ever edition of the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize. Launched last year as part of Polaris’ 20th and SOCAN’s 100th anniversaries, the Song Prize rewards $10,000 for one winning song, split between the song’s Canadian performers and the song’s credited […]
Sept 9, 2026 | 6-9 PM | Music Room – 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON | All Ages | Accessible Venue | Ticket Info In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Hart House Producers’ Circle Featuring Haviah Mighty, an intimate evening of conversation, creativity, and community with a […]
September 21, 2026 | 9:00 PM | The Drake Hotel, Toronto, ON | Ticket Info In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents PRACTICE, a curated jam of improvised music that invites audiences to participate in the act of making music as it happens. The 2026 Polaris Festival is a […]
ILLUMINATE – Un/Covering Memory – Personal Reinterpretations in the Polaris Cover Sessions (Exhibition Opening Party) September 3rd, 2026 | 6 PM – 9 PM | Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1Y9 | RSVP | All Ages In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Un/Covering Memory […]
The Polaris Music Prize is proud to announce the return of the 2026 Polaris Festival this September, a month-long celebration of Canadian music as art, featuring more than 20 events across Ontario, including Polaris nominees, winners, and alumni. Presented by SiriusXM Canada, the 2026 Polaris Festival continues to expand Polaris’ public-facing programming beyond the Prize […]
