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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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 […]
LISTEN – Dreaming With Caribou September 29, 2026 | Location To Be Revealed | Ticket Info | 7:00 PM | Limited Capacity In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Dreaming With: Caribou’s Andorra, an immersive hi-fi listening experience that invites audiences to encounter a Polaris-winning album in complete darkness. […]
September 4, 2026 | Knox Hall, Sudbury, ON | Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) to Announce Ticket Information In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Polaris Festival Northern Sound Exchange in partnerships with the Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION), a regional gathering designed to support artist discovery, industry dialogue, […]
Free Salon, Requires Registration | September 16, 2026 | 6:30–9:00 PM | The Palmerston Theatre, Toronto | All Ages | In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Collective Study: k-os’ Joyful Rebellion and the Sound of Black Canada, a listening-based cultural salon that revisits one of the defining Canadian […]
September 19, 2026 | 2:00–5:00 PM | It’s OK* Studios, Toronto, ON | Free With RSVP | All Ages In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Uncovered: Aquakultre’s Community Listening Party in Collaboration with Half A Concert, an intimate listening party, oral history gathering, and live storytelling experience led […]
CBC presents the 2026 Polaris Music Prize has revealed its 10 nominee album Short List. The album Short List, powered by FACTOR, is where Polaris reveals the finalist records that will be considered for a given year’s Prize. The 2026 Polaris Music Prize Album Short List is: Angine de Poitrine – Vol. II Aquakultre – […]
