AMPLIFY – YYZ Live & Polaris Music Prize Present OBUXUM and Artist TBA
September 3rd (TBA) 2026 and September 4th (OBUXUM) 2026 | Toronto Pearson International Airport | Terminal 1 and 3 | Free | All Ages
In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris Music Prize joins YYZ Live and the City of Toronto’s Music Office to bring live Canadian music into one of the country’s busiest gateways.
YYZ Live & Polaris Music Prize Present OBUXUM and artist TBA transforms Toronto Pearson International Airport from a place of transit into a temporary listening space, inviting travellers, airport workers, families, and visitors to encounter Polaris-recognized Canadian music as art while moving through the airport.
The 2026 Polaris Festival is a month-long celebration of Canadian music as art, bringing together concerts, salons, listening sessions, conversations, artist development initiatives, and the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall. Through the Festival, Polaris creates space for audiences to listen differently, discover artists in unexpected places, and explore how music can reshape the environments we move through every day.
Have some time to spare while travelling through Toronto Pearson? Take a moment to stop and listen.
Presented through Pearson’s YYZ Live program, the concert brings a Polaris-recognized artist into the terminal for two live instrumental sets designed to create a welcoming and engaging experience for audiences of all ages.
YYZ Live places music directly into the rhythms of everyday life. People may encounter the performance while arriving in Toronto, waiting for a flight, meeting family, working at the airport, or simply passing through the terminal.
Airports are defined by movement: departures, arrivals, waiting, reunions, and transitions between places.
The performance will feature an entirely instrumental set by a Polaris-recognized artist, adapted specifically for the acoustic environment of Toronto Pearson. With a stripped-back performance format and an emphasis on melody, musicianship, and atmosphere, the concert creates an accessible way for travellers of all ages to discover Canadian music.
No ticket is required. Audiences are invited simply to encounter the music as they move through the airport.
OBUXUM
Toronto-based producer OBUXUM believes creativity is an essential part of life — a quality that all human beings possess but don’t always get a chance to access. “I feel like every single person is born creative, but not many people have the opportunity to explore their different creative niches and then turn that into art,” she says. “For me, art means everything.”
About YYZ Live
YYZ Live is Toronto Pearson International Airport’s ongoing live music program, presented in partnership with the City of Toronto.
Throughout the year, the program brings more than 100 performances by local musicians representing a wide range of genres into Terminals 1 and 3. By presenting live music throughout the airport, YYZ Live creates opportunities for travellers and airport communities to discover Toronto artists while transforming moments of waiting and transit into cultural experiences.
About Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize is a Canadian charitable arts organization honouring music as art. Through its Album, Song, and Heritage Prizes, Polaris amplifies Canadian artists based on artistic merit — not genre, sales, or algorithmic popularity.
The 2026 Polaris Festival is presented by SiriusXM Canada and made possible through the support of Experience Ontario, Ontario Creates, the City of Toronto’s Cultural Festivals Funding Program, FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada’s private radio broadcasters, and the Festival’s many community and venue partners.
