GATHER – OFFICIAL 2026 Polaris Music Prize Concert & Award Afterparty
September 22, 2026 | 10:00 PM | The Drake Hotel, Toronto, ON | 19+ | Ticket Info
In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents the Official Polaris Music Prize Concert & Award Afterparty with DJ collective Afrique Like Me, a post-ceremony gathering celebrating the artists, nominees, winners, jurors, partners, and community that make up the Polaris ecosystem.
Following the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall, the afterparty invites guests to continue the night at The Drake Hotel for a warm, music-forward celebration rooted in connection, movement, and community.
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, gather around important Canadian albums, and explore how music shapes culture, identity, memory, and belonging.
Join us after the Polaris Music Prize Concert & Award Ceremony for the official afterparty, featuring DJ collective Afrique Like Me.
Known for creating musical experiences that celebrate art, electronic dance, underground sounds, alternative music, and music from across Africa and the diaspora, Afrique Like Me will bring a dancefloor-centred close to one of the biggest nights in Canadian music.
This year’s afterparty is designed as a space to gather after the ceremony, celebrate the 2026 Polaris season, and honour the artists whose work continues to shape the sound and cultural life of Canada. It is a moment for nominees, winners, alumni, jurors, artists, partners, industry, and the wider Polaris community to come together in celebration.
Taking place at The Drake Lounge, the afterparty brings Polaris into one of Toronto’s long-standing cultural spaces for a late-night gathering that feels intimate, social, and alive with the energy of the Festival.
About Afrique Like Me
Afrique Like Me is a Toronto-based collective comprising Razaq El Toro, Martin Ses and Sonic Griot.
The collective curates musical experiences that celebrate art, electronic dance, underground and alternative music from across Africa and the diaspora. Afrique Like Me is also a pioneer of Eko Electronic, a fusion of alternative electronic music, funk, underground elements, West African music and Afrobeats.
The collective has performed in Canada as well as internationally, sharing the stage with acts such as Francis Mercier, DJ Habibeats, Mo Black, Da Capo, Bun Xapa, AMÈMÈ, Keys N Krates, and Awen; at events such as Electric Island, Pride Toronto, Gondwana (Kenya), Bloom and Lumaterra; and at numerous venues, including Drake Hotel, History, The Velvet Underground, CODA, Grand Bizarre and Soluna.
Afrique Like Me
About the Polaris Festival
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.
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.
