ROM After Dark + Polaris Music Prize

$40 (tax and fees included) Concert | September 26, 7:30-11:30 PM | Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 
19+ | Accessible Venue

In celebration of 20 years of Polaris Music Prize, we’ve created the Polaris Festival presented by Sirius XM Canada. The Festival is happening throughout September with over 15 events like Salons, Concerts, Listening Sessions, and our Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall. Browse Festival events here.

Buy tickets now.

ROM After Dark (RAD) is a one-of-a-kind 19+ nighttime celebration packed with live music, multiple dance floors, exciting performances, and mind-blowing visual art. Each themed event transforms ROM into a whole new experience with live DJ sets, interactive workshops, and unexpected moments waiting around every corner. No two RADs are ever the same!

Polaris‑winning Cadence Weapon and short-listed nominee Junia‑T take over the decks for a high-energy DJ party. Join them and party around dinosaur bones that are 145–200 million years old in the Royal Ontario Museum. A rare mash‑up of club vibes and ancient atmosphere.

Throw it back with DJ sets, hands-on crafts, and photo ops that’ll take you back to your school days. Whether you were the class clown, the artsy kid, or something in between, everyone is welcome, and zero homework is required!

Enjoy artisanal bites and Ontario wines, craft beer & cocktails throughout the Museum. The museum is open for you to explore.

Your ticket includes one complimentary drink ticket to kick off the night.

CADENCE WEAPON

Cadence Weapon is Edmonton-born, Hamilton-based rapper, producer, writer and poet Rollie Pemberton. His 2021 album Parallel World won Canada’s Polaris Music Prize.

Splitting his time between Edmonton’s experimental electronic and underground rap scenes as a teenager, Pemberton eventually developed a hybrid of both styles. Cadence Weapon has released six albums, five of which have been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, with Breaking Kayfabe (2006) and Hope In Dirt City (2012) and Parallel World (2021) being Short List nominees. Pemberton has toured extensively following the success of these albums, playing festivals like Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork Music Festival and Primavera Sound and performing shows with artists such as Public Enemy, Diplo, Questlove, De La Soul and more.

Pemberton’s music pairs ground-breaking production with incisive, socially conscious lyricism. Pemberton’s memoir called Bedroom Rapper was published by McClelland & Stewart in May 2022 and his newest album ROLLERCOASTER was released on April 19, 2024.

JUNIA-T

Toronto based producer, Junia-T, is on the rise! Whether it’s touring the world with Jessie Reyez as her official live DJ and longtime creative collaborator or busy in the studio cooking up tracks with the who’s who of the up and coming global hip-hop and R&B scenes. Junia-T’s incredible creative influence and contagious positive vibes are instantaneously winning people over the building his name. Junia-T’s critically acclaimed debut album entitled Studio Monk features an impeccable curated list of emerging and high profile talents including the likes of Jessie Reyez, Sean Leon and River Tiber. The album delivers an expansive display of his production talents, musicianship and A&R foresight, while effortlessly flowing through genres and musically. Junia-T is now back working on his sophomore album A One Two Chune featuring Miloh Smith, Benjamin A.D and many more.

POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE

Polaris Music Prize is a Canadian charitable arts organization celebrating 20 years of honouring music as art. From June to September 2025, the new Polaris Music Prize Festival brings concerts, salons, and listening sessions to Toronto and across Ontario — culminating in the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony on September 16 at Massey Hall. Through its Album, Song, and Heritage Prizes, Polaris amplifies Canadian artists based on artistic merit — not genre, sales, or algorithmic popularity. With 700+ artists championed, over $1.4M in prize and artist fees awarded, and a jury of over 200 music critics and curators, Polaris protects space for boundary-pushing music and fosters a deeper national music culture. Learn more at polarismusicprize.ca.

The event is part of the Polaris Music Prize Festival presented by SiriusXM Canada. CBC presents the 2025 Polaris Music Prize. This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s private radio broadcasters. It is supported by SiriusXM Canada, Ontario Creates, the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, and the Slaight Family Foundation.