Peterborough Musicfest Launches Its 2026 Lineup For Its 39th Season
/With the 39th season underway this summer, Peterborough Musicfest has released its 2026 lineup, announced at the Quaker Foods City Square on Wednesday morning.
Tracey Randall, Peterborough Musicfest executive director; Sue Passmore of Good Lovelies and Vince Bierworth, Musicfest emcee, launch this year's lineup of 2026. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Peterborough Musicfest concerts run every Wednesday and Saturday with free admission from June 27 to Aug. 19.
The following is this year’s lineup:
June 27: Gowan
July 1: Neon Nostalgic
July 4: Good Lovelies
July 8: Sass Jordan
July 11: Lighthouse
July 15: Tyler Joe Miller
July 18: Julian Taylor
July 22: TBA
July 25: TBA
July 29: Dwyane Gretzky
Aug. 1: Garth Brooks & Shania Twain Tribute
Aug. 5: Crash Test Dummies
Aug. 8: TBA
Aug. 12 Trans-Canada Highwaymen
Aug. 15: Crystal Faith
Aug. 19: The Dreamboats
“We're happy to just let everybody know who's playing,” said Tracey Randall, Peterborough Musicfest executive director. “People love to plan their vacations around us and they schedule it based on who's coming so we're just pumped to get the lineup out.”
@ptbo_canada @Peterborough Musicfest 🇨🇦🎤 has released its 2026 lineup for their 39th season! #ptbocanada #journalism #fyp #news #peterboroughmusicfest ♬ indie rock (60) - DJ BAI
Despite three acts to be announced, Randall says two have already been solidified but cannot be mentioned yet. This allows for-profit venues that have booked the same artists to generate ticket sales before making the free concert with Musicfest public.
Returning this season is the 50/50 Raffle Draw, which gave away over $33,000 last year. Musicfest brought back the ‘Future Sound Series,’ for a second-straight year. The second stage showcases emerging local artists, running from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on select nights. Last season was the series’s inaugural year, with nine artists but 2026 expanded to 15 acts.
“Where is our next Serena Ryder? We want somebody on our stage from Peterborough and the region so we're trying to bring in our locals,” explained Randall. “With a lot of our venues closing and a lot of festivals that have stopped, we need somewhere for these locals to play.”
With rising costs, this year is no exception for the 39th season of the non-profit organization. Randall says that despite these challenges, her crew and her prior relationships with acts have helped keep their free concert series going.
“Insurance has doubled, our production went up by 38 per cent and then of course, artists' fees have doubled,” she explained. “Because of our connection with a lot of the artists — they love Peterborough, they love what we do — we have a reputation. We're so lucky.”
Randall also credited the community and its local funds for helping keep the Peterborough tradition alive for nearly four decades.
“We're very proud with Peterborough and how far we've come with this festival,” she said. “There are so many people involved with Peterborough Musicfest for another forty years so cheers to that.”
Musicfest has a fundraising 2026 Diners’ Book which launched in late November. The $30 book features 85 dining offers deals from restaurants, cafés, pubs and other food establishments across Peterborough, the Kawarthas and the surrounding region.
The 2026 Diner’s Book is be available for purchase at:
Lansdowne Place (Customer Service Desk)
Cogeco Customer Centre -1111 Goodfellow Rd.
Online
