This September, Polaris is creating space to listen differently. Across the month, the 2026 Polaris Festival moves through listening sessions, exhibitions, conversations, live performances, artist gatherings, and unexpected spaces across Ontario, bringing together the albums, artists, ideas, and communities that make Canadian music matter.
This year’s festival has four main components…
* LISTEN creates space to experience music with greater attention and care.
* GATHER brings artists, audiences, jurors, critics, and communities together around shared musical experiences.
* ILLUMINATE goes behind the music, revealing the ideas, histories, creative processes, and cultural conversations.
* AMPLIFY creates opportunities for artists, strengthening regional connections, and celebrates music in new and unique ways.
Together, the four streams create a Festival built around how we experience, understand, and support Canadian music as art.
Here’s this year’s programming list:
September 2, 2026 — LISTEN: Plantasia in the Gardens: Allan Gardens | Toronto | 6 PM – 9 PM | Pay What You Can (Suggested $10) | SOLD OUT
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mort Garson’s Mother Earth’s Plantasia with an intimate listening experience inside Allan Gardens.
September 3, 2026 ILLUMINATE: Un/Covering Memory: Personal Reinterpretations in the Polaris Cover Sessions | 6–9 PM | Remote Gallery, Toronto | Free | All Ages | Opening Party
Curated by Geoffrey Webster, the exhibition brings together selected Polaris Cover Sessions to examine what happens when familiar songs are reinterpreted through another artist’s lived experience.
September 4, 2026 — YYZ Live & Polaris Music Prize present OBUXUM: | Toronto Pearson International Airport | Terminal 1 and 3 | Free | All Ages
Presented through Pearson’s YYZ Live program, the concert brings past Polaris nominee Obuxum into the terminal for two live instrumental sets.
September 4, 2026 — AMPLIFY: Pony at the Northern Sound Exchange Presented by Polaris & Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) | Knox Hall, Sudbury, ON | Free with registration
Northern Ontario artist showcase featuring a performance from past Polaris nominee Pony.
September 8, 2026 — GATHER: The Value of the Music Manager and Their Role in Supporting Canadian Music as Art | 6 PM | It’s OK* Studios, Toronto | All Ages | Free with RSVP
Using manager burnout as a starting point, the discussion looks at the care, strategy, advocacy, and long-term support required to help artists build sustainable careers.
September 9, 2026 — ILLUMINATE: Hart House Producers’ Circle Featuring Haviah Mighty | 6–9 PM | Hart House Music Room, Toronto | All Ages | Free | Accessible Venue | Tickets (limited capacity)
Polaris joins Hart House Producers’ Circle for an intimate evening with Polaris Music Prize winner Haviah Mighty, moderated by artist, producer, and cultural programmer Vic Adamo.
