From Chris Lake to Caribou—Relive Osheaga’s landmark 15th anniversary

by: Natalie Pereira Aug 16, 2022

In early 2020, the notion of live music dissipating from Montreál’s thriving run of summer events was virtually inconceivable. But just a few months into that very year, due to a raging pandemic, the postponement of the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival was a bleak and sobering hit to not just the city of Montréal, but the entire country.

For Canadians, Osheaga has accrued a reputation alongside the most venerable international music festivals. The United States proudly touts events like Coachella and Bonnaroo as their flagship events, while hundreds of thousands of people in the UK flock to Glastonbury each year for the five-day camping festival. Over time, each of these renowned events distinguish themselves with unique physical characteristics that become synonymous with the festival itself—think Coachella’s kaleidoscopic tower that lights up the festival’s skyline. For Osheaga festival goers, the illuminating sphere of the Biodôme among the city tends to strike first-time attendees into a state of awe. But like these other upper-echelon festivals, there’s more to Osheaga than physical delights that turns first-time attendees into returning festival veterans.

For fifteen years now, Osheaga has remained a steadfast tradition in the city’s summer festival circuit. Extended dance music’s most prolific names have graced its stages over the years, ranging from talent like Tame Impala and The Chemical Brothers more recently in 2019, to recurring appearances from hometown heroes, Kaytranada and A-Trak bringing their all to a scene of familiar sights and sounds. The festival has grown from a locals-heavy lineup that caught the eye of burgeoning artists, to drawing in international A-list talent, looking for their chance to woo Canadians in their performance.

Flash forward to 2022, and Osheaga is back, baby. The three-day festival rang in their momentous post-pandemic return with smashing success, welcoming over 120,000 people to Parc Jean-Drapeau over the course of the July 29–31 weekend. The festival’s long-awaited return was soundtracked by all genres—including headlining performances from pop-crossover caliber artists like Dua Lipa, Kygo, Arcade Fire, Porter Robinson and Future. On the electronic music side, tastings of house, techno, and bass were peppered across the weekend’s smorgasbord, giving fans the chance to offer a warm welcome to names like Chris Lake, John Summit, Polo & Pan, Caribou, TSHA, and Seven Lions. Osheaga Music and Arts Festival will next return to Parc Jean-Drapeau on August 4–6, 2023.

To capture their 15th anniversary celebration, Dancing Astronaut has compiled a selection of the festival’s best photos to commemorate the weekend.