Sled Island festival yields unique opportunities for Edmonton musicians

Pearly Moon at Commonwealth in Calgary, Alta., on June 17, 2026. (Michael Grondin/Sled Island Music and Arts Festival)

While Calgary’s Sled Island Music and Arts Festival may be in the rearview of the summer, the opportunities it yields for artists far and wide prove to be long-lasting.

The five-day festival in southern Alberta brings hundreds of artists from across the globe to dozens of venues across Calgary and sees more than 20,000 attendees.

It’s also a popular event for those in Edmonton’s music scene to play and attend.

Patrick Earles, the mind behind psychedelic pop group Pearly Moon, said playing Sled Island gives both musicians and music fans opportunities that wouldn’t necessarily exist in Alberta otherwise.

“I was fortunate enough to see bands like Television, Mission of Burma and The Sonics at previous Sleds, and Laraaji at this year’s edition – all artists I wouldn’t expect to come to Alberta and probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Sled and their excellent curation,” Earles told CTV News Edmonton.

Each year, Sled Island brings in an artist to perform and also curate some of the bands. This year, Los Angeles’ clipping was guest curator and brought in acts including Backxwash (Montreal), Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Brooklyn, NY) and Chicago’s Sharon Udoh, among others.

Headliners for the festival also included Black Country, New Road (Cambridge, UK), Homeshake (Montreal), feeble little horse (Pittsburgh, PA) and Etran de L’Aïr from Agadez, Niger.

“Sled gives you a great opportunity to network and expand your audience both in Alberta and beyond,” said Earles. “Also, you end up playing these really stacked bills that probably wouldn’t have come together otherwise.”

Pearly Moon played this year twice – once for the festival’s kick-off at Commonwealth and again at Dandy Brewing.

“Getting to play a fairly big stage like Commonwealth isn’t something that’s really happened for me in Edmonton, and it was nice to get a chance to do that for the Sled kick-off show,” said Earles. “Both those sets definitely got me a few new fans in Calgary.”

Members of Edmonton’s Big Evil Rat echoed Earles’ sentiment, saying Sled Island brings people together.

“We have an opportunity to meet younger Calgary bands and try to get our way into a different scene,” said frontman Nolan Bossert.

But at the same time, Bossert adds that the festival can serve as a reunion among friends and musicians who have left the prairies to pursue their art in other markets.

“It’s nice to be able to come to a place where there’s so many people that have moved away and there are friends returning to the province,” explained Bossert.

The garage-rock six-piece with two drummers (yes, two drum kits), will be releasing their new album on Saturday at Southbound Brewing with hometowners Paint Drying.

You can also expect to hear Pearly Moon’s EP Marigold in the coming months.