A quarter century ago, a group of friends launched what they hoped would be a meaningful and vibrant indie music festival to celebrate Montreal’s thriving arts scene. In 2026, POP Montreal is bringing back some notable names in the music scene for its 25th anniversary show running until Sunday. Nardwuar the Human Serviette, Luna, Martha Wainwright and Plants and Animals are among the over 180 music acts playing throughout the Plateau-Mile End. Wainwright played at the first edition of POP, which Daniel Seligman helped organize. “The first edition of the festival was put on with six months’ preparation, and it was kind of just like, ‘Let’s do this,’” he said. “I was like young and naive at the time. I was 25, had a part-time job, cheap rent. I’m like, ‘This sounds like a fun project. Let’s try to do it,’ and we were able to pull off the first edition.” Though the festival has expanded to five days and more venues, the concept remains the same: indie music and art in local venues. “It’s kind of essential to our DNA and mandate is to be a part of the the underground music scene in Montreal, and reflect the culture and help kind of propel it in a way, but also just maintain true to like its identity,” said Seligman. Among the over 20 venues in 2026 are the Ubisoft and Rialto rooftops, Sala Rosa, Casa del Popolo and the return of the iconic Divan Orange (for a limited time only). Alongside the music, the Puces POP market will feature over 100 designers, crafters and artists at the Église Saint-Denis, and Film POP at Cinema Moderne will screen a slate of rock-docs and narrative shorts about music. On Sunday, the Mile End Parade will depart from Club Social at 1 p.m., featuring the pied piper of the Mile End Socalled, leading a Yiddish march band Fanfargenign (with secret guests). Tickets and info can be found on the POP Montreal site. “It’s a showcase format: multi-genre, multi-venue festival over five days,” said Seligman. “Just kind of like a club crawl. One of the other things we try to do is, like, it’s really about Montreal, so it’s in the city. It’s not like you’re going onto the island, or you’re going onto like a big thing that could be anywhere in the world. It’s really about the life and culture in the city, and now specifically in the Plateau-Mont-Royal area. It’s really about the vibrancy of the culture here and the clubs and the nightlife and the artists that work and live here.”
