Sudbury’s Northern Lights Festival Boréal makes history with 2026 lineup

Northern Lights Festival Boréal, Canada's longest-running outdoor music festival, takes over Sudbury's Bell Park this weekend.

Northern Lights Festival Boréal is taking over Greater Sudbury’s Bell Park this weekend.

“We have a fantastic lineup. We have great workshops,” said Michelle Murray, the festival’s executive director.

“Volunteers have come out in droves to support the festival and be here and so everything’s shaping up to be a fantastic festival.”

This year, the 54th annual festival is making history with three all-female headliners, which include Canadian icons Sarah Harmer, Begonia and Terra Lightfoot.

For this year’s roster, Dan Mangan, Foxwarren and Logan Staats are three of the biggest drawcards playing the festival stages alongside those headliners.

With 35 artists taking the stage, Murray said the lineup is diverse.

“We have 20 per cent francophone, 20 per cent Indigenous,” she said.

“We have African American performers, we have LGBTQ2S+. We have, of course, the three female headliners, which is amazing.”

Murray estimated between 9,000-11,000 music fans will filter through the park by the time the weekend wraps up.

Kerri Stephens, the festival’s artistic director, told CTV News that a number of acts have gone on to be nominated or win multiple awards this year.

“We’re always trying to catch artists that are just breaking through, so trying to book them and then and then they start getting, recognized from that point is very exciting,” she said.

“We really want to support emerging artists, but we also want to introduce your new favourite bands.”

Stephens said there will also be a number of workshops this year.

“It’s kind of a tradition in Canadian folk festivals,” she said.

“What ends up happening is you have, you know, anywhere from two to four, sometimes even five groups together on a stage together. Mostly it is music focused, so they just each take a turn. It’s like a song circle.”

Stephens also added that this is the first year NLFB will be offering a fully Francophone workshop.

“We have four different francophone artists. They will be performing and speaking in French,” she said.

“We really wanted, that community to come out and feel like there was something kind of cool that was just for them.”

One of the bands performing for the first time is Bye Parula, a trio formed during the pandemic.

The group includes Loïc Calatayud-Sola from the south of France, Sebastián Riquelme from Chile and Sergio D’Isanto from Italy.

The group, who now live in Montreal, will be playing new tracks from their new album ‘Something Out of Nothing’ on Friday night.

“I think it will resonate because we are fun, we are friends, we are family, we have fun on stage,” said Calatayud-Sola.

“We love what we do. So, I think this is like when it resonates with people in front of you, they are dancing, they are having fun. That’s the best way.”

Beyond the music, Murray said a petting zoo will be a new feature for families this year.

There will also be a pay-what-you-can option from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

“Families can come and check out the workshops and the daytime music and of course the vendors, they can come to the festival and if they have any financial restrictions, we won’t turn anybody away,” she said.

Murray said ticket sales have been slow thus far, but she’s hoping they’ll pick up.

“We’re really hoping that the community gets behind the festival and helps us out, as you can tell, 2026 Festival is raring to go, but there might be some struggles for the 2027 festival,” she said.

“We’re asking everybody to come out, pay what you can and donate, buy tickets and that’ll help the festival continue.”

The event wraps up Sunday.