By Will McGuirk
Excited to see the awesome Whitby Music Festival (put together by the even more awesome folks at Town Brewery) return for another year. Headliners for 2026 include Rural Alberta Advantage, Shad and Elyse Saunders. The festival runs Thursday June 25 through to Saturday Jun 27. Free shows in local businesses downtown Whitby on Thursday and through the weekend, Country music spotlight on Friday and RAA, Shad, plus other fine acts on Saturday also on the Main Stage which is set up in Celebration Square outside the Whitby Library on Hwy 2. Tickets and scheduling info here.
Six acts of note to us below:
Sure Shad has a bunch of awards but what really matters is he has a beer collaboration with Town! The Juno winning Polaris Prize listed rapper from London, ON, is someone to catch as he doesn’t play around these parts much. The Shad beer collab is called Barber Shop and is brewed with an ancient, sustainable West African grain called fonio, shout out to his roots in Rwanda. He is on the Main Stage Saturday evening.
Johnny99 does the alt-country twang thang as well as being guitarist with City & Colour. Named for the Johnny Cash album I’m guessing I’ve been following along for a while and the 99 does give 100% so check him out Friday eve.
Whitby Music Fest heavy leans into providing opportunities for artists with connections to Whitby and out into Durham Region. I have to give a shout out to Mary & Adelaide for familial reasons but also because they do deliver on their post emo suburban indie rock sensibilities. Most recently saw them at Springtide where they won over the room decently. They play a free show at Against The Grain tattoo shop Thursday evening.
Chuck Coles has an appearance at Mariposa but before that he’s at WMF. Oshawa kat Coles was in Cauterize and Organ Thieves but is solo these days. He is playing the free show at Hunt & Dagger Barber Shop on Thursday evening.
Indie darlings from Durham Region, Candace & Michael have a big hit playing the radios these days ("Grow Older With You") but have been doing the music for quite some time. Fab harmonies, great vibes, they play Jacked Up Coffee Saturday afternoon. Free show too.
And intriguingly Rody Walker of prog metal legends Protest The Hero is DeeJaying, so thinking the Fest after party, if so yes please as given Rody’s eclectic taste and wicked sense of humour if may just be a night of K-Pop!.