By Will McGuirk
Such an interesting line-up this year at Hillside Festival, based on the island in Guelph Lake, just north of Guelph itself. Hillside keeps surprising year after year with the artists they land. This year there are several local youth and school groups at play (building for the future perhaps), as well as the eclectic mix of stars both Canadian and International and actual Stars as in the band!
Six acts of note to us below:
Angine de Poitrine well, once again Hillside bookers are ahead of the curve. The Quebec prog rock duo are a viral sensation but with the chops to back up the hype. And Hillside have them. They are on Sunday July 19 2026 at 7 p.m on the Island and best just stay on your spot from Friday because that tent will overflow and you will be boasting for years.
Right before our next pick too - the Cowboy Junkies headline the Main Stage on Sunday celebrating 40 years from their iconic ‘Trinity Sessions’ to their latest ‘Such Ferocious Beauty!’ I used to go see them forty years ago and wouldn’t have suggested such longevity but the Junkies took the quiet talented approach and they still wow in the most genteel way, maybe we can say in the most Canadian way. 8:10 pm
Fulu Miziki are indicative too of the Hillside booking aesthetic Think Local Book Global. Fulu Miziki, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, self describe as Eco-Friendly-Afro-Futuristic-Punk wearing their own Mad Max-ish garb made from “garbage” - the musical equivalent of one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. One to witness live for sure. 4:15 Main Stage Sunday.
And live Mad Professor!! the British Dub producer who has worked with Depeche Mode, Jamiroquai, the Beastie Boys, Massive Attack, Rancid, The Orb, as well as reggae legends Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, Sly & Robbie, Buju Banton and U-Roy. Mad Professor plays Saturday on the Island Stage at 7:30 p.m.
PIQSIQ (Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay) are two Inuit style throat singing sisters with roots in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and Nunavut’s Kitikmeot and Kivalliq Regions. I have seen them before and what spellbinding beauty and emotional resonance so much so it seemed to penetrate my own DNA so deep did it go. Lake Stage 5:10 pm Saturday.
Donovan Woods, another artist I’ve seen live, most recently here in Oshawa, and he is of course an incredibly accomplished singer/ songwriter but what I didn’t expect was just how funny he is on stage, chats as much as performs and thoroughly entertaining.