I went to Osheaga for the first time, and I have a few notes.
If you haven’t heard of it before, Osheaga is the biggest indie music festival in Canada, and was recently voted 22nd in the world by Billboard magazine.
As a born and raised Montrealer, Osheaga is kind of just another festival. It happens at the end of July or the start of August every year, usually at the tail end of Just for Laughs, and the weekend before ÎleSoniq, the Electronic music festival. Osheaga started in 2006 when I was 10, so I don’t really remember a summer without it.
Tickets aren’t cheap, this years were $145 Canadian for a day pass or $375 for a three-day pass. And that’s for general admission. The people willing to pay anywhere from $675 to $1,670 for three-day passes can get everything from priority entry to luxury suites and special viewing areas.
This was my first time going, mostly because I could never afford the tickets, and I usually worked and couldn’t get the time off for one day, let alone all three. For transparency, I need to tell you that I got my tickets for free from the radio station I’m working at this summer. They had unclaimed tickets and it was Friday at 1 pm, with everyone getting ready to leave for the weekend. They asked a few of us if we wanted to go, and the tickets were in my inbox by the time I got home. Sadly, I missed the separate email with the Friday tickets, so I didn’t get to go, but I spent most of Friday afternoon scrambling to get outfits, check what I was allowed to bring and see what acts I’d want to see.
If you just want my thoughts, here’s the TLDR; The shows were great, the lineup was decent considering how many music festivals are back for the first time since covid, and I’m planning to go back.
THE GOOD
The Acts – You could see how much most of the people performing wanted to be there and how excited many were to be back.
Highlights for me include Tove Lo, who said this was her third time at the festival, Ashnikko, girl in red, and of course festival closer, Dua Lipa. This set, by all accounts, blew Dua’s 2018 appearance out of the water by a long shot.
There were also a bunch of acts that were less known, but equally talented that took to each of the six stages.
Security/First Aid – Over the course of the weekend, I saw multiple people faint or need medical care, and they got it as soon as they saw or were alerted to the issue. They even had sunscreen bottles at the info tents for people who forgot or ran out to use.
The Lines – while the lines usually moved pretty quickly and food spots were available a little all over the place
The Crowd – People were respectful of personal space as best they could be, not sitting or standing too close to you if they could manage it.
THE BAD
The Acts – A few acts seemed irritated at the crowd not being as high-energy, and while I’m not the biggest fan, Future’s closing set Saturday fell short of what I’d expect of a headliner. Most of it seemed to be clips of songs, including the features, which left me feeling like I’d heard half of half a song.
Security/First Aid – While waiting between Ashnikko and girl in red, someone ahead of us needed help, and despite the efforts of the crowd, security wasn’t seeing or hearing them. My sister, who was in the nearly empty VIP section, ran to the gate to alert the medical staff who ran over and finally got securities attention. They gave the person some air and a bottle of water, and they seemed to be ok.
The Lines – getting in was oddly unorganized. Getting into what can only be described as a cluster of people being allowed in at a time, with no real line until you got closer to security.
The Crowd – People at times got pushy, oddly enough I only experienced people really moving around during Burna Boy’s set, with a lot of people trying to get close to the front and just as many trying to leave.
THE WTF
Public Urination – As always, instead of waiting and going to the bathroom like grown adults, I saw more than a few men taking a leak in small wooded areas. Seriously, guys? Gross.
Security Overstepping – While waiting in the VIP section, my sister was told by some overzealous security guard that he could throw her out for not having a bracelet, which were fazed out this year in favour of digital tickets, except for the more expensive tickets. While she wasn’t kicked out, she was in that pit with other people, many of whom had no bracelet, waiting over three hours exclusively to have a good spot to see MGK.
Metro Mayhem – While the metro was free at some downtown stations, that didn’t extend to Jean Drapeau, so there was a bottleneck as people flooded the metro station to get home, causing delays where there didn’t need to be any. As a kid coming back from LaRonde, on the opposite side of the island, the metro was often free, especially on nights after the fireworks. I don’t see why they couldn’t extend the free rides on weekends offer.
While not all of these issues are the responsibility of Osheaga, it is important to try to learn from previous issues to improve every year.
Autumn Afar 