Wake up now: Up Here reveals all-Canadian line up for year 12
Up Here 12 reeks of revolution.
This year, Up Here is highlighting Canadian artists making waves in the industry. Come and experience something new, before it blows up. It’s about time we unplug from what is keeping us dormant and harness the power of a fresh perspective. The twelfth edition of Up Here festival is August 14 to 16, 2026 in Sudbury, Ontario.
Who exactly is coming? First up, you’ll be happy to hear they’re bringing SadBoi up from Toronto. She’ll bring big saddie-baddie energy to the dance floor. From the other side of sound comes Weird Nightmare and their 2010-does-1990s bratty indie punk rock.
Speaking of the ’90s, Much Music kids will be stoked that Sook-Yin Lee is coming with her new conceptual project. The once-VJ turned award-winning filmmaker and musician (and souch more) will get your blood pounding with this one.
PHOTO: Sadboi
Who else? Montreal’s Boutique Feelings, who’re dusted with psychedelia, offering an alternative take on hip hop. Tedy—the Haitian-Canadian pop singer-songwriter’s breakout single “Can I” surpassed 13 million streams—is bringing their viral authenticity. Hologramme is breaking the atmosphere with dystopian dance music. Montreal rapper/producer Quinton Barnes is bringing his visceral verses. And if you’re looking for hardcore, Grief Debt is geared up to haunt you in latex.
Slow down? Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg musician, writer, and academic breaking open the intersections between politics, story, and song. Lennie Rayen, North Bay’s newest sensation, is making indie-folk waves right in our backyard, and Boyhood is a nod to childhood nostalgia, think tough-kid guitar grit swirled with whimsical synth lines.
PHOTOS: Sook-Yin Lee, Tedy, Quinton Barnes, Boyhood
You may remember Calgary’s Miesha & The Spanks missed the party last year. Well, this year they are ready to rock out, it’s ’90s grunge that is fiercely their own. Another familiar face, this time from 2022, Status/Non-Status, the band is back and giving Anishinaabe-grunge-sludge-folk.
Even Sad Boys Like To Have Fun, and with that in mind, SamWoy traverses new terrain, blending rap bars with baroque and classical instrumentation. Anishinabe powerhouse John from Dawson is bringing beats on Family Day all the way from … you guessed it, Dawson City, Yukon.
PHOTOS: Miskopwagan Asin, Cat Hexes, June, La Pupila
On the visual side of things, Up Here 12 will see four superstars taking on the big murals this year. June (Korea via Toronto) is bringing a neon palette to the Copy Copy Printing wall. La Pupila (Colombia via Toronto) will embody feminine energy to illustrate fears, hopes, and desires for a tender world. Miskopwagan Asin aka Josh Morley is an Anishinaabe artist who explores his ancestral connection to the land through murals and screen printing. And Sudbury artist, Cat Hexes, is reimagining our world with monsters, paint, and magic.
PHOTOS: Aspen Groom, Brittany Lamers, Eli Blaauw, Ivan From the North, Kayode Jonathan Akande, and Michael Morphiend.
Up Here’s Power Up Project in partnership with Greater Sudbury Utilities is back and more electrifying than ever with six local emerging artists: Aspen Groom, Brittany Lamers, Eli Blaauw, Ivan From the North, Kayode Jonathan Akande, and Michael Morphiend. They’ll transform hydro boxes around town with powerful works of art.
Over at the installation station, Allison Roberts is transforming Le Crac into an otherworldly hangout spot. Cell Driver is working with projections and has something special up their sleeves. Myths and Mirrors Community Arts is working with the community to develop an installation alongside Ra'anaa Yaminah Ekundayo and The Art Gallery of Sudbury. They’ve also got lighting wizard, Anthony Piazza, who is transforming Le Studio at Place des Arts into a raving escape.
If rest is a necessary defragging, maybe it’s time for a hard reboot. Unplug, refocus, get up and build the world of your dreams.
Up Here is August 14 to 16, 2026 in Sudbury, Ontario.
Snag a passport before they run out! They can be purchased at uphere.com/passes
Up Here has been able to thrive with the support of countless allies. A special thanks to the Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, Ontario Arts Council, City of Greater Sudbury, Downtown Sudbury, Barrydowne Paint, Equipment World, Greater Sudbury Utilities, Copy Copy Printing, EverLine Coatings & Services, CBC’s Up North, Northeastern Ontario Tourism, ICI Radio-Canada Ontario, NORCAT, Sudbury.com, Dr. Clean, Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Exclaim! Magazine, Design de Plume, YES Theatre, YMCA of Northeastern Ontario, Quality Inn, Agilis Networks, and many more. To partner up with Up Here, visit uphere.com/partnerup.
