After almost two decades of offering folk and other music lovers free shows on the canal to start the summer, the Festival sur le Canal will not happen in 2025.
The festival posted on its site that it must “pause its operations” as the “current funding model is not compatible with the significant increases in production costs necessary to ensure the safety and quality of this free family event, which primarily features local Montreal artists and artisans.”
Festival organizer Carl Comeau said this year’s festival, scheduled for June 13-15, is the same weekend as the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal, which means everything is more expensive.
“We’re spending more money on keeping our event secure, making sure what we created 17 years ago is still valid, family friendly, and so it puts us in a situation where suddenly we need to cut budgets with artists, and we can’t accept that,” said Comeau.
Eddy Blake Eaton has played at the festival around a half-dozen times with bands such as The United Steel Workers of Montreal, Filly and the Flops and The Eddy Blake Trio.
“We had a feeling of knowing that we were helping to build something,” said Eaton. “We had a role in building something that we hoped would last.”
Eaton said that unlike the bigger festivals such as Osheaga or the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Festival sur le Canal was inviting, family friendly and featured a well-curated selection of local and out-of-town talent.
“That brings me no joy to see it end because it’s something for my small part in it, it’s something I can be proud of, and something I would want to see last forever,” he said.
The festival started in 2008 and operated along the Lachine Canal at the corner of Saint-Patrick and Pitt streets around the second weekend of June.
“Our festival was always built with the mission of keeping culture, and we’re talking about music and artisans, local artisans in our case, accessible to all,” said Comeau.
The team is not ruling out relaunching the festival in 2026.
“We do not yet know what the future holds, but rest assured that we will continue working and seeking a solution to present an 18th edition of the Festival sur le Canal,” they wrote.
Comeau said the festival team is hopeful that Friday’s announcement will prompt a partner to step up and help
“We’re always open because, at the end of the day, we believe in what we created,” he said. “We know that this is something that the neighbourhood wants and appreciates, and we know that when it’s sunny, there’s 30,000 people that show up.”
