The following musical events and releases are expected to happen in 2026 in Canada.
Notable events March 29 - Juno Awards of 2026Samantha Beattie, "Hamilton is 'ready for the spotlight' with 2026 Juno Awards coming in March, says mayor". CBC Hamilton, November 25, 2025. April 9-12 - 21st Canadian Folk Music AwardsEric Volmers, "Canadian Folk Music Awards to be held in Calgary with four concerts, award presentations". Calgary Herald, April 2, 2026. April 24 - SOCAN and SiriusXM Canada announce the creation of a new South Asian Music Prize to honour emerging creators of South Asian music in Canada.Kerry Doole, "The SOCAN Foundation Launches The Inaugural South Asian Music Prize". Billboard, April 24, 2026. April 28 - Feist, Loverboy, The Tragically Hip and Roch Voisine are announced as this year's inductees into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.Brad Wheeler, "Tragically Hip, Feist, Roch Voisine and Loverboy members to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame". The Globe and Mail, April 28, 2026. June 25 - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is approved for full membership in the European Broadcasting Union.Amber Dowling, "CBC gains full EBU membership, opening path to Eurovision". Playback, June 25, 2026. In addition to newsgathering and content-sharing with European broadcast networks, this opens up Canada's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027.Helen Surgenor, "Canada will enter the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest". CBC News, July 1, 2026. September 19 - 2026 Canadian Country Music Association Awards September 22 - 2026 Polaris Music PrizeAlex Nino Gheciu, "Angine de Poitrine, Beaches, Kaytranada make Polaris Music Prize long list". The Globe and Mail, June 11, 2026.
Dates TBA 48th Félix Awards
Albums set to be released
0-9 54-40, Porto - January 23Kerry Doole, "New & Upcoming Album Releases: Kid Koala's New Soundtrack, Tim Baker's Expanded Holiday Album". Billboard, December 5, 2025.
A Angine de Poitrine, Vol. II - April 3 Aquakultre, 1783 - February 6Matt Horseman, "Aquakultre’s 1783 album delves into enduring ties in Black Nova Scotia". The Globe and Mail, February 4, 2026. Archspire, Too Fast to Die - April 10 Arkells, Between Us - April 17Sydney Brasil, "Arkells Enlist Portugal. The Man and Grouplove on New Album 'Between Us'". Exclaim!, February 5, 2026.
B Baby Nova, Shhugar - January 16Kelsey Adams, Holly Gordon, Natalie Harmsen, Melody Lau and Bhaven Moorthy, "A yearning serenade from the Heated Rivalry soundtrack, and 6 more songs you need to hear this week". CBC Music, January 19, 2026. Bibi Club, Amaro - February 27 Black Atlass, Eternity - August 21 Boy Golden, Best of Our Possible Lives - February 13 Jacob Brodovsky, Tell the Kids We Tried - July 10 Dean Brody, The Tenth Album (Side A) - June 26 Broken Social Scene, Remember the Humans - May 8 Burnt Black, Heretical - January 30Alex Hudson, "Brian Borcherdt Reunites Burnt Black for New Album, Halifax Show". Exclaim!, January 20, 2026.
C Cadence Weapon, Forager - April 24Em Medland-Marchen, "Cadence Weapon's 'Forager' Stitches Together Disparate Cultural Shifts". Exclaim!, April 24, 2026. Ora Cogan, Hard Hearted Woman - March 13Emma Madden, "Hard Hearted Woman". Pitchfork, March 16, 2026. Charlotte Cornfield, Hurts Like Hell - March 27 CRi, AMi Vol. 1 - April 24Stefano Rebuli, "Quebec DJ CRi Trades the Solo Spotlight for a Community of Friends : 'I'm Done Touring Alone'". Billboard, April 24, 2026. Devin Cuddy, Livin' Hard Ain't Easy - April 17"Devin Cuddy on name-dropping Canadian cities in his music". Q, May 22, 2026.
D Daphni, Butterfly - February 6 DJ Shub, Heritage (Part Two) - May 1Jim Barber, "Shub Drops “I Know” ft. Sebastian Gaskin Ahead of Heritage (Part Two)". Music Life, April 28, 2026. Gord Downie and The Sadies, Live at 6 O'Clock - February 27Karlie Rogers, "Gord Downie and the Sadies Celebrated with Live Album". Exclaim!, February 10, 2026. Drake, Habibti - May 15 Drake, Iceman - May 15 Drake, Maid of Honour - May 15
F Luca Fogale, Challenger - January 30
G Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laughter in Summer - February 6
H Nate Haller, Can't Stay Here - September 25 Tim Hicks, Going Somewhere - May 22 High Valley, Paradise & Hurricanes - March 6 Holy Fuck, Event Beat - March 27
K Kardinal Offishall, Firestarter Vol 2: Everyday, Sometimes… - September 25 Mia Kelly, Big Time Roller Coaster Feeling - May 22Felix Hughes, "Interview: Mia Kelly talks focusing on her own perspective for the first time". Next, May 27, 2026.
L Matt Lang, Ain't That Bad - October 23 Abigail Lapell, Shadow Child - May 8Simon McKague, "Inside Abigail Lapell’s personal journey through motherhood on Shadow Child". Roots Music Canada, May 9, 2026. Sook-Yin Lee, 72RHR - May 29 Glenn Lewis, Overture - June 19 Les Louanges, Alouette! - April 10
M Majid Jordan, Two Roads - August 28 Jay Malinowski, Under a Landslide of Stars - March 13 Metric, Romanticize the Dive - April 24
N The New Pornographers, The Former Site Of - March 27Jazz Monroe, "The New Pornographers Detail New Album, Share Video". Pitchfork, January 21, 2026.
O Robyn Ottolini, A Safe Place to Land - August 21
P Peaches, No Lube So Rude - February 20Peaches returns with 'No Lube So Rude,' her first album in a decade, and signs to Kill Rock Stars Pony, Clearly Cursed - February 13Marissa Lorusso, "Clearly Cursed". Pitchfork, February 12, 2026.
R Owen Riegling, In the Feeling - April 17 Daniel Romano, Preservers of the Pearl - March 13 Allison Russell, In the Hour of Chaos - July 10 Ruth B., Peace to Make - August 21
S Saukrates, Father Time - September 22 JP Saxe, Okay Piano Guy - October 23 Joseph Shabason and Nick Krgovich, Four Days in June - June 12 The Sheepdogs, Keep Out of the Storm - February 27 Vivek Shraya, VIVICA - May 20Elena Sénéchal-Becker, "Vivek Shraya is hot, blond and hitting the dance floor". Xtra Magazine, May 20, 2026. Softcult, When a Flower Doesn't Grow - January 30 Arielle Soucy, Passages - March 27 Rae Spoon, Assigned Country Singer at Birth - April 10"Rae Spoon returns to Alberta, celebrating their new album". CBC Radio, May 6, 2026.
T Tanya Tagaq, Saputjiji - March 6Elena Massing, "Tanya Tagaq wants to 'bring Nunavut to the stage' in Split Tooth: Saputjiji" CBC Arts, January 27, 2026. Tenille Townes, The Acrobat - April 10 The Tragically Hip, The Tragically Hip: Live July 22 – August 20, 2016 - August 21Natalie Harmsen, "The Tragically Hip's final 2016 concert set to re-air on CBC this summer". CBC Music, May 13, 2026. Katie Tupper, Greyhound - January 21Megan Lapierre, "Pressure Makes Katie Tupper's 'Greyhound' a Diamond". Exclaim!, January 22, 2026. Shania Twain, Little Miss Twain - July 24
W Cameron Whitcomb, Deep Water - April 17 Wintersleep, Wishing Moon - March 27Allie Gregory, "Wintersleep Return with New Album 'Wishing Moon'". Exclaim!, November 7, 2025. Finn Wolfhard, Fire from the Hip - July 10 Donovan Woods, Squander Your Gifts - February 27
Deaths April 5 - David Wiffen, singer-songwriter April 10 - Dinah Christie, actress and singerMichael To, "Canadian actress, Party Game star Dinah Christie dies at 83". CHCH-TV, April 13, 2026. Accessed April 20, 2026. April 13 - Donald K. Tarlton, record producer and concert promoterKerry Doole, "Canadian Music Industry Pays Tribute To Legendary Montreal Entrepreneur Donald K. Tarlton". Billboard, April 24, 2026. April 14 - Taylor Kirk, singer and songwriter"Timber Timbre frontman Taylor Kirk, dead at 44". CBC Music, April 24, 2026. May 15 - Cris Derksen, cellist and composerJackie Carmichael, "Renowned Indigenous cellist killed in crash returning from father's funeral". Edmonton Journal, May 17, 2026. June 24 - David Clayton-Thomas, rock singer July 2 - Tommy Hunter, country singer and television variety host July 22 - Oliver Jones, jazz pianist September 15 - Pye Dubois, songwriter October 2 - Sass Jordan, rock singer"Montreal-raised, Juno-award-winning singer Sass Jordan dies at 63". Toronto Star, October 3, 3036.
References