News
23 September 2026 – POP Montréal Begins Its 2026 Edition With Luna, Dune Rats and a Sprawling Independent Programme
By Editorial Team - September 23, 2026
Summary
The 2026 edition of POP Montréal launches today with over 200 concerts across Montreal venues including Luna, Dune Rats, High Vis, and A Winged Victory for the Sullen.
Key Facts
- POP Montréal 2026 opened today, running September 23–27 with over 200 concerts, films, conferences, and exhibitions.
- Opening night features Luna at Théâtre Rialto, Dune Rats at Bar Le Ritz PDB, and Hana Stretton at La Sala Rossa.
- Wider lineup brings together High Vis, Automatic, Squirrel Flower, Spencer Krug, and Think About Life.
- Entities: POP Montréal, Luna, Dune Rats, High Vis, A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Julie Doiron, Chad VanGaalen, Basia Bulat, Montreal, Canada
- Tags: pop-montreal, montreal-festivals, luna, dune-rats, canadian-music, festival-guide
POP Montréal opens today for its 2026 edition, beginning five days of concerts, art, film, conferences and the sort of schedule-management crisis that traditionally accompanies a good city festival. Running September 23-27 across multiple Montreal venues, this year's programme includes more than 200 shows and a lineup stretching from established independent names to artists many attendees will claim they discovered approximately eleven minutes before everybody else.
Opening-night music includes Luna with Hanako and sundayclub at Théâtre Rialto, Dune Rats with The Lookout and Boy Wonder at Bar Le Ritz PDB, and a bill featuring Hana Stretton, Lune Très Belle and Eliza Niemi at La Sala Rossa. Casa del Popolo hosts Mind Bath, Laroie, POSIC and Nick Schofield. The wider festival programme includes A Winged Victory for the Sullen, High Vis, Think About Life, Julie Doiron, Automatic, Squirrel Flower, Chad VanGaalen, Basia Bulat, Spencer Krug and plenty more.
POP Montréal's longevity matters because showcase festivals increasingly function as physical infrastructure for independent music, bringing artists, listeners and industry people into the same actual rooms rather than hoping an algorithm eventually introduces them. There will undoubtedly be sore feet, missed sets and at least one artist somebody insists was life-changing despite hearing only the final song. That is not a flaw. It is basically the festival business model.