Draft:Riverfest Elora

Carly Rae Jepsen at Riverfest Elora in 2018. Photo by Britney Townsend.

Riverfest Elora is an annual three-day music festival that takes place in Elora, Ontario, Canada in August. The festival was first held in 2009 in the green space at the Elora Centre for the Arts before moving to Bissell Park along the Grand River in 2011. The festival has performances on four stages – the Main stage, the Koop tent, the Grassland stage and a small tent referred to as the Pavillion.

Past lineups have featured a mix of indie, folk, rock, hip-hop, country and alternative acts. Previous headliners include The Flaming Lips, MGMT, City and Colour, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alessia Cara, Metric, Feist, The Reklaws, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Gogol Bordello and Charles Bradley.

In addition to the summer festival, Riverfest Elora presents many year round concerts as well as speciality festivals and events such as “Millfest” (2013) and “Ice Jam” (2015 and 2016) as well as the Covid-safe focused “Wish You Were Here” in 2021 and “A Concert with Atty-Tude!” (A fundraiser for Team Addy) in 2023.

Past Lineups

2009: Rawlins Cross and Tony McManus

2010: Prairie Oyster, Dala, House of Doc and Zoe Janzen

2011: Danny Michel and Kevin Breit

2012: Cuff the Duke, The Wooden Sky, Tony McManus, Lisa Bozikovic, The Boo Radley Project, Karis Tees and performers from the Elora Acoustic Cafe

2013: Born Ruffians, Ashley MacIsaac, Rich Aucoin, Kevin Breit, Lowlands, Alanna Gurr, The Boo Radley Project and The Shawn Connerys

2014: Blue Rodeo, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Serena Ryder, Arkells, Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Bahamas, Elliott Brood, Young Galaxy, The Strumbellas, Kim Churchill, Quartette, Messenjah, Eccodek, Odd Years, Jadea Kelly and Snack!

2015: Metric, Sam Roberts Band, Bruce Cockburn, Lighthouse, The New Pornographers, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Shad, Alan Doyle, Zeus, Shakey Graves, Sarah Harmer, Tokyo Police Club, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Operators, The Planet Smashers, The Wooden Sky, The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo), Amelia Curran, The Acorn, Stretch Orchestra, The Meligrove Band, Groenland, The Elwins, Donovan Woods, Jordan Klassen, The Burning Hell, Tim Kingsbury, Dave Monks, Dani Nash, Jenny Omnichord and Mathias Kom, The River and the Road, Bass Lions, Odd Years, Ambre McLean, The Funky Mamas, Safe As Milk, The Boo Radley Project, The Lay Awakes, Bruce Cassidy’s Hotfoot Orchestra, Hein Cooper, The Haret, Spencer Burton, Gavin Gardiner, GROOVA and The Oxford Wild

2016: Chromeo, The Sheepdogs, Hey Rosetta!, Walk Off the Earth, Matthew Good, Wintersleep, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Yukon Blonde, Dear Rouge, Radio Radio, Busty and the Bass, 54-40 Unplugged, Kardinal Offishall, The Slackers, Dilly Dally, The Zolas, Reuben & The Dark, The Wet Secrets, Grand Analog, Fast Romantics, Young Rival, Bry Webb, Good for Grapes, John River, Jeremy Fisher, Whitney Rose, Ivory Hours, Bruce Peninsula, Stella Ella Ola, Sun K, DCF, Bossie, Lee Watson, Let’s Just Be Friends, Highs, Raven Shields, Etiquette, Brandon Wolfe Scott, Rich Burnett, Alexandria Maillot, The Medicine Hat, Goodnight Sunrise, Tupper Ware Remix Party, Elora House Band, D’eve Archer, Grove St., Adrian Jones, Madison Galloway, Safe as Milk, Deboer & Joël and Lowlands

2017: MGMT, Monster Truck, Gogol Bordello, Mother Mother, K.Flay, Sloan, Hollerado, USS, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Skratch Bastid, Austra, The Dirty Nil, Hannah Georgas, Darcys, Shred Kelly, Little Scream, Pocket Dwellers, Jenn Grant, Polaris Prize The Band, Partner, Samito, Motel Raphael, Neon Dreams, Safe as Houses, iskwē, Wax Mannequin, My Son The Hurricane, Helena Deland, Lee Watson, Saya, Lowlands, Odd Years, The Kramdens, Saturdae Jonez, The Boo Radley Project, Tara Beier, Avery Raquel, The Look Back Now, Peter Piper, Band of People, Broadway Draws, Mike Evin, Fergus Pipe Band, Tipping Point, The Boo Radley Project’s Karaoke Live!, Rivercital, Rocket Queen, Torero, B.A. Johnston, Megan Nash, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs, Mountain of Wolves, Rose Cora Perry & The Truth Untold, Skye Wallace and Yoga with Tania

The Flaming Lips at Riverfest Elora in 2018. Photo by Kevin Konnyu.

2018: The Flaming Lips, Carly Rae Jepsen, Blue Rodeo, July Talk, Wolf Parade, Dear Rouge, Bedouin Soundclash, Born Ruffians, Carole Pope, Donovan Woods, The Beaches, Cuff The Duke, Moon Hooch, Weaves, The Flatliners, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs, Ralph, Rawlins Cross, Grand Analog, Land of Talk, Rich Aucoin, Julie & The Wrong Guys, The Creepshow, Leeroy Stagger, My Son The Hurricane, Ariana Gillis, Bossie, Future Peers, Caveboy, Ellevator, Les Deuxluxes, New Swears, Heartstreets, The Sorority, Haviah Mighty, Eamon McGrath, Jessy Bell Smith, Alanna Gurr, The Dill, Royal Castles, Lee Watson, The Boo Radley Project, Rich Burnett, Bonnie Trash, Averages, Eclectic Vinyl Orchestra, Goodnight Sunrise, Cleopatrick, Luna Li, Ellen Froese, FXRRVST, The Bearskins, Madison Galloway, The Boo Radley Project’s Karaoke Live!, The Friendly Frogs Freak Show, Peter Piper, Adrian Jones & His Big Bag O’Ukes and GROOVA

2019: City & Colour, The Sheepdogs, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Alice Merton, A Tribe Called Red, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Mix Master Mike, K-OS, Hubert Lenoir, Men Without Hats, Black Caviar, Narcy, Terra Lightfoot, The Darcys, Begonia, Reykjavíkurdætur, Lowdown Brass Band, Monowhales, Bonjay, Pkew Pkew Pkew, Skye Wallace, Ben Rogers, B.A. Johnston, Kalle Mattson, Jim Bryson, The Anti-Queens, Kandle, Art D’Ecco, John Jacob Magistery, Los Poetas, Pale Lips, Moscow Apartment, Just John x Dom Dias, Long Range Hustle, Mouth Breather, The Redhill Valleys, DijahSB, Taylor Knox, Hotkid, Brett Newski, Dennis Ellsworth, Sarah Smith, Merival, The Boo Radley Project’s Karaoke Live!, Hyness, Janette King, Brave Moon, Ace of Wands, Nicolette & The Nobodies, Billy Moon, Kitzl, The Bearskins, Cubs Refrain, LUVR, Hello Delaware, Broadway Draws, Peter Piper, Missed Connections Live and Adrian Jones & His Big Bag O’Ukes

2021 (Wish You Were Here): The Trews, Kardinal Offishall, The Barr Brothers, Haviah Mighty, Crown Lands, My Son The Hurricane, Wolf Saga, Grae, AHI, Royal Castles and Middlebrook

Jessia at Riverfest Elora in 2022. Photo by Laura Leighton.

2022: Alessia Cara, The Glorious Sons, Mother Mother, The Strumbellas, Rheostatics, Ria Mae, Bran Van 3000, Jessia, The Blue Stones, Amanda Lepore, The OBGMs, Ruby Waters, Rose Cousins, Justin Rutledge, Charmaine, Dizzy, Kimmortal, The Planet Smashers, DijahSB, Pineo & Loeb, My Son The Hurricane, Luca Fogale, Softcult, Anna Sofia, Wine Lips, Aysanabee, B.A. Johnston, Command Sisters, Pony, Nimkish, Cots, Omega Mighty, Nicolette & The Nobodies, Royal Castles, Madison Galloway, Eekwol, Fellow Camper, The Boo Radley Project, Revive The Rose, Loviet, Safe As Milk, Orson Wilds, Excuse Me, I The Mountain, The Diner Mints, Shook Boys, Jessica Sevier, Uncle Harry & The Kickstands, Peter Piper, Mya Hicks, Edwin “The Cat”, Nosbic & Flawless, Junglecat, Yoga with Tania and Grace, The Boo Radley Project’s Karaoke Live!, Rivercital, The Paddling Puppeteers and Adrian Jones & His Big Bag O’Ukes

2023: Metric, Feist, The Reklaws, Charlotte Cardin, JJ Wilde, Matt Mays, Maestro Fresh Wes, Talk, Sonreal, Rêve, Leif Vollebekk, The Aggrolites, Renforshort, Spoons, Boslen, The Darcys, Aviv, Shred Kelly, Mobley, Kellie Loder, Birds of Bellwoods, Boogey The Beat, Sebastian Gaskin, Skye Wallace, K-Man & The 45s, Adam Baldwin, Fake Shark, Myst Milano., Housewife, Shebad, CJ Wiley, Shania Twink, The Skamones, Vince The Messenger, The Bearskins, Anna Paddock & The Lay Awakes, Michael Costantini, Jiggity James, The Shawn Connerys, The Boo Radley Project’s Karaoke Live!, Fame Cartel, Atay & Ajax, Animal Boy, Peter Piper, Adrian Jones & His Big Bag O’Ukes and Rivercital.