It’s the most wonderful time of the year…Lineup Day!
Lights, Destroyer, Shad, The Weather Station, and many more at Northern Lights 2025
In 1972, a small folk music festival took place on the shores of Ramsey Lake in Sudbury, ON. At first, those involved couldn’t imagine that it might grow into the festival it is today, but over time, the vision expanded, and the unique appeal of this celebration spread worldwide. The 2025 edition of Northern Lights Festival Boréal (NLFB) takes place July 4-6, featuring over 35 acts, 7+ stages/venues, and 60+ shows. The full lineup to date can be found at nlfb.ca/artists, with a few more surprises to come.
FULL FESTIVAL AND ALL-DAY PASSES ARE NOW ON-SALE at nlfb.ca.
Day 1 – July 4
MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA
CROWD FAVOURITE MELBOURNE SKA IS BACK! Formed in 2003 Melbourne Ska Orchestra is an orchestra with a difference. Comprising up to 26 members this juggernaut contains some of Australia’s finest musicians and performers. Helmed by the energetic and charismatic Nicky Bomba (John Butler Trio, Bomba, Bustamento) Melbourne Ska Orchestra are more than just a band, they are an experience to behold.
The band’s debut self-titled release resulted in sell-out national shows, multiple major festival appearances, three international tours, and many awards and nominations. Their sophomore release Sierra-Kilo-Alpha, secured that band its first ARIA award in 2016. Never shying from a challenge the band set a high bar by undertaking the mammoth mission to release a song every week – for an entire year. The resulting 52 songs compiled into a four-album box set, One Year Of Ska earned the band a second ARIA award in 2019.
Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s live performance is explosive and infectious. Their unique take on the genre of Ska has wowed audiences all over the world. From Montreal to New York, Istanbul to London, Tokyo to Mexico and with the approval of Reggae and Ska pioneers like Stranger Cole, Owen Gray, Carlos Malcolm, Ranking Roger and Neville Staples the Melbourne Ska Orchestra sound is resonating with audiences worldwide – young and old.
FATEH DOE
Fateh Singh, aka Fateh Doe, was born on October 19 in Bangkok, Thailand to Punjabi Sikh parents who originated from Jalandhar, Punjab, India. At the age of six, him and his family moved to Hayward, California, in the U.S., where he was eventually introduced to hip hop and rap music. He attended John Muir Elementary School and Hayward High School and after completing high school his family relocated to Brampton in Ontario, Canada.
In Brampton, he quietly worked and released three solo mixtapes: California State of Mind (2009), One Verse Curse (2010) and Mr Wall Street (2011). He would sell these CDs at malls and in his college parking lot to who ever would bite. He also joined the band “Zoo Babies” and was featured in the debut album of the band which is where he saw his first bit of success and notoriety.
In August 2015, he released his debut solo single ‘Naiyo Jaan De’. In 2016, he released his debut studio album titled “Bring It Home” which has over 10 million streams across all platforms and is considered a classic in Punjabi Hip Hop. In 2018, Fateh released an unconventional body of work titled “To Whom It May Concern” which caught fans and the industry by surprise. It showcases extreme vulnerability and heartbreak which was something many had not seen before from a rapper. It was personal and had segments of full singing from the rapper. Also of note is that 7 out of the 8 songs were fully in English.
PLUS MANY MORE
Day 2 – July 5
LIGHTS
Lights is many things all at once: Singer. Songwriter. Producer. Multi-instrumentalist. Comic book author. DJ. Artist. She’s also unabashedly honest and unapologetically confident. Weaving in and out of alternative, indie, electronic, and dance, she makes manic pop irreverent of boundaries, yet reverent of truth. She speaks her heart musically and her mind lyrically. It’s why her shadow over alternative music and culture continues to grow with streams in the hundreds of millions and widespread critical acclaim. She has sold out tours on multiple continents, made headlines from Coachella to Comic-Con, and powered collaborations with Travis Barker, deadmau5, Kaskade, Illenium, Steve Aoki, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, and more.
A co-presentation with:
Day 3 – July 6
DESTROYER
Dan Bejar’s Destroyer will close out the festival Main Stage in style on Sunday, July 6th. Most of the music world was first exposed to Bejar as a fundamental member of the indie-rock supergroup The New Pornographers. With Destroyer, Bejar explores new, thrilling sonic territory and defines his evolution as a songwriter and performer. Where previous Destroyer albums were locked in combat with the world, the newest, Dan’s Boogie, dances with it, its nine reveries coalescing into “one long hustle”: spectacle-laden pop epics, personal piano ballads, and smouldering works of mood that blur the lines between song and novel and cinema, each brimming with the urgency of a state secret in the mind of a tortured spy.
JAMIE FINE
Also co-presented with Hot 93.5, is Ottawa-born singer/songwriter Jamie Fine, who uses her music to inspire audiences to explore emotions we all feel but often struggle to express, ranging from anger and isolation to joy and connection. A four-time Juno nominee, Jamie’s music has over 100 million global streams. Her hit single If Anything’s Left reached platinum status in Canada and double-platinum in South Africa. With nearly 1.5 million followers worldwide, fans are drawn to her energetic personality, quirky humor, and openness. Jamie fine plays the Main Stage on July 5.
A co-presentation with:
RICH AUCOIN
Indie, alt-pop party starter Rich Aucoin will be at Northern Lights, and you will dance – guaranteed! His live show can be described as a multi-sensory spectacle of a show, “Part Daft Punk-inflected Dan Deacon, part DIY-driven Flaming Lips as filtered through Girl Talk” (Austin Chronicle). Picture a band of keyboards, synths, guitar, bass, drums, and horns playing in sync to everything from old films to YouTube videos. It’s a highly interactive show which can be viewed like theatre or immersive; underneath a large parachute from kindergarten and a sea of confetti. FUN!
MORGAN TONEY
NLFB is proud to welcome Morgan Toney to the festival lineup. Toney has become one of the most in-demand young fiddlers and singers in Atlantic Canada; has been nominated for three East Coast Canadian Music Awards. In just a short amount of time, Toney’s been able to invigorate both the Atlantic music communities and Mi’kmaq communities by bringing together the fiery fiddling of Cape Breton Island with the old songs of the Mi’kmaq, one song dating back up to 500 years.
SHAD
Shad is one of Canada’s most revered rappers, a peerless wordsmith who embodies hip-hop’s power to entertain and educate. Since releasing his DIY debut in 2005, the Toronto-based MC has pushed his style of socially conscious yet infectiously playful hip-hop across five increasingly ambitious albums that have received widespread critical acclaim and coverage in outlets like Rolling Stone, Complex, The Ringer, Fader, NPR, and more. To date, Shad has racked up over 30 million streams, a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year (for 2010’s TSOL), and four placements on Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize shortlist, most recently for his 2018 concept-album opus, A Short Story About a War. His mission to inspire and inform goes beyond his own music: a former host of CBC Radio’s flagship arts and culture program q, Shad can currently be seen talking shop with the xc legends of rap on the Emmy/Peabody Award winning89 Netflix Original docuseries, Hip-Hop Evolution. His most recent album, TAO, was released in October 2021 on Secret City Records.
THE WEATHER STATION
The Weather Station, the musical project of Canadian artist Tamara Lindeman, returns with Humanhood, her seventh and most powerful album to date. Originally from Toronto, Lindeman delves into a period of personal crisis, translating her sense of disorientation into an intimate yet experimental folk-rock sound. Following the critical success of Ignorance (2021), a deeply personal reflection on climate change, and its 2022 companion How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars, she found herself grappling with an inner turmoil she largely kept hidden. Humanhood channels this existential vertigo into music, with songs shaped by the improvisational energy of a band responding in real-time to Lindeman’s raw emotions. Recorded at Canterbury Music Company with co-producer Marcus Paquin, the album unfolds as a linear journey from disarray to a tentative sense of renewal, capturing the unpredictability of healing through an organic and spontaneous creative process. With Humanhood, Lindeman extends a hand to listeners, inviting them to navigate an unsettled world alongside her, with music as a guiding thread.
CHEIKH IBRA FAM
As a child growing up in Dakar, Cheikh Ibra Fam sang spiritual songs in the Baye Fall tradition, heard Afro-Cuban music on the home stereo and fell in love with the voice of Otis Redding. Later, he became enamored with hip-hop and released 3 albums under the stage name Freestyle. After 6 years singing with the legendary Orchestra Baobab, Cheikh Ibra Fam launched his solo-career in 2022 with his album Peace in Africa. His appealing blend of Afropop with funk, jazz, soul, and roots music helped earn him recognition as a Radio France International (RFI) Talent. Cheikh Ibra Fam is now living in Reunion Island and will be releasing his sophomore album Adouna (Life) on Cumbancha in 2025.
KLÔ PELGAG
2025 Juno winner Klô Pelgag is an acclaimed Quebec artist who distinguishes herself by her constant search for meaning and emotion through bold, introspective music. She is co-presented at NLFB in association with La Slague. With over 20 Félix awards at the ADISQ Galas, a JUNO award and prestigious nominations, she has established herself as a key figure on the French-language music scene. Her latest album Abracadabra, won a Juno in 2025. The prior album, Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, received unanimous praise from the Canadian and international media, hailed for its richness and creative depth.
Klô Pelgag’s work explores themes of inner quest, deconstruction and reinvention, as evidenced by her latest opus. The artist uses music as a means of piercing her emotions, deconstructing norms and creating a body of work that deeply resembles her, music that transports.
A co-presentation with:
LA SRA. TOMASA
La Sra. Tomasa has created their own distinctive style by breaking musical barriers and innovatively combining a variety of influences and genres. Through skillful fusion of electronic and live instruments, they offer a blend of Latin-flavored music ranging from funk, reggae, and hip hop to trap and drum’n bass, while respecting Latin musical traditions and infusing them with a fresh urban influence and electronic sounds. Their ability to blend traditional classic sounds with modern production techniques is definitely one of the many keys to their success, enabling them to bring together the best of both worlds (acoustic and electronic) in perfect musical harmony on stage. In their 10-year career, the group has performed over 400 concerts, not only throughout Europe with more than 30 dates but also across America (USA, Canada, Colombia, Mexico) and even Vietnam.
WAAHLI
Also appearing will be Montreal’s Waahli (Nomadic Massive) who blends rap, Haitian roots, Afrobeat, and more. With his ancestral rhythms, stunning performances, and incisive lyrics, Waahli offers alternative hip-hop that transports listeners across the globe, On stage, he captivates audiences with his generous interaction and contagious energy, showcasing cultural diversity. In 2025, Waahli once again pushes artistic boundaries with Seven Bubbles, a bold opus that explores new aesthetic and sonic horizons.
DAVID FRANCEY
David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star). “David’s straightforward songs tell honest stories of real people and real places. Poetic perception and a keen eye for the heart of the matter are trademarks of the man and his music. His songs and stories are a direct connection for audiences seeking depth and meaning in the day-to-day.” – Shelter Valley Folk Festival. Francey had the honour of receiving the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award as well as taking home the Grand Prize in both the International Acoustic Music Award and in the Folk category for the John Lennon Songwriting Award.
+ MORE ARTISTS:
Most of the artists announced will also appear in NLFB’s signature ‘workshop’ performances. This will include: Jamie Fine, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Morgan Toney, David Francey, La Sra. Tomasa, Waahli, and many more. For these unique sets, artists from different groups are on stage together, and have an extended opportunity to give background on the music, or sometimes jam with the other performers involved. Usually the workshop is themed around a style (i.e. blues), instrument (i.e. horns), topic (i.e. songs of freedom), or influence (i.e. travel songs). These performances are spontaneous and exclusive – these combinations of artists can’t be seen anywhere else!
While the music makes up the essence of the festival energy, there are so many other beautiful aspects for the community to enjoy. A colourful artisan vendor market fills the park with creative, unique treasures that can’t be found anywhere else. Installation and visual arts activities appear throughout the festival site, as a further expression of the event’s commitment to inspire, dazzle and unite. A diverse selection of food trucks, interactive activities, beer gardens and family amusements add to this beautiful patchwork of culture and celebration.
Traveling to attend the festival? Northern Lights has launched accommodation packages which include exclusive discounts on combos of Full Festival Passes and accommodations including hotel rooms with Radisson Hotel Sudbury. Information and booking is available at nlfb.ca/tickets.
Tickets, information, schedule and artist profiles can be found at nlfb.ca. Ages 14 and under attend FREE with a ticket bearing adult. Advance passes are available online, with the Full Festival Pass being of greatest value, and extra discounts available for Youth. Also, a $20 afternoon-only pass will be available at the gate only for July 5 and 6 daytime programming (does not include evening-night shows). The public is free to walk the grounds and Artisans Village free of charge, each day, from 5 pm until close (outside of ticketed stages).
OUR GRATITUDE:
A special acknowledgement goes out to United Steelworkers Local 6500 for their ongoing support.
