Riverside Music Festival Returns to Gatineau with Regional Focus

Ottawa Artists Share the Bill with Headliners

Callan Farrell has extended his bookings beyond Ottawa, with support slots for The Chainsmokers, Lost Frequencies, and BlasterJaxx. His shows have taken him to Montreal and Miami, including a recent debut at Factory Town. The tech house DJ and producer recommends "Lipstick" by Alaia & Gallo.

Also appearing Saturday are Setou & Senyo, twin producers whose early influences range from R&B and hip-hop to disco, jazz, and dance music. Deep house, pop, and Afro house now appear throughout their work, with "In 2 U" among the tracks to hear before their set.

The local side of the lineup becomes even more personal with Enko B2B Seb B B2B Danford, bringing three Ottawa DJs together for a format not previously seen at Riverside. Enko will be playing alongside people she once backpacked through Europe with and now works with on events back home. Her track pick is "Pump Up the Jam" by Technotronic.

Seb B found electronic music at 17 through his father's trance CDs and has been DJing for four years. He is also behind Frequency Shift, an Ottawa house collective. His selection is "Satisfaction" by David Guetta and Benny Benassi. Completing the B3B is Danford, who became involved with the rave scene in 2022 before developing a strong interest in tech house.

Three Nights, Three Different Histories

Marshmello opens Friday with a catalogue that includes "Keep It Mello," "Alone," and "Moving On" from his early rise, alongside collaborations such as "Silence," "Wolves," and "Happier." His track pick is "Love U," released in 2017. Nearly a decade on, many of those songs are tied to people's first festivals and early EDM playlists.

Saturday gives Steve Aoki another chapter in his history with Riverside, having previously played the festival in 2019. He has already returned to Gatineau once this year through Igloofest. "Promises" is the track highlighted ahead of Saturday, while his long career means his set can pull from several different periods of electronic music.

Sunday belongs to Excision, one of the most established names in modern dubstep. Hard-hitting drops and large-scale visual production have remained central to his live shows for years. "Feel Something" with ILLENIUM and I Prevail is the track to revisit beforehand, bringing together three artists from noticeably different musical backgrounds.

Free Daytime Programming Expands the Weekend

The 13th edition introduces CaféBeats, a new free daytime initiative that expands what is happening across the weekend. The strength of Riverside Music Festival 2026 lies not only in having Marshmello, Steve Aoki, and Excision across three nights, but in what surrounds them.

Riverside Music Festival 2026 runs September 11–13 at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau.