Crisp fall air welcomed some of Canada’s and the world’s hottest acts to Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park for the 2023 edition of CityFolk.
The party began on September 13 with a legendary start with Montreal electro-pop combo, Busty & The Bass and explosive Montreal rockers, NOBRO, warming the audience up for the Godfather of Punk himself, Iggy Pop, who led the audience through a selection of his hits and new selections from his latest album, Every Loser.
Legendary performances continued on September 14 with headlining Canadian superstars, Arkells, who shared TD Stage with Americana legends, Gov’t Mule; while Montreal rockers, Redfox, and Sweden’s indie-folk star, The Tallest Man on Earth, kept the party going on the Courtside Stage.
September 15 brought a balance between folk and rock to Lansdowne Park, as beloved 90’s rockers, the Headstones and Bush took the TD Stage, while Canada’s East Coast was celebrated by Cape Breton indie-rockers, Villages, and romantic and thoughtful Newfoundlanders, the Fortunate Ones, at the Courtside Stage.
Much to the delight of social media mavens, the evening of September 16 brought viral hitmaker, David Kushner, and rockers, Kaleo, to the TD Stage, while Montreal songstresses, Andrea Ramolo and Allison Russell delighted their eager fans at the Courtside Stage.
Finally, closing out the diverse and exciting weekend on September 17 was a sensational international double bill on the TD stage with Ithaca, NY, indie rockers, X Ambassadors, and Irish superstar, Hozier.
With the conclusion of CityFolk, the city now waits and looks ahead to for any hints that the 2024 concert summer season; with hopes that next year’s CityFolk (and by extension, Bluesfest) will top this year’s great lineups.