While the country tuned in to the 2024 JUNO Awards broadcast this past week to see their favourite artist celebrated on the national stage, the beautiful people of Halifax enjoyed a weekend with enough live music to go around!
From the get-go on Thursday, the JUNO Block Party began its three-night run with a kitchen party for the ages. Celebrated Mi’kmaq hip-hop artists, City Natives, PEI’s own rising blues, Joce Reyome, the pride of North Preston, NS, Reeny, all opened a night that was topped by a rousing performance by local legend, Classified, who officially “welcomed” Canada “to the Maritimes!”
The celebrations continued in full gear on Friday, with the “crown jewel: of JUNO weekend. The JUNO Songwriter Circle welcomed artists representing the vast talent from across Canada to Halifax’s Light House Arts Centre. Guitarists Matt Andersen and William Prince, as well as the up and coming, Luna Elle, enchanted the live audience with songs about the ins and outs of relationships, while Begonia and Katie Tupper discussed and celebrated their queer journeys. Rêve and Dominique Fils-Ame shared the discoveries of their musical voices, and Jeremy Dutcher shared the stories behind his forays into composing songs in English for the first time.
But the parties weren’t contained to just one stage! Spanning two nights and over 10 venues throughout downtown Halifax and Dartmouth hosted over 100 performers as part of JUNOfest. On Friday, venues such as the legendary Seahorse played host to Toronto’s TRP.P, who opened the night for Polaris Music Prize Short List nominee, Begonia, fresh from her Songwriter’s Circle appearance, while her fellow Songwriter, Rêve, had the crowd grooving over at Pacifico before Electronic Album of the Year nominee, Rich Aucoin, gave the party-ready crowd something to celebrate way into the early morning hours. Pacifico also gave JUNOFest goers a real treat following the JUNO Opening Night Awards when the Queen of Chiac Disco herself, Lisa Leblanc delighted fans both old and new.
With Halifax’s JUNO parties coming to a close, eyes now turn west, when the biggest party in Canadian music takes over Vancouver between March 26 and March 30, 2025.