Summer isn’t quite done yet in Ottawa.
There’s still time for one more outdoor festival, and this year, the CityFolk Festival has a new home.
The 2026 edition moved from Lansdowne Park to the festival grounds at the RA Centre, giving the festival a new layout and a little more breathing room.
After checking out the new site on opening day, I think the layout works better overall.
There’s more space to move around between the stages, although the location is a little farther out by bus compared to Lansdowne Park.
Some areas also felt a little less developed than what we’re used to seeing at Lansdowne.
Still, it was a welcome change and a good start to this year’s festival.
Alabama Shakes
Headlining the Main Stage on the first night was Alabama Shakes, and this was a long-overdue first time seeing the band live for me.
They absolutely didn’t disappoint.
The band is currently promoting its third album, I Must Be Dreaming, while the set also featured material from Sound & Color and Boys & Girls.
Brittany Howard’s incredible vocals were, of course, one of the highlights of the night.
Her voice has always been a major part of what makes Alabama Shakes so captivating, and hearing it live was something else.
I stayed for the entire set, and I’m glad I did. It was an amazing performance and a great way to close out the first night of CityFolk.
Steph Strings
Before Alabama Shakes took over the Main Stage, Australian musician Steph Strings delivered one of the day’s biggest surprises.
Having just flown in from Australia to perform, Steph Strings brought an insane fingerstyle guitar performance blended with indie folk and pop. Watching her work through the songs with such incredible guitar playing was seriously impressive, and she had the audience completely wowed.
It was one of those sets where you can see people stopping to watch because of what’s happening on stage — and then staying for the whole thing.
BlakDenim
Opening the Main Stage was Ottawa’s own BlakDenim.
Bringing together indie hip-hop, funk, rock and soul, BlakDenim got the festival started with a genre-blending set that felt right at home on the CityFolk stage. It was also great to see an Ottawa act helping kick off the first day of the festival.
Over at the Westside Stage, the bigger setup was definitely appreciated.
The previous CityFolk setup at Lansdowne had a much smaller stage in this area, so having a larger space at the RA Centre made a noticeable difference. It gave the performances more room and made it easier for the crowd to gather.
Ashley MacIsaac
Headlining the Westside Stage was Ashley MacIsaac, who drew a large crowd for his high-energy traditional East Coast fiddle music.
MacIsaac brought plenty of energy to the stage and delivered the kind of lively performance that had the crowd fully engaged.
Nicolas Pellerin et Les Grands Hurleurs
Before Ashley MacIsaac, Quebec’s Nicolas Pellerin et Les Grands Hurleurs brought their modern take on traditional Québécois folk music to the Westside Stage.
It was an entertaining set that blended the roots of traditional music with a more contemporary approach, giving the performance plenty of character.
Emily Jean Flack
Opening the Westside Stage was singer-songwriter Emily Jean Flack, who brought her folk music to the festival to get the day started.
It was a fitting way to open the stage and ease into the first day of CityFolk before things picked up throughout the afternoon and evening.
Overall, it was a great first day of CityFolk Festival.
The move to the RA Centre gives the festival a different feel, but I liked having more space to move around and between the stages.
And with performances ranging from indie hip-hop and fingerstyle guitar to traditional Québécois and East Coast fiddle music, there was plenty of variety throughout the day.
Ending the first night with Alabama Shakes was definitely the highlight for me.
After finally getting the chance to see the band live, they were everything I hoped they would be.
Check out the gallery for photos from Day 1 of CityFolk Festival 2026.
