September 26, 2026, was a big day and night for Ottawa.
The city was celebrating its 200th anniversary, and at the same time, the 21st edition of Pique was taking over downtown Ottawa. The forward-thinking, artist-driven multidisciplinary music and arts festival series returned to Arts Court, Club SAW and the Ottawa Art Gallery for a night filled with music, performance, visual art and plenty of things to discover.
This edition was especially unique because, for the first time, admission to Pique was free thanks to partnerships with Nuit Blanche Ottawa and the Ottawa 200 anniversary celebrations.
This time around, I decided to take it a little easier and focus on the acts and events I specifically wanted to cover for my site. Two of my main stops for the night were Sook-Yin Lee’s anti-band at Club SAW and You’ll Never Get To Heaven at Arts Court, which you can read about in my separate review.
Sook-Yin Lee
This was the second time Sook-Yin Lee performed at Pique, but this time she brought a band with her.
The set focused heavily on the music from 72RHR, and I had a great time dancing along to it. With the added energy of a live backing band, the performance turned Club SAW into a place where it was hard not to move.
It was definitely one of the sets of the night for those who managed to get inside, as the space filled up quickly.
sadbirthdays
I also caught part of sadbirthdays, who brought some lo-fi shoegaze, slowcore and indie rock to the festival.
It was a nice change of pace from some of the more energetic performances happening elsewhere throughout the night, with the hazy and atmospheric sound fitting perfectly into the Pique environment.
Queertopia Kiki Ball
Over at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Alma Duncan was packed for the Queertopia Kiki Ball competition.
The space was absolutely crowded, which wasn’t surprising considering how much was happening throughout the evening.
It was another example of how the free admission and Ottawa 200 celebrations brought a huge range of people together across the different Pique venues.
Body Politics: Art, Protest & the State
SAW Gallery also opened Body Politics: Art, Protest & the State, an exhibition bringing together 50 years of performance and protest actions by artists confronting government power, law enforcement and state control.
Featuring the work of more than twenty artists and collectives from around the world, the exhibition uses video documentation, installations, photography and archival materials to explore the role of performance as a form of resistance, remembrance and political engagement.
The exhibition includes artists whose work has resulted in censorship, harassment, reprisals, arrest or imprisonment, including the widely publicized detentions of Pussy Riot in Russia and Ai Weiwei in China. It also introduces artists whose practices remain less familiar in North America, including Seelan Palay from Singapore, Jelili Atiku from Nigeria and Crack Rodriguez from El Salvador.
The exhibition covers a broad range of subjects, including human rights, social justice, environmental protection, the ongoing war in Gaza and the remembrance of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. Across these different political and cultural contexts, Body Politics looks at the many ways artists have used their work to challenge authority and respond to events around them.
Body Politics: Art, Protest & the State runs until January 23, 2027.
TeknoSauna
Daly Avenue was also closed off for TeknoSauna, presented by the Embassy of Finland.
With DJ Hulleulla providing the soundtrack, the event combined electronic music, dancing, a hot sauna and a cold plunge. Naturally, I had to try the sauna and cold plunge.
I lasted about one minute in the freezing water before deciding that was enough for me!
The sauna, however, was a lot more enjoyable, and the whole experience made for one of the more unusual stops of the night. I had a fun time dancing, sweating it out and taking in the atmosphere.
Plantains & Caviar
Over at the SAW courtyard, the Plantains & Caviar collective had taken over the space and filled it with music and people having a great time.
It was another lively gathering that showed just how much energy was spread throughout the different Pique locations.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was an insane celebratory night for Ottawa.
Having Pique, Nuit Blanche Ottawa and the Ottawa 200 celebrations happening together made September 26 feel like the entire city had come alive for one giant night of music, art, performance and culture.
I didn’t try to see everything this time around, but that actually made the night more enjoyable.
I was able to take my time, catch the artists I wanted to see, discover some new things along the way and enjoy the atmosphere across Arts Court, Club SAW and the Ottawa Art Gallery.
Pique continues to be one of those events where you never quite know what you’re going to encounter around the next corner, and this 21st edition was no exception.
Check out the gallery below.
