Osheaga

I have been to Osheaga twice and while I can’t say I regret going, I cannot see myself going again in the future. As someone who has had an amazing time attending smaller, creative-​flow art type festivals, I find the vibe at Osheaga really weird. It kind of feels like the majority of attendees are the rich, snobby, and generally disrespectful teenagers that you made fun of in high school (who have aged 5 years)… it’s a bit much to them all in the same park. So much littering and disrespectful vibes!
«FUCK YEAH BRAH WE’RE AT OSHEAGA BRAH, LOOK AT THAT BITCHES —«
*actual quote heard at Osheaga, not atypical.
It’s ridiculously crowded. On a 30 degree day, it sucks to have to plan around how much water you need to drink in order to not become dehydrated, but also not wait 15 – 25 minutes to refill your water bottle and/​or find a portable toilet. It’s like being at Disney World on March Break, but drunker and with more conventionally attractive people.
But hey, the shows were pretty great for the most part.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I was always sooo jealous of my friends who had gone to Osheaga, and this year finally it was my time to enjoy it! The price (100 $ for one day) seems expensive at first, but the fact that you see tons of very famous and talented people within a day makes it very worth going. And also, to see one show, in a good spot you’d at least have to pay 100 anyways. Osheaga was just awesome.
Fantastic music, tons of activities like bungee jumping, tons of foodtrucks, and in case you need, there’s a lot of phone charging stations. It gets really crowded their though, so you have to stick with your group, and as an fyi the phone reception isn’t really good there. Despite the rain we got soaked in, even dancing in the rain was just so much fun!

great music festival, not so great everything else.
i’m always satisfied with the musical lineup as not only you get well known artists but you get to discover lesser artists. while i’m no big fan of the main stages, i do love the smaller ones from the piknik area to the tiny woodsy stages where magic tends to happen. sometimes, those stages get overtaken by the crowd (for example Vance Joy which ends up being overcrowded)
the bad: definitely not enough toilets and they get fucking disgusting. sometimes, you are better off finding a tree as its faster and cleaner. if you happen to be hit by a need for #2? well, good luck sir!
getting off the site is extremely tedious too. it seems every year, its always the same problem that they eventually get right on the last day.
food wise, your regular festival fare with food trucks and food stands. i don’t eat besides the snacks you are allowed to bring so i can’t comment on it but then, its the same food trucks you find around town during summer.
as for alcohol? same stuff. i don’t drink and i refuse to drink bad stuff.
anyway, great festival and despite its ever growing popularity, do have things to work on.
enjoy the music because that’s what we are all for and forget fashion. nobody gives a shit what you look like while there

Every year it’s the same routine.
1. Osheaga releases their official lineup.
2. I get excited.
3. I buy my ticket and go with friends.
4. We all have a good time.
5. Mark calendar for next year’s Osheaga festival.
Whoever’s responsible for the artists performing during the festival is a genius. I listen to all genres of music and Osheaga offers a wide variety of them — rap, pop, folk, indie, future house, trap, you name it. There’s one thing though, you might find a higher concentration of hipsters during the event.
Food services range from ordinary kiosk hot dogs to food trucks offering gourmet poutines. What truly matters though during a scorching summer day is beer. But no matter which scene you’re at, beer will be available within your vicinity from strolling beer vendors.
People from literally all around the world come to Osheaga. Flags from Belgium, Mexico, Argentina were spotted waving around. I love the fact that no matter where you’re from, people are reunited at parc Jean-​Drapeau for an excellent reason — good music.

Organized well. Fairly decent food options. The water stations were a good and essential amenity. Good stage setups. Whimsical, creative decorations throughout the park. Good vibes, sweet music.
I mostly wish there were more porta-​potties because the lines tended to be rather long, and waiting to pee was the last thing you wanted to do when the band you want to see is about to start.

This year’s Osheaga festival was an amazing experience. Attendance was an aggregate 135,000 up 15,000 from 2012. The festival sold out prior to starting and I would expect it will keep on growing!
The line up was really great and all three days had plenty to see and do. I was impressed with the entire experience and took note of the obviously well thought out planning and design that is absolutely necessary for this venue. The security presence was overt but not in an overbearing way. The gate ran smoothly although the crowds were thick at all times. The metro staff were excellent at guiding the crowds as well.
The line up was great and I felt that I was able to see most of the acts I wanted to see without having to make a lot of choices because of overlapping shows. However, Sunday felt the most choppy at the two main stages; there’s a lot of contrast between Kendrick Lemar, New Order, and Mumford & Sons, but hey! That’s a festival for ya.
The rain came out a few times but overall didn’t seem to interrupt things. Food choices are definitely plentiful, however I wished there was more info available either prior to the festival or during as to what food is located where. I have a few dietary restrictions so locating good, satisfying food was a slight challenge. (What they don’t tell you is that bringing in food is acceptable, so make a note for next year!)
Overall a killer Canadian experience that is worth the trip to Montréal. Ps. Don’t forget your earplugs (seriously).

Sick line up this year and overall an amazing experience! Osheaga is by far the biggest festival of its kind in Canada, on par with festivals like Lollapalooza or Coachella. I read that last year brought 80,000 people to the festival and it was expected to be even more for 2012. Either way, huge crowd and tons of energy/​good vibes.
There are 2 main stages and 2 smaller stages + 1 dedicated electronic music stage. I think there may have been even more little venues, but those were the main ones. The biggest stages are side by side. This is awesome, because as they are setting up one stage, music is playing from the other stage. This allows for back-​to-​back shows (which were impressively on time for the most part) without long, awkward gaps between acts.
Jean Drapeau Parc is beautiful, although it did get really muddy on the last day when it rained. Osheaga usually coincides with the end of the international fireworks competition, which is pretty sweet because you can see the fireworks from the park. Facilities are good — fairly clear signage, lots of places for food (although beware the lineups… another option is to bring your own food), stations to re-​fill your water bottle, and even shopping (American Apparel and Osheaga merch). Unfortunately, the subway gets super-​crowded at the end of the night. By the 2^nd day, the metro decided to just move people along and let them in without checking their tickets so that things would go faster.
If you’re going for all 3 days, the VIP pass is definitely worth the price. It gets you reserved seating (bleachers) which gives you a great view of both main stages, as well as private bathrooms (air-​conditioned!) and a separate bar (aka shorter lines). It definitely made the experience more enjoyable for me and my friends.
Weather is always unpredictable. It was super-​humid and hot this year, but they were misting the audience with water which was a nice touch! Virgin Mobile was also giving out free ponchos when it rained. But to be on the safe side, bring your own.

Great line-​up this year and we couldn’t have been more lucky in terms of weather. Although the metro took a bit of time, it was still very well organized and definitely the best way to get to the Island. Most staff on site were friendly (except for some of the beer guys who would not give you back all your change telling you how much you should tip them). Could have used more variety for food, but there certainly was a great variety of free samples.