I have been planning to write this blog for a while, but with Osheaga coming up this weekend it is the perfect time. Lets compare Festival d’été de Québec and Osheaga.
First of all, Festival d’été de Québec (summer festival of Quebec) occurs in Québec City and Osheaga is in Montreal’s St. Helens Island in Parc Jean-Drapeau, next to Six Flags La Ronde. Also, Festival happens in early July while Osheaga occurs in early August. Osheaga occurs over the span of 3 nights while Festival is spread across 10 days, with numerous shows daily.
Now lets talk price, Festival d’été de Québec, despite being 10 days long is significantly cheaper. When I went several years ago, it cost $100, this year it was $140. Osheaga cost me $300, this year a general ticket costs a whomping $385. Although the price may seem hefty, for 3 days, with a host of big names headlining each day and a slew of smaller, but talented artists throughout the day, $385 really isn’t that bad. But the price of $140 for 10 days of music, with a handful of big-name artists is ridiculously cheap.
Both are great music festivals, and you’ll have the time of your life at either, but each festival has its own strengths.
If you’re going to either Festival d’été de Québec or Osheaga, you’re likely going to party. The party scene of Montreal versus that of Quebec isn’t comparable. Montreal is epic, every night of the week, there are bar specials, every week there are different festivals (jazz fest, just for laughs, etc.) and every Sunday you have Tam Tams at Mount Royal Park or Piknik Electronik. In Québec City, you basically have Grand Allée street which is one street (albeit a very nice one) with a few nightclubs and restaurants. Just like the cities, the party is wilder at Osheaga. The stages are massive, the crowds are humungous, and the view of the crowd and stages from the back are spectacular. When you’re there, Osheaga feels like you’re at a wild festival like Woodstock, and the two main stages are much bigger. Festival is a party too, and you will have a ton of fun if you go there, but it doesn’t feel as grand.
A benefit of Festival d’été de Québec is that you can walk down Grand Allée for a drink then walk past the plains of Abraham for a view of the St. Lawrence River or stop at the stage there proceeding to go from stage to stage within the city. It’s easy to get from stage to stage, and you can stop for a drink between shows, a bite to eat, or just stroll along. The stages are all focused around Grand Allée and the Plains of Abraham. You’re in downtown Québec City, it feels like Europe, the sun is beaming and weather nice, and you can walk from stage to stage to watch an array of musical artists perform; it truly is an amazing experience. Meanwhile, at Osheaga, you will trudge through the packed crowd at the park, going stage to stage; it is a completely different feeling.
When I went to Osheaga, the lineup was tremendous; some of the biggest artists performing were Outkast, Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex, J Cole, Kid Ink, Pusha T and Childish Gambino. The following year when I was at Festival d’été de Québec, some of the biggest artists were: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flo Rida, Ice Cube, Rae Sremmurd, Fetty Wap, Selena Gomez and Kaskade. The lineups are similar, and each year there is a bit of an overlap between some of the artists, but I’d say the slight edge, in my unpopular opinion, goes to Festival d’été de Québec. Regardless of your opinion, it’s close and since it goes on for longer, the fun is spread for a longer period during Festival d’été de Québec and you will get a number of local artists from Québec, performing in French, if you want to see and hear some local culture.
This year Festival hosted Weezer, Billy Talent, Imagine Dragons, Foo Fighters, Lil Durk, Illenium, Green Day, Gryffin, and Pitbull. Now that’s one hell of a lineup. This year Osheaga has Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eillish, Rufus du Sol, Sofi Tukker, Dom Dolla and Fred Again. The edge this year: Festival d’été de Québec.
Overall, the party is wilder at Osheaga, and it’s got the summer music festival vibe. But Festival packs one hell of a punch and it’s very fun too. In my opinion, the atmosphere at Festival is better and so are the lineups. And the price of $140 for 10 days of music can’t be beat. But Osheaga is in Montreal and not everyone has 10 days of vacation time to spend at a festival. So, your time frame will determine which festival is right for you, but if you have the time, I’d most definitely recommend Festival d’été de Québec over Osheaga.
What do you think? If you've been to both please let me know in the comments which festival you prefer.
Pictures below start with Osheaga followed by Festival d’été de Québec.
Add comment
Comments