PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Some festival-goers are coming from across Canada. Ugur and Lindsay, left, drove all the way from Kitchener, Ont., while Grace and Nick came all the way from Halifax, N.S., to see Noah Kahan, Two Door Cinema Club and Teezo Touchdown perform Friday. “We love Noah Kahan because he’s easy to listen to. He touches on the feelings we’re experiencing during the pandemic, and we can relate to that,” Grace and Nick say in unison. “But if I can say one thing, it’s that we don’t know the hours of the Ferris wheel! I would also install sunscreen pumps on site. I saw that at Coachella two years ago,” Nick adds, dryly.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Montrealers Noémie Castonguay and Maxime Lajeunesse have a busy schedule. “We come to see 15 artists in three days! But especially for Sunday with SZA.” They also name T-Pain, Mariah the Scientist, Teddy Swims, Noah Kahan and Teezo Touchdown among their list of must-see performances. “The fact that there are so many artists means that we really see all the styles. You can let loose, let loose and I think that’s really cool,” says Noémie, who is participating in her third Osheaga. Maxime, who is accompanying her, is experiencing her very first edition.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The Japanese House, Overmono, Mannequin Pussy, a little Noah Kahan… Patrick Smith and Olivia Devine say this is not their “first rodeo.” In fact, this is the fourth time these two Nova Scotians are attending Osheaga. Also from Halifax, they just did a road trip than 12 hours to spend the weekend in the Quebec metropolis. “Montreal has some of the best festivals. There’s a kind of magic here,” says Patrick, who ranks Osheaga ahead of major American festivals like Coachella (California) or Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas). “It sounds corny, but it’s true!” exclaims Olivia, all smiles. “The site offers a lot.”
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sandblasted glasses and desert scarf, Hugo Potvin was inspired by Dune and the Met Gala to put together his flamboyant ensemble. “I’m all sand; today, I’m the beach!” joked the man who is celebrating his 18th birthday this Saturday, still at Osheaga. “We’re from Trois-Rivières, we’re staying in Montreal for five days. Our hotel has been booked since November, our tickets were already bought when the artists had just come out,” added Andréane Maurais, at his side. “This is the first day, we’re walking around, getting our bearings for the next few days,” concluded Hugo, emphasizing that he wants to discover more of the site in order to fully enjoy what he considers “more than a festival.”
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The trio of friends Chris Russell, Calvin Cashin and Connor Brown crossed the Canada-U.S. border after leaving Boston, Massachusetts, for a Montreal getaway from Thursday to Monday. The young men will take advantage of the opportunity to attend performances by Noah Kahan, SZA and Two Door Cinema Club. They were also hoping to see Dominic Fike, who unfortunately cancelled his appearance. “We saw the list of artists and the video from last year on Instagram and thought we had to come here. So far, we love it. The venue is great, we never run out of things to do,” Calvin and Connor say together. “And the drinks are cold!” Chris jokes as he concludes, beer can in hand.