Second Wave of Artists Announced for 2026 Festival Lineup!

Yellowknife – We’re thrilled to announce the second wave of artists for this year’s Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) Music Festival, July 17-19, 2026.

With the second wave, the 2026 lineup continues to take shape with even more artists and performances joining the bill. This round brings in a wide range of sounds and experiences, from high-energy rock and alternative acts to intimate singer-songwriters, experimental electronica, dance, and culturally rooted work. It’s a mix that highlights Northern artists alongside voices from across the country, creating a lineup that feels both grounded in place and full of new discoveries.

Across the weekend, audiences can move between big, dynamic main stage moments and smaller, more intimate sets, with each stage offering its own unique experience. Beyond the music, the festival grounds will once again come alive with local food vendors, cold beverages, artisans, and community spaces that make Folk On The Rocks a place to gather, connect, and spend the weekend.

This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more artist announcements, schedule details, and everything you need to plan your weekend at Folk On The Rocks 2026.

The festival lineup is being announced in three waves, with the third wave scheduled for May 15. 

Introducing the second wave of artists for FOTR 2026 in alphabetical order:

Altered By Mom - Altered by Mom is a smart, irreverent, and effortlessly cool rock band from Toronto, Canada. The female-fronted trio brings a mix of catchy, well-crafted rock music with a rebellious edge and a sense of humor. JUNO-winning songwriters Gina Kennedy (Bass/Vox) and Devon Lougheed (Guitar, Vox), joined by Max Trefler (Drums) play with gender roles, lean into DIY creativity, and embrace a badass, fun, and authentic energy.

Cat McGurk - Known, among other things, for writing the best song about snowmobiles since 1971, Cat brings songs about the north and questionable life choices to any stage – formal or unwonted. While more comfortable with the title carpenter or sculptor, Cat has carved out space as a musician with a true to life songwriting style and personable blue collar attitude. Fans of HYFY can expect a less loud, equally ardent performance.

The Darcys - The Darcys are an LA-based alternative duo originally from Toronto, Canada. Composed of Jason Couse and Wes Marskell, the band is celebrated for its genre-bending sound, fusing rock, pop, and electronic elements. In a musical landscape that often rewards predictability, The Darcys stand out as innovators—pairing infectious melodies with bold, forward-thinking production. Each release pushes boundaries, creating a sonic world as unpredictable as it is captivating. Their catalog includes critically acclaimed releases such as the JUNO and Polaris Prize nominated Warring (2014), the crossover breakthrough Centerfold (2016), the cinematic Fear & Loneliness (2020), and a full-length reimagining of Steely Dan’s Aja (2012).

Daughters of Donbas - Daughters of Donbas is a contemporary acoustic project rooted in emotional and narrative depth. Blending elements of art-folk, chamber songwriting, and Ukrainian folk vocal traditions, the music moves between original compositions and reimagined fragments of folk. Futured Marichka (ex Balaklava blues, Lemon bucket Orkestra), Alina Kuzma, Zoe Santo and others. While some songs echo ancient textures, others are stripped to voice and silence — fragile, direct, and raw. There is no electronics, no overproduction — only acoustic instruments, space, and truth.

Drives The Common Man - Drives the Common Man is a Mi`kmaq singer, songwriter, producer and visionary artist hailing from Southern Ontario Canada. With an astounding 200k-strong following on TikTok, Drives the Common Man has ignited a viral sensation, captivating hearts and minds around the globe. With a magnetic stage presence and a sound that defies conventions, this musical dynamo guarantees an experience that's not just memorable but truly extraordinary. Fueling their artistry with an unbridled passion for pop and rock, Drives crafts a spellbinding fusion of alternative pop that's both nostalgic and groundbreaking. His music is a sonic odyssey that evokes emotion, stirs the soul, and leaves an indelible mark on all who bear witness.

Electric Lemonade - From the wilds of Whitehorse, Yukon, Electric Lemonade is a grungy, fuzz rock power trio featuring Sarah Murphy (she/her) on vocals/guitars, Hannah Mazurek (they/them) on vocals/bass and Rob Jones (he/him) on drums. Known for their high-octane live shows, they deliver a loud and raw, yet polished brand of alternative rock music, inspired by the likes of Royal Blood, Dinosaur Pile-Up and Queens of the Stone Age.

FONTINE - “Good Buddy” is CB Radio code for gay, so it’s a fitting title for FONTINE’s first full-length album. Like a truck driver on the radio, she is a road warrior logging shows all year with her own project or as a collaborator with Boy Golden, Kris Ulrich, Begonia, Georgia Harmer and so many others. And while that trucker-hat-wearing, big-rig-wielding archetype might not usually be associated with soft sensitivity, that middle zone is exactly where FONTINE and this album live. It's a rock record with a mushy middle. It's beautiful and energizing. There's pain and there's catharsis. FONTINE is Indigenous, queer and a self-proclaimed “real goofy guy.” These things all inform her art. She is the life of the party, her magnanimous laugh and smile filling up any room. But there's also a lot of struggle behind all that. Navigating through relationships beginning and ending, identity exploration, self-doubt, activist frustration, people pleasing and friendship – all rooted in a real sense of place. This is what the album is all about.

Glam On The Rocks - A burlesque dance show from all your local faves.

Gnarwhal - Gnarwhal is a heavy alternative fuzz rock band from Yellowknife, Canada, crafting a distinct voice in the country’s underground. Since forming in 2022, they’ve fused sludge, grunge, and progressive metal into a raw, immersive sound. Their 2023 self-titled debut earned a WCMA nomination, followed by the experimental Altered States EP in 2024. DIY to the core, Gnarwhal has toured across Canada, transforming basements, bars, and stages into sweat-soaked sonic assaults. Their 2026 LP Lucid Machines expands their scope with atmospheric depth and crushing intensity. Cathartic, hypnotic, and unrelenting, Gnarwhal are carving a heavy, unforgettable path in modern rock.

Great Lake Swimmers - Capturing light is not easy: ask any outdoor photographer. In order to capture the perfect shot, one has to be ready for fragmentary shifts in illumination. In that spirit, Caught Light is Great Lake Swimmers’ ninth album, and perhaps their most nimble: be prepared, don’t overthink, act fast. Founder Tony Dekker has always been akin to a wildlife photographer, often choosing to make records in unique surroundings with a connection to Ontario history.

Jeffery Straker - Singer-songwriter pianist Jeffery Straker serves up a rootsy-storytelling brand of song that has been said to transport listeners - out onto a northern lake or to the main street of a prairie town.  With critical comparisons to the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Jackson Browne and Murray McLauchlan he was awarded the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award for ‘Contemporary Canadian Folk Singer of the Year’. 

June Thrasher - June Thrasher is a beaming exhibition of sky-sweeping and seismic neon-hued electronica, aptly fusing the haunting melodies of gothic-influenced new wave with effervescent galactic beats that unfold with meticulous precision and climax with kinetic momentum.

The Only - The Only is a 3 piece rock band that plays a mix of original music inspired by living in the NWT, and cover songs of your favorite classic rock hits. The band has been together for almost 10 years with Bill on vocals/guitar, Cameron on bass, and Kacee on the drums. The band has forever been expanding its original and cover music growing the dedicated supporters they call their Only Fans.

Stacie Arden Smith -  Stacie Arden Smith is a Tłı̨chǫ singer-songwriter and self-taught guitarist born and raised in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Deeply connected to the North, her music is inspired by the community, and personal experiences that have shaped her life. Stacie has been singing since she was a child, though she never imagined that one day she would perform on stage. Music began as a personal outlet and creative expression, eventually leading her to teach herself guitar and begin writing her own songs. Over time, she developed a heartfelt style rooted in honest storytelling and raw, acoustic sound.

Upper Mall Rats - Upper Mall Rats are beautiful angels who live under the oppressive gate that divides centre square into two miserable rectangles. Double cheese, double sauce, fuck your landlord and your boss. Rat core punks in the hot sand is the post-human experience you know you need. Yeah baby. You need to see Upper Mall Rats at Folk on the Rocks.

Waahli - Waahli is a Montreal-based artist of Haitian descent, drawing inspiration from a childhood immersed in traditional melodies. It was through hip-hop culture that he found his voice and developed a unique and captivating style. In 2004, he co-founded **Nomadic Massive**, a staple in Montreal’s hip-hop scene. While thriving within the collective, Waahli felt the need to explore his artistic identity through a solo project. He released his debut album, *Black Soap*, in 2018, followed by the *Soap Opera* EP in 2020. Sung in English, French, and Haitian Creole, these projects blend rap and Afrobeat, paying homage to his Haitian roots. 

Worn - Born in Ottawa, ON, Madz DeRose is a Tiohtià:ke (Montreal)-based contemporary dance interpreter and choreographer graduated from Concordia University’s Contemporary Dance program. DeRose works as a freelance dance collaborator and teacher across Montreal. DeRose blends emotion through physicality, with an artistic practice rooted in autobiographical inquiry and believes the creation of evocative and honest movement can be essential in weathering one’s being. Her work often raises thematic questions such as: What are the physical capabilities and limits we have within ourselves to trust another person with our safety? The goal is always to create a  meaningful exchange between performer and viewer, inviting them to delve into the complexities of human connection, sense, and memory. DeRose is the daughter of two visual artists and is of Acadian/Indigenous/white settler descent. 

Folk On The Rocks 2026 early bird tickets are for sale at www.folkontherocks.com/tickets.

Special thanks to Folk On The Rocks’ dedicated title sponsor: Lawson Lundell.

Further thanks to our dedicated sponsors and funders: 62 Degrees North; 100.1 GOFM (Vista Radio); Cabin Radio; CANNOR; Capital Suites, City of Yellowknife; DT Electric; Government of Northwest Territories; Heritage Canada; Media Tenois; NNSL; RioTinto Diavik; Quality Inn YK; The Explorer Hotel.