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Ever Deadly! Wake the Giant Returns to the Thunder Bay Waterfront

Booming bass, traditional drums, the smell of bannock tacos in the air, jingle dresses, and so much more! Wake the Giant returns to the Thunder Bay Waterfront for YEAR SEVEN on September 12th, and it’s a day you definitely don’t want to miss (especially this year).

One minute you might find yourself front row for a song you know every word to, and the next you’re being pulled into a massive round dance with people you just met. Wake the Giant is definitely more than a music festival; it’s a cultural celebration!

The lineup this year is also pretty epic, but the reason this festival matters goes deeper than who’s on stage. Every year, hundreds of Indigenous students leave home, their family and friends, culture and basically everything they’re familiar with, to attend Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC) High School here in Thunder Bay. Wake the Giant grew out of a desire for that transition to feel less overwhelming and a lot more welcoming. So when you buy a ticket, you’re funding workshops and orientation programming, that runs well beyond festival day.

So let’s get into the festival deets! Flo Rida headlines this year, which on its own would be enough to sell out the waterfront… ‘Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur’, so many dance worthy bangers! But the rest of the lineup is stacked too! The Wallflowers are bringing their brand of storytelling rock, fronted by Jakob Dylan, yes, that Dylan family… Bob Dylan’s son, basically music royalty. Plain White T’s are on the bill as well, and hearing ‘Hey There Delilah’ under a Northern Ontario sky is going to be a moment (not to mention a huge sing-a-long).

The Indigenous artist lineup is where the festival really comes alive. Tia Wood, Sebastian Gaskin, Shawnee Kish, rising artist LOV, and Charging Thunder Singerz are all playing, and every one of them is at a serious high point in their career right now. Gaskin, who goes by the Prince of the North, has a sound people describe as somewhere between Post Malone and Frank Ocean.  Kish’s album Chapter 1 just picked up a 2026 CCMA nomination, and she recently signed with ADA/Warner Music Canada, so catching her set now means catching her before she’s everywhere. Can’t wait to hear her acoustic set and ‘Ride at Dawn’ live!

One performance worth planning your whole day around will be a huge debut! Sebastian Gaskin spent the last school year working with DFC students on an original song, and they’re performing it on stage together.

What not to miss:

  • The Indigenous Craft Market, where northern artists sell beadwork, moccasins, jewelry, and other handmade pieces. You won’t find any of this anywhere else! It’s one of a kind.
  • Pineapple guy is back! Regulars will know exactly what that means. But go dance with him, grab a selfie, and just be entertained.
  • The Wellness Tent is a good spot to slow down, learn about traditional healing practices, and talk with a local Elder. There’s also bannock frying somewhere near by. Don’t pass on trying a piece with fresh jam.
  • The welcome sign photo is practically a rite of passage at this point, so grab it on your way in.
  • The Kids Zone has a bunch of fun for your littles including bouncy castles, a graffiti art activity with artist Liz Buset, a Home Depot craft workshop, face painting, and more.
  • Obviously the festival food! With all that dancing, you’ll get hungry fast, and the food lineup has everything you have ever dreamed about. From bannock tacos, local family recipes, sweet treats, Northern-inspired dishes along with the staples like poutine, ice cream,  hot dogs, and popcorn…just follow whatever smells best!

A few insider tips:

  • Head to the merch tent ASAP!!! This year’s tees and hoodies are unreal and always sell out fast! There’s also super cute kids tee’s and a lighter zip-up sweater.
  • Bring a water bottle. There’s a free fill station on site and hydration is always key.
  • Come early! The opening acts are worth catching, the lines are shorter, and you can leave and come back if you need to. But we recommend just sticking around so you don’t have to worry about missing that one song you came for!
  • Pick a meeting spot with your group as soon as you arrive. The welcome sign near the front entrance is always an easy meeting point if anyone gets separated.
  • Keep an eye on Wake the Giant’s social pages leading up to the festival. Surprises tend to be announced there, including possible meet and greets, as well as the official schedule and food vendor list.

Tickets are SOOO close to selling out, so if you want to go, now is your last chance to not have FOMO for the biggest music festival in the city this year: wakethegiant.ca

Important to note: After this year’s festival, Wake the Giant is taking a little bit of a pause as the City of Thunder Bay starts major upgrades to the Waterfront grounds. With that said there will be no big festival in 2027 (although rumour has it there will be other ways the community can participate in the movement throughout the year).

Picture of Amanda Bay

Amanda Bay

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