Public gets to see what the Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival has to offer June 20th and 21st - Can it replace Sound of Music when it was great?

By Gazette Staff

June 7^th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival is a free, two-day outdoor celebration taking place June 20–21, 2026, at Spencer Smith Park.

The event will be preceded by a parade.

The parade will take place on June 20, 2026, at 10 a.m. in downtown Burlington and will kick off a full weekend of live music and community celebration alongside the new Lakeshore Music and Arts Festival at Spencer Smith Park. Local bands, including the Burlington Teen Tour Band and Burlington Junior Redcoats, Top Hat Marching Orchestra, Halton Region Police Service Board Pipes and Drum Band, Crash Rhythm will be featured, along with entries from community organizations.

The parade route will begin near Central Arena on Caroline Street at Drury Lane and continue to Brant Street, ending at Baldwin Street.

Burlington Teen Tour Band

The Burlington Teen Tour Band Boosters will be collecting non-perishable food items and donations for the Burlington Food Bank along the route.

Temporary road closures will be in effect along the parade route to allow for event setup. The parade is expected to run for approximately 30 minutes, with roads reopening as soon as it is safe to do so. Additional road closure information will be shared closer to the date and delivered to nearby residents and businesses.

A multi-stage experience featuring nationally celebrated Canadian artists, emerging performers, local artisans, an extensive selection of food trucks, and engaging family-friendly programming.

The performers are listed at THIS location

Lakeshore is poised to become one of Ontario’s premier outdoor music and cultural events for years to come.   Time will tell if the new organization is a worthy replacement for the Sound of Music.

The Lakeshore Festival is offering VIP seating and services at $100 per day. You get exclusive access to the premium viewing area, dedicated bar and food vendor as well as a dedicated washroom and seating area.

With every VIP ticket purchased, you have access to purchase a Meet & Greet with the headliner.

You get first to access to merchandise.

Closing out the Sound of Music operation was a painful experience for the SoM folks and an awkward situation for Council members. The decision to go with MRG Live, the organization behind the Burlington event, was driven by staff.  They were so overwhelmed with an application from a group they had never heard of that they moved “heaven and earth” to make sure this was the group that filled the SoM shoes.

Will Burlington see crowds like this when the Lakeshore Festival takes to the stage.