Festivals
Coachella 2026 Set Times Are Out, With Jack White Added to Weekend One
The schedule for the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is here, and weekend one is already looking packed. Music starts at 1 p.m. PST on Friday, April 10, kicking off three days of tight set clashes, late-night headliners, and one surprise addition.
Headliners Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G lead the bill across the weekend. Carpenter opens things on Friday with a 9:05 p.m. set on the Coachella Stage, running just over 90 minutes. She’s followed by Anyma, who takes over at midnight to debut a new production titled “Æden.”
Saturday belongs to Bieber, who closes out the night with an 11:25 p.m. start. Before that, The Strokes hit the same stage at 9 p.m. Sunday wraps with Karol G, with competing sets from BIGBANG and Kaskade pulling fans in different directions.
The big curveball this year is Jack White, who joins the lineup for a Saturday afternoon slot. He’ll open the Mojave Stage at 3 p.m., marking a return to the festival after last headlining as a solo act in 2015. His appearance follows a recent run of surprise bookings at Coachella, a trend that’s become part of the festival’s identity.
Saturday night also brings Nine Inch Noize—a collaboration between Trent Reznor and Boys Noize—to the Sahara Tent for an 8 p.m. set.
Elsewhere, Coachella is leaning into immersive experiences. A new installation tied to Radiohead, called “Radiohead Motion Picture House: Kid A Mnesia,” will debut near the Sahara Tent. The 75-minute film blends visuals and audio pulled from the recording era of their albums Kid A and Amnesiac, created by Thom Yorke and longtime collaborator Stanley Donwood. It’s free with a reservation, with standby access for anyone willing to wait.
Beyond the headliners, the real challenge this year is picking a path through the schedule. Set conflicts are everywhere: David Byrne vs. Interpol, FKA twigs vs. The Rapture, and a crowded overlap featuring The xx, Dijon, Ninajirachi, DEVO, and more. Late Saturday gets especially messy with PinkPantheress going up against The Strokes, and Sunday throws in clashes like Moby vs. Turnstile.
A few lineup tweaks round things out. Foster the People move to Sunday, and new additions include Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Afrojack x Smiza, Deep Dish, and more.
Weekend two set times are still under wraps. For now, weekend one already looks like a scheduling headache, in the best way.
More information on the festival’s website.
Festivals
FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver – Simple Plan & JJ Wilde
The weather did everything it could to keep people away from the the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Vancouver on July 2, but fans had other ideas. Heavy rain lingered throughout the day, yet by the evening the amphitheatre at the PNE Grounds was packed with concertgoers ready to enjoy live music alongside the excitement of the FIFA World Cup.
The day’s schedule featured Round of 32 matches on the big screen between performances from local and international artists. Vancouver’s own JJ Wilde took the amphitheatre stage in the early evening, bringing her trademark mix of gritty rock vocals and confident stage presence. Her performance gave the crowd plenty of energy before the night’s main attraction, and showed everyone why she became the first woman in 25 years to win Canadian Rock Album Of The Year prize at Junos Awards.
Closing out the night was Montreal pop-punk veterans Simple Plan, who showed exactly why they continue to be one of Canada’s most reliable live bands more than two decades into their career. Rain-soaked fans sang along from the opening notes of “I’d Do Anything” as the band wasted no time getting the audience involved. Their set moved quickly through fan favourites including “Nothing Changes,” “Shut Up!,” “Jump,” “Jet Lag,” and “Welcome to My Life,” with nearly every chorus echoed back by the crowd.
The setlist balanced nostalgia with newer material, featuring songs like “Nothing Changes,” “Loser of the Year,” and “Million Pictures” alongside classics that have become staples of the band’s live shows. “Summer Paradise” brought a welcome reminder of sunnier days, even if the skies over Vancouver refused to cooperate.
One of the night’s most entertaining moments came during “What’s New Scooby-Doo?” Better known by fans simply as the Scooby-Doo song, the band continued its long-running concert tradition by inviting several people dressed as Scooby-Doo onto the stage.
The energy never dipped as the band powered through a party medley before closing with “Where I Belong,” “I’m Just a Kid,” and, fittingly, “Perfect.” Thousands of voices filled the amphitheatre, creating one of the loudest singalongs of the festival so far.
July 2 served as another reminder of what has made the FIFA Fan Festival such a success throughout the tournament. Football may bring people together during the day, but the nightly concerts have become just as much a reason to gather. Even under grey skies and persistent rain, Vancouver fans turned out in force, and Simple Plan rewarded that dedication with a high-energy performance that left the crowd smiling long after the final note.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full galleries of Simple Plan and JJ Wilde!
SIMPLE PLAN
JJ WILDE
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Festivals
Montréal Jazz Festival 2026 – Naïka
If you caught Naïka at MTelus just a few months back, you already know how incredible her live energy is. But seeing her step onto the huge outdoor TD Stage at Jazz Fest on June 29th was something else entirely. She went from playing an intimate venue to looking out at a sea of about 30,000 people. You could tell she was genuinely moved by the turnout, and how could she not be, considering the crowd was more than ten times the size of her last show in the city.
She started the set in this beautiful, draping white dress that paid tribute to her French-Haitian roots. It looked amazing, but right after the opening track, she shed the layers for a short skirt and a white top so she could actually move around, dance, and really own the massive stage.
The setlist felt like a perfect journey through her catalog. She hit some of her biggest tracks like “Ma Chérie” and “1+1,” and then completely flipped the mood by playing a gorgeous, soulful cover of “Killing Me Softly” that had us all swaying and singing along to every word. The absolute highlight, though, was when she surprised everyone by bringing Jessie Reyez out to perform “One Track Mind.” The chemistry between them on stage was so cool to see live.
Beyond the music, just standing in that crowd felt special. Looking around, it was a massive mix of people from every background and culture imaginable. It really reminded me of why Montreal’s melting-pot vibe makes festival season so unique. For an independent global artist like Naïka, the whole night felt less like a standard festival set and more like a major milestone moment in her connection with the city.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
NAÏKA AT JAZZFEST MONTREAL
All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya