Gussapolooza Returns to Cookstown With 40+ Canadian Artists and a New Immersive Arts Zone

The independent, all-ages festival takes over the Georgian Bay Steam Show Grounds from August 21–23, 2026.

What began as a backyard gathering is returning for its biggest edition yet. Gussapolooza Music & Arts Festival will celebrate its fifth year from August 21–23, bringing more than 40 Canadian artists to the Georgian Bay Steam Show Grounds in Cookstown, Ontario.

Spread across 48 acres, the three-day festival features live music on three stages alongside camping, original art, local vendors, family programming and a growing collection of community-led experiences. This year also introduces WonderGround, a new immersive arts zone featuring large-scale installations.

Built by musicians and supported by the community surrounding them, Gussapolooza has carved out a distinct space in Southern Ontario’s festival circuit by keeping its focus entirely on independent Canadian talent.

Feral Minks Return to Headline Saturday Night

Kitchener rock outfit Feral Minks will close out the festival’s Saturday night programming.

Produced by The Glorious Sons guitarist Jay Emmons, the band’s breakout single “Matador” reached the Top 25 on Canada’s Active Rock chart. They were also named the winners of HTZ-FM’s Rock Search in 2024, joining a history of past winners that includes Finger Eleven, The Trews and The Glorious Sons.

Feral Minks are no strangers to Gussapolooza. The multi-year festival alumni were named its 2025 Band of the Year and will receive a gold vinyl award during their return to the stage.

The 2026 lineup also includes Toronto five-piece Propter Hawk, whose horn-fuelled rock and roll has landed the band in the Toronto Star and on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada.

Bilingual Ontario-Atlantic rock group Taming Sari will make the trip to Cookstown after their single “Crazy” quickly surpassed 50,000 streams on Spotify and another 50,000 views on YouTube.

Toronto psych-pop artist HARKNESS also joins the bill, bringing the unpredictable live presence that has helped build a dedicated following across Canada and beyond.

Southwestern Ontario folk-roots trio Cabin Fever arrive with some recent momentum of their own. The group’s single “Devil Is A Friend” appeared in the third season of The Trades on Crave, while their music has also landed on CBC’s Alt Country and Canadian Country playlists.

Returning to Gussapolooza are The Manic Boys and Girls Club, the Toronto alt-pop and rock sibling duo whose latest EP was produced by Gavin Brown—the award-winning producer behind records from Billy Talent, Metric and The Glorious Sons.

The full lineup stretches across rock, country, folk and alternative music, with Tony Rust & the Mudhorses, The Thick, Feura, Suzi Kory, Dumb Crush, Kill/Death Radio!, Black Paint, Coco Rose, The Meringues, Joanna Bronson and The Connors Brothers among the many artists scheduled to perform.

More Than a Music Festival

Music will be spread across Gussapolooza’s Main Stage, Barn Stage and Side Stage, but the weekend’s programming reaches well beyond the performances.

Festivalgoers can explore a dedicated Kids Zone, Health & Wellness Zone, Vendor Village and Artist Alley. The Creator’s Convention will also return, offering an outdoor activation space for podcasts, media and conversations within Canada’s independent creative community.

New for 2026, WonderGround will add an immersive visual-art experience to the festival through a collection of large-scale installations.

As independent artists contend with fewer performance spaces and increasingly consolidated festival lineups, Gussapolooza continues to offer something valuable: a stage built specifically for them and an audience that arrives ready to discover someone new.

For many of the artists performing this year, it will be one of their largest festival stages of the summer.

Gussapolooza Music & Arts Festival takes place August 21–23, 2026, at the Georgian Bay Steam Show Grounds in Cookstown, Ontario. The festival is all ages, with weekend camping available.

Tickets, the complete lineup and the full festival schedule are available at gussapolooza.com.

Photography by Jackson Sisters Photography.