Summer music festivals in 2023
Forest City London Music Awards
London Music Hall of Fame
June 11 – 18
The Forest City London Music Awards (FCLMA) are one of the biggest celebrations of the year for London area musicians and artists. The week comprises of numerous events celebrating and encouraging southwestern Ontario artists. The FCLMA Jazz and Classical Awards Show takes place at Aeolian Hall followed by music events throughout the week at London Music Hall and London Music Hall of Fame including a Pop & Rock Gala Show, Battle of the High School Bands, Soundcheck for Success (a music career and professional development day) and finally a Music Awards Gala.
London International Food Festival
Victoria Park
June 23 – 25
Who doesn’t love food? London’s International Food Festival has plenty of food and drink to enjoy. The festival offers a wide selection of vendors who sell alcoholic beverages and different types of food on location at Victoria Park while you’re being serenaded by a wonderful lineup of artists like Heart Attack Kids and Sarina Haggarty.
Canada Day
Dundas Place
July 1
Canada Day in London hosts a large number of festivities each year. Last year featured live entertainment from local artists and performers as well as a relaxation lounge with local craft beer and wineries, a collaborative children’s zone and a Touch-A-Truck vehicle display alongside several local food, drink and artisan vendors. The city also presented fireworks at Harris Park.
Since 2021, the annual Turtle Island Healing Walk has also taken place on July 1 to honour the survivors and lives lost from Canada’s residential school system.
TD Sunfest
Victoria Park
July 6 – 9
Huge artists come to perform at Sunfest, one of the largest music festivals in London, Ont. The festival focuses on World Music, featuring hundreds of multicultural food vendors and musical performances. Last year artists like Franciso, El Hombre, Xênia França, Bombino and many more performed on five different stages set up around the park.
RBC Rock the Park
Harris Park
July 12 – 15
Rock the Park 2023 has an incredible lineup of artists, all ready to take to the stage at Harris Park, including Mumford & Sons, Vance Joy, Bahamas, The Trews, Ludacris, Ashanti, Ja Rule, Chingy, Ying Yang Twins, Billy Talent, Alexisonfire, Cypress Hill, Silverstein, The Dirty Nil, and more.
Colombian Gastronomy Festival
Covent Garden Market
July 14 – 15
Located at the Covent Garden Market Square, last year Stereo Caliente Entertainment hosted the annual Colombian Gastronomy Festival. This festival offers a unique blend of Latin music to be enjoyed with Colombian food and tasty cold beer.
Home County Music & Art Festival
Victoria Park
July 14 – 16
The Home County Music & Art Festival is one of London’s premier summer festivals having run for almost 50 years in Victoria Park. The festival focuses on Canadian roots-oriented music with some original arts and crafts events. Local musician Aaron Allen performed at Home County last year.
Island Fest
Covent Garden Market
July 29 – 30
There are hardly any celebrations honouring Caribbean and Black culture in London, but Island Fest 2023 aims to change that. You can expect to see Caribbean food vendors, DJs, and a range of live musical performances at Island Fest on the Rotary Square at Covent Garden Market.
London Ribfest
Victoria Park
Aug. 3 – 7
If you’re a fan of ribs, you’ll definitely want to come to the 2023 London Ribfest. Ribfest includes rides and games for the family to enjoy, along with a huge selection of local meat and food to try. The lineup of musical artists for 2023 has yet to be announced, but last year local metal band Solarus performed, among other local musicians.