PREVIEW: Montebello Rockfest

In a few days’ time, crowds of punks from all over Canada will be setting up camp in Quebec for the 13th annual Montebello Rockfest, a three day festival celebrating punk, ska, hardcore, and metal music taking place in June every year. Founded in 2005 by a then-17-year-old Alex Martel, the festival has since grown to become the largest rock festival in all of Canada. Exploding in popularity since 2005, in which the festival attracted 500 fans, it has sold roughly 200,000 tickets every year since the 2014 edition.

Headliners for the 2018 Rockfest include a variety of acts such as Tenacious D, Weezer, Sum 41, and the Dropkick Murphys. Over 70 acts and thousands upon thousands of fans will take over the streets of Martel’s hometown of Montebello, residing on the Outaouais River an hour away from Ottawa and Montreal. With a population of a little under a thousand, the town gets overthrown every year by the festivalgoers. Montebello Rockfest has sold out its past five years, likely due to the commitment the organizers make to keeping the ticket prices reasonable without sacrificing the quality of its acts. Past headliners include Blink-182, Linkin Park, Rise Against, and Iggy Pop.