Joni Mitchell, Nelly Furtado to be honoured at 2026 JUNO Awards
Hometown rockers Arkells will perform when Hamilton hosts Canada’s national music awards in March.
The stars are beginning to align for Hamilton’s turn to host the 2026 JUNO Awards.
Hamilton legends Arkells will perform, pop superstar Nelly Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Canadian icon Joni Mitchell will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award when “Canada’s Biggest Night in Music” takes the stage at TD Coliseum.
It will be the 55th edition of the awards, which will be broadcast nationally on CBC TV, CBC Gem, and CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and stream globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and on CBC Music’s YouTube channel on Sunday, March 29. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday at 10 a.m.
“Hamilton has always been a city that lives and breathes music,” said Allan Reid, president and CEO of CARAS/JUNO Awards and CEO of MusiCounts, the organization’s music education charity.
“To return here with an incredible lineup that includes Joni Mitchell and Nelly Furtado – two of Canada’s most influential artists – is a fitting way to celebrate our country’s rich musical legacy.”
Nelly Furtado 
Joni Mitchell 
Arkells 
The Beaches
At a special event Monday hosted by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), Reid said the 2026 JUNOS will be an anchor for the City of Hamilton’s Year of Music campaign. It is the seventh time the city has hosted the JUNOS and the first time since 2015.
Arkells, nine-time JUNO winners and record holders for their six Group of the Year nods, will join 2025 Group of the Year winner The Beaches in performing at next year’s awards. More performers and the show’s host will be announced in January.
“Arkells turn every stage into a stadium, every crowd into a choir, and every concert into something special,” Tim Potocic, president of Sonic Unyon and co-chair of the JUNO host committee, told a crowd gathered at TD Coliseum.
“They are our soundtrack to road trips, home games, and every great time in between.”
RELATED: JUNOS coming to Hamilton's downtown arena in 2026
“A love of music is part of the fabric of the city,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath, who welcomed the JUNOS alongside Sherri-Lyn Hill, Chief of Six Nations, and Claire Sault, Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
She said hosting the JUNOS is an honour that will bring visitors to the city, create opportunities for local musicians to collaborate, and encourage the next generation of artists to dream big.
And the show’s venue, the newly reopened TD Coliseum, “represents Hamilton’s momentum and ambition,” said Horwath.
The JUNOS and all the events and concerts leading up to the awards ceremony, including JUNOfest, the Songwriters’ Circle, and Junior Junos will ensure that “people across Canada will be reminded that Hamilton produces the best talent,” said Potocic.
Hamilton is a place with deep musical roots, says Ryan McHugh, co-chair of the JUNO host committee and manager of tourism and events with Tourism Hamilton. He said the local committee has committed to raise $100,000 for MusiCounts and is already two-thirds there.
“And we are only getting started.”
Mitchell, described by CARAS as “one of the most influential songwriters and voices of her generation” will be recognized for “her outstanding artistic contributions and enduring impact on global music culture.” Mitchell is a four-time JUNO Award winner and Companion of the Order of Canada.
Mitchell’s prolific recording career, defined by her distinctive voice, unique guitar playing, and unparalleled ability to craft poetic and thought-provoking lyrics, began in 1968. She’s released 19 studio albums and six live records since then, celebrated for her ability to seamlessly blend folk, jazz, and rock influences into classic songs like “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case of You,” “Help Me,” and “Both Sides, Now.”
She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (1997), a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1981), a laureate of the Polaris Music Prize (1996), and a recipient of both the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize (2023) as well as Kennedy Center Honors (2021). Rolling Stone ranks her among the greatest songwriters, singers, and guitarists of all time.
Furtado, says CARAS, is “an undisputed icon whose innovative songwriting shaped an era and transformed pop music. Her unique ‘Nelly sound’ has earned her Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, 10 JUNO Awards, multi-platinum certifications, and millions of fans around the world.”
Over a 25-year career, Furtado has released seven albums, including her latest called 7 in 2024, which she wrote and co-produced. She hosted the JUNOS in 2024 in Halifax.
To further celebrate her impact, a new temporary exhibition will open in the spring of 2026 at the National Music Centre in Calgary, the physical home of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
If you are interested in volunteering with the JUNOS, information will be available at junoawards.ca beginning Dec. 9.
