Supercrawl reveals stellar 2026 lineup
Headliners Aysanabee, Protest the Hero, Mariel Buckley, The Grapes of Wrath, Murda Beatz, and William Prince join local performers Superstar Crush, Emma Whale, Golden Feather, Chore, Capitol, and Steve Strongman.
For one weekend every September, James Street North in Hamilton transforms into the epicentre of Canadian music. Since its debut in 2009, Supercrawl has evolved from a grassroots neighbourhood arts crawl into one of Canada's largest and most celebrated free multi-arts festivals, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the downtown every year.
Organizers yesterday unveiled the full programming lineup for Supercrawl 2026, and HAMILTON CITY Magazine was at the event. Here’s what went down.
Supercrawl returns for the 17th year from Sept. 11–13, bringing together hundreds of artists across music, visual art, fashion, dance, theatre, comedy, and family programming.
Leading this year's musical lineup are headliners Aysanabee, Protest the Hero, Mariel Buckley, The Grapes of Wrath, Murda Beatz, and William Prince joined by more than 60 additional performers representing a broad range of genres, including a plethora of Hamilton talent like Superstar Crush, Emma Whale, Golden Feather, Chore, Capitol, Steve Strongman and many more.
The announcement also marked a historic leadership transition as founding programmer Tim Potocic officially passed the festival reins to new festival director Lisa La Rocca. Potocic, who helped launch Supercrawl in 2009, will remain involved in an ex-officio role on the festival's board of directors.
"Supercrawl has reinvented itself constantly over the years, and that has helped keep things vital and vibrant," said Potocic. "I'm pleased to be succeeded by one of our strong and capable staff members, and I'm excited to see where Lisa takes Supercrawl in the years to come."
La Rocca unveiled what she described as the festival's most ambitious and expansive artistic lineup to date, showcasing local, regional, national, and international talent across multiple stages and venues spanning more than a kilometre of James Street North. "Surprise and discovery have always been essential to Supercrawl," said La Rocca. "We're proud to honour, showcase, and celebrate artists working across every discipline, and we invite culture lovers from Hamilton and across Canada to join us this September.”
Over the years, Supercrawl has welcomed an extraordinary lineup of artists that reads like a who's who of Canadian and International music. Headliners and marquee alumni performers have included Arkells, Broken Social Scene, Spoon, Passion Pit, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Kiesza, Sarah Harmer, Charlotte Day Wilson, Yo La Tengo, Danko Jones, Elliott Brood, Tanya Tagaq, Four Tet, Rich Aucoin, The Beaches, Terra Lightfoot, Ian Thomas, Fred Penner, Wintersleep, The Dirty Nil, The Dears and countless others.
Just as importantly, hundreds of Hamilton independent musicians have shared those same stages, reinforcing the festival's long-standing commitment to championing local talent alongside nationwide and internationally recognized artists.
Beyond the music, Supercrawl 2026 will feature dozens of visual art installations, Fashion Zone runway showcases, dance performances, theatre, comedy, and an extensive Family Zone with hands-on activities presented by community organizations from across the region.
Part of what makes Supercrawl so special is that the city itself becomes the venue. There are no gates separating the festival from the neighbourhood. Music and art spills into cafés, alleys, breweries, restaurants, record stores, galleries, patios, and sidewalks as audiences explore James Street North between performances. The result feels less like a traditional music festival and more like a full downtown block party where creativity, community, and art is entwined into every corner…..and we didn’t even mention all the food trucks!
In an era where festival tickets can cost hundreds of dollars, Supercrawl remains proudly free and accessible to everyone. That commitment, combined with adventurous programming and an unwavering dedication to independent music, has helped cement Hamilton as one of Canada's premier music cities, and it’s an annual reminder that some of the country's most exciting live music isn't happening inside arenas and stadiums, it's happening right in the middle of James Street North.
The complete 2026 festival lineup and more info are available at supercrawl.ca
