Sled Island 2026 Preview
Sled Island Preview
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It’s a rite of passage on the prairies. If you’re a music fan, finally committing to attending (folks in Calgary, you have no idea how lucky you are). If you’re a musician, finally opening that email and seeing that you were accepted to play Sled Island Music Festival. It’s such a special time and we here at Cups N Cakes want to offer our readers some suggestions on who to check out this weekend. Please enjoy our recommendations, they are heavily geared towards the Canadian acts playing Sled but that’s because it’s what we do. The lineup this year is fantastic and the festival is bringing in a ton of international artists worth checking out but if you have breaks in your schedule and are curious who to see, let us be your guide. Please enjoy our Sled Island Preview and if you’re interested, check out this TIDAL playlist of our recommendations.
*****
Jeff MacCallum
Sled. One of the few things that is scheduled into my calendar a year in advance. It’s such a special festival and I simply cannot wait. That being said, this year comes with some nerves as I will be speaking at the Sled Island Conference on Friday at 1:00pm. My panel is called Defining Your Artist Brand and I have no idea why they want my perspective but I’ll be there to share it while trying to tamper my anxiety. Come cheer me on!
Okay, here’s some stuff I’m better suited to speak about… who the heck you should see this year. Yeah I get it, there’s some big names that are pretty rad and are coming to Calgary for the first time but I’m gonna focus on some of the Canadian acts you may not know about. First off, go see Spank Williams at Pin-Bar on Wednesday. He’s the toast of the town in Vancouver and packs the rooms he plays with his greasy country foot stompers. I’m genuinely excited to see him for the very first time. On Thursday there’s only one place to be and that’s with me at the Cups N Cakes Showcase at Loophole! Uncanny Valley, NON ULTRAS, Yarbo, and cute. I’m very excited for all four but am particularly intrigued by cute. They’re a noise-rock band from Hamilton that I’ve heard nothing but good things about. Come say hi and help us out by buying a shirt!
Two incredible CnC team members play at the same time on Friday so I’m gonna bounce between both. Calgary hip-hop act Tea Fannie has an extra special set planned at BLOX while Edmonton’s pseudo-antigone is bringing hyperpop power to Sled for the very first time. If you love Cups N Cakes, please go see them and show some love. To end Friday night is my major conflict this year. Tha Retail Simps are everything you want in a garage band and I know their set will be amazing but I was shocked to see billy woods on the lineup this year. Sled always delivers us some tough choices and with so many shows sold out, there’s a fear that bouncing between shows might not be in cards. Maybe I’ll flip a coin.
Finally we have Saturday, a full day of music and good times. The CnC team will be chillin’ at Dandy in the afternoon but like everyone, I have to say that the number one show to be at this weekend is clipping. It’s not just for clipping. though, both Cartel Madras and Jairus Sharif are can’t miss live shows. It’s been ages since I’ve seen the trap-duo Cartel Madras live and I’ve been dying to see Jairus Sharif alter minds with his experimental live show. What a bill! I’ll be booking it from Palace to Palomino afterwards to see Concrete Vehicles, Pnoom, and BIG EVIL RAT who I know are amazing live and I’m very excited to watch them all again.
I know I didn’t talk much about the international acts but frankly, I’m less jazzed on those selections this year because of how incredible the Canadian music scene has become. Don’t miss clipping. though, that will be one for the books, cross your fingers the sound at the Palace is on point.
*****
Clay Geddert
Sled Island has returned with many familiar faces and just as many exciting new ones. With the help of clipping.’s expert curation, Sled 2026 has one of the best lineups yet. Fingers crossed the sun will poke its head out and we can avoid a repeat of last years monsoon.
The major draw this year will almost certainly be some of the major international acts making the pilgrimage to the prairies, namely: Black Country, New Road, clipping., billy woods, Etran de L’Aïre, feeble little horse, and illuminati hotties.
But the real magic of Sled is discovering homegrown talent that may practice in a garage down the street or in the next town over, and this year’s lineup of international heavy-hitters has not diluted the Canadian talent on offer. Backxwash returns this year with their brutal yet thoughtful brand of industrial hip-hop. Noise rock fans have plenty to enjoy with the budding talent of SENTRIES and NON-ULTRAS from Lethbridge. The cupsncakes team has one of their own joining the lineup this year as pseudo-antigone brings their enigmatic brand of experimental hyperpop to the Sled stage for the first time. From Edmonton comes Aladean Kheroufi, a soulful and melancholic songwriter who can bring the party as much as he can bring the tears. Tha Retail Simps are making their first Sled appearance to bring the roof down with their inimitable “slop-rock”. And lastly, no Sled lineup would be complete without the local talent of Sunglaciers.
Happy Sledding!
*****
Simone Atenea Medina Polo
This Sled Island is stacked. On top of having clipping. as the curators for this year, the festival is bringing headlining acts like illuminati hotties, Lil Mariko, billy woods, and Black Country, New Road among many others. On my calendar, acts like Still Depths, SAMWOY, TeaFannie, DijahSB, Jed Arbour, and Concrete Vehicles are lined up ahead of me. I highly recommend folks go watch Backxwash. Ashanti rules and I’ve seen her live a few times now, each of them has ruled so hard. Lastly, the most anticipated highlights for me are Cartel Madras, the Mint Records showcase, and Jairus Sharif. Cartel Madras is the big one to look out for because they’ve been teasing an upcoming release which I just can’t wait to get my hands on. I guess there is also lil ol’ me excited to play the festival for the first time along with aniqa dear, World News, and Carissa Gem. So this Sled Island is extra special to me personally.
*****
Chris Lammiman
With probably the best lineup I’ve seen in years, limiting my Sled Island 2026 must-sees to 200 words is an impossible task, but here goes
To start, I really kicked myself for missing SAMWOY’s set last year. Thankfully I have a shot at redemption this year to catch one of the more dynamic and creative artists in Canada right now. On the heavier end of the dial, I’m a big big fan of Gadfly and I’m looking forward to their blend of thick, fuzzy rage and sincere melodiousness. No less explosive but on a different side of the genre landscape, horrorcore/experimental hiphop iconoclast Backxwash is sure to be an unparalleled live experience.
Closer to home, there are many local favourites I’m glad to see on the bill. If you haven’t seen Stucco, Bennett Mitchell, Witch Victim, Tea Fannie, or Brock Geiger before - please do yourself a favour and heart these shows on your schedule. New-to-me local acts I’m excited to see for the first time include the gaze-y goodness of Innerouter, and (not Calgarian, but Albertan) the intricate and oddball songwriting of Edmonton’s l.n. baba. Continuing to stretch the definition of local, I can’t wait to dance my face off to genre-defying flows as Calgary-raised duo Cartel Madras returns with what I’m sure will be a terrific bombast of a show.
Over my word count now, but I have to mention a few more: MA: Q, Pearly Moon, Babe Corner, Spank Williams, Pnoom, Mean Bikini… too many to list! Absolutely can’t wait for these acts, and all the other new discoveries I know are waiting. Happy Sledding everyone!
*****
Ned Kroczynski
I went to Sled Island for my first and only time in 2024. It was a bit of a birthday gift from my brother, and as I had no knowledge of the festival or its bands, I largely relied on him to guide me through what Sled had to offer. However, now that I’m two years older and two chest hairs taller, I’ve taken it upon myself to comb through the lineup and deliver to you, dear reader, a small list of acts I’m excited to see at Sled Island 2026.
Near the top of my list is the Nora Kelly Band, an alternative country act that recently released a new record, So Wrong For So Long. I became a fan after seeing Kelly perform with one of her bandmates at Sled in 2024, a performance that was made special by Kelly’s charm and unique storytelling abilities. The Nora Kelly Band will be playing at 6 PM at the Pin-Bar, June 19.
SAMWOY is a post-punk band that I saw performing in Edmonton while they were opening for Motherhood. Their performance was raw, messy (in a cool, good way), and often, quite funny. Catch them at 6 PM in the Dandy Parking Lot, June 19.
Eye of Newt is a Calgary post-punk outfit that released a record last summer, Work Perks, that I often listened to while driving out to the prairies of Alberta to pour concrete into unleveled basements. You can catch Eye of Newt at 8 PM at the Palace Theatre, June 19.
*****
To help you plan out your own visit to Calgary for Sled Island, we’ve created a playlist of all the acts mentioned above. Give it a spin, and realize that we wouldn’t steer you wrong. There are some insanely good Canadian acts well worth the price of admission. See you there!
