2023 Gamechangers Who Made Waves in Music and More

Each July, music fans gather in Québec City for Festival D’Été de Québec, an 11-day musical celebration that brings artists of all genres to the beautiful “Vielle Capital” (or, “Old Capital”). Held annually since 1968, FEQ draws hundreds of thousands of fans (1.2 million total admissions!) and dozens of international artists (over 180 per year!) to Quebec’s city center for more than a week’s worth of fantastic performances on five separate stages. The festival is a music lover’s paradise, with non-stop music and a buzzing city atmosphere. Though many have not heard of the Québec City festival, it’s a very familiar name to superstar artists: past headliners have included Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, The Rolling Stones, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, and many many others.

The 2023 Edition of FEQ started to turn heads from music lovers across the continent, thrilled by the expertly-curated lineup, professionalism of the organizing team (BLEUFEU), and the high-wattage headliners. 2023 brought a stunning array of artists, including Foo Fighters, Lana Del Rey, Zach Bryan, Pitbull, Green Day, and more, alongside a bevy of talented Canadian and Québecois artists. Remarkably, when weather threatened to derail a night of the festival, the organizers worked quickly to add a twelfth day to the festival (for the first time in 55 years!), bringing local heroes Les Cowboys Fringnants and Robert Charlebois back to the Plains of Abraham for a festival-closing celebration.

FEQ earned raves from across the spectrum, for its nimble handling of the weather, breadth of programming, passionate crowds, and smooth integration with the city of Québec. Pollstar led the charge, calling FEQ, “The Best Festival You’ve Probably Never Heard Of,” while outlets like NME, Clash, Paste, The Line of Best Fit, and many more heaped on the plaudits. With another group of all-world headliners in the works for next year, FEQ might not be a secret for much longer.