Lawnya Vawnya is a local non-profit festival of music and art showcasing talented artists hailing from St. John’s to the west coast of Canada. 2026 marks Lawnya Vawnya’s 16th festival, which will run from June 3-6.
The organization keeps innovation and creativity alive, providing ample opportunity for people in all artistic disciplines.
This year, the festival will offer a plethora of musical performances, accompanied by workshops, artist talks, panel talks, a two-day merchandise and print fair, pop-up events, and a music crawl through the heart of St. John’s.
These musical performances will embrace many genres, such as alternative, rock, punk, pop, electronic, techno, and more!
Take a look at the 2026 lineup, featuring some local talent:
- AEXEL (electronic)
- Cable TV (post-punk/rock)
- chump (alt-rock)
- Corey Clocksy (dj/electronic)
- Desperatá (punk/post-punk/hardcore)
- Fairweather (pop-punk/ power pop)
- Feminotica (gothic dance-pop)
- Invisible Hand (hardcore punk)
- Kelly McMichael (alt pop-rock/jazz)
- Kubasonics (speed-folk/trad-dance)
- MANTRACKER (punk/hardcore-punk)
- QUIN (dj/techno)
- Sick Puppy (punk/rock/emo/hardcore)
- Zaynab Wilson (jazz/soul)
Some out-of-province musical acts that will accompany local talent include:
- Cassia Hardy (alt/indie rock – Edmonton, AB)
- CPR (dj/electronic – Halifax, NS)
- Dear Evangeline (hardcore/metal – Brampton, ON)
- DJ Decision & Aniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiita (dance – Halifax, NS)
- Èbony (techno – Toronto, ON)
- fanclubwallet (indie/rock – Ottawa, ON)
- Fiver with the fiver trios (country/folk – Toronto, ON)
- G̱a̱mksimoon (alt – Prince Rupert, BC)
- HRT (ebm/electronic/hardcore – Montreal, QC)
- JayWood (alt/hip-hop/indie-rock/bedroom-pop – Montreal, QC)
- Kiwi jr. (rock/indie/indie-pop – Toronto, ON)
- LICE (death metal/hardcore/punk – Brampton, ON)
- Miesha and The Spanks (garage-rock – Calgary, AB)
- Narcy (hip-hop – Montreal, QC)
- Shunk (post-punk/dreampop/shoegaze/indie-pop/opera – Montreal, QC)
- Slash Need (electronic/punk/dance/pop/techno – Toronto, ON)
- UZU أوزو (hardcore punk/anarcho-punk/arabic-punk – Montréal, QC)
The festival will also bring other interdisciplinary talent, such as:
- Country Cookin’ (multidisciplinary artist/community organizer – NL)
- Gravy (drag – NL)
- Jem Woolidge (multidisciplinary artist – Montreal, QC)
- Joanna Barker (singer/songwriter – Charlottetown, PEI)
- Kate Lahey (multidisciplinary artist/researcher – NL)
- Matt Horseman (writer/photographer – Winnipeg, MB)
Lawnya Vawnya is also pleased to bring in Maria Neva, author of the novel “Good Citizens Need Not Fear”, which is set in an apartment block in Ukraine. Neva was also long-listed for the 2025 Booker Prize and won the Atwood Gibson Writer’s Trust Fiction Prize.
Lawnya Vawnya continues its tradition of showcasing Canada’s independent talent, with this year’s lineup looking stellar. The festival stays true to its mission – spotlighting nation-wide talent and creativity.
