Montreal is undoubtedly home to one of the most exciting dance music cultures in North America, with thousands of huge acts visiting this bilingual city every year to grace avid fans with unforgettable performances. Transforming the green spaces of Parc Jean-Drapeau into a vibrant playground for electronic music enthusiasts, Piknic Electronik has become a staple of Montreal’s rich musical landscape and serves as a significant event in the North American summer festival circuit.
Now at its halfway point, this season’s Piknic Electronik has featured an incredible lineup of acts, from Anjunadeep and Chris Lake to MCR-T, with tons more scheduled to perform through the rest of summer 2024. We’re thrilled to bring our readers exclusive coverage of the festival’s most exciting electronic acts, but first, we’re taking a closer look at the history behind this mainstay of Montreal’s musical scene.
A Brief History
Established in 2003 by a collective of music enthusiasts with a vision to bring a diverse array of electronic music to Montreal, Piknic—as it’s colloquially known—has quickly grown to define Montreal’s summer festival circuit. As a city with an incredible tradition of summer festivals like Just for Laughs and the legendary Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal openly welcomed the addition of Piknic to its warm-weather roster.
Over the years, Piknic Electronik has grown in scope and scale, celebrating its 20th anniversary just last year with an edition that included Chloe Caillet, The Blessed Madonna, Ben UFO, and Miss Monique.
Beyond its musical focus, Piknic Electronik has also earned a reputation for its dedication to diversity and inclusion, consistently platforming performers from underrepresented groups. The festival also features tons of local talent and has served as the career launching pad for some of Canada’s biggest and brightest DJs.
As the festival has matured and grown in stature, Piknic Electronik has earned an excellent reputation among North American music festival attendees, consistently drawing large audiences across its months-long program. If you’re a fan of dance music and visiting Montreal for the summer, you’ll probably find yourself at a Piknic show before long.
This Year’s Edition
Piknic Electronik 2024 started May 19th and will continue running at Parc Jean-Drapeau until October 6th. This year’s lineup is stacked, with tons of incredible artists across both its primary daytime edition and OffPiknic, its evening concert series that this year features big names like Amelie Lens and I Hate Models.
We can’t wait to bring you exclusive and in-depth coverage of one of our favorite festivals and one of Montreal’s premiere cultural events. Make sure to follow us on Instagram @nexusradiodance to follow along as we share the most unforgettable moments from Piknic Electronik 2024.
