OLG Stage Ignites in 2025

Standing for diversity, unity, and joy through music, the OLG Stage Ignites at the 2025 Ottawa Jazz Festival: A Story of Global Groove and Homegrown Fire

Nine days. Nineteen acts. One unforgettable summer soundtrack. Listen to the OLG Stage Playlist on Spotify.

As the Ottawa Jazz Festival celebrates its 45th year and OLG marks its 50th anniversary, downtown Ottawa will come alive from June 20 to June 29, 2025, pulsing with the rhythm of something extraordinary. Set against the vibrant urban backdrop of Marion Dewar Plaza in front of City Hall, the OLG Stage will become part of the heart of Festival Plaza. For nine exhilarating days, this iconic space will host a boundary-breaking celebration of sound and soulful connection, where Canada’s finest artists share the spotlight with genre-defying talent from around the world. 

The story begins with the bold and brilliant Tanika Charles (June 20, 7:30pm), whose electrifying vocals and retro-soul swagger crack open the first night like a sonic sunrise. Tanika and the raw power of Pony Girl (June 22, 7:30pm) set the tone: unapologetically dynamic and fiercely Canadian. Pony Girl’s artpop anthems will fuse warmth and digital precision. Pulled into a dream by these artists, festivalgoers won’t want to leave.

June 21 is a celebration of Afro-Columbian rhythms and brass beat providing the crowd to move with joyful urgency. Kombilesa Mi (at 7:30pm), wields ancestral drums and hip-hop fire to create a sound rooted in resistance and pride. La Pambelé (at 10:30pm) will deliver a knockout Colombian salsa performance. These two shows are presented in collaboration with Axé WorldFest.

Europe arrives with a roar on June 24. Poland’s Polky (7:30pm) bring Eastern European folk traditions to life with punk energy and feminist flair, while Balkan Paradise Orchestra (10:30pm) will raise the roof with infectious Balkan brass and dancefloor frenzy – pure celebratory chaos in the best possible way.

Canada answers with its own homegrown legends. Ottawa’s blues king Tony D (June 25, 7:30pm) reminds everyone why he’s a national treasure, his guitar wailing with grit and soul. iskwē (June 26, 7:30pm) will deliver a haunting and cinematic performance that weaves Indigenous identity, electronics, and raw emotional power into something utterly unmissable.

Magi Merlin (June 28, 7:30pm) will turn the plaza into a party with genre-blurring, high-energy sets – funk, soul, hip-hop, and R&B collide in the most joyful fusion. Then there’s Brekky Boy (June 27, 7:30pm), whose jazz-rock from Australia adds wild grooves and sunset energy to the stage. 

The boldest statement might come from Isaiah Collier (June 29, 7:30pm), whose incendiary performance, “The World is on Fire!”, is equal parts catharsis, protest, and cosmic jazz ritual. It’s an unforgettable moment—a musician channeling the burning anxieties and hopes of our time with fearless urgency.

Legends come out in the OLG After Dark Series at 10:30pm. DJ Questlove takes the stage (June 22), drummer of The Roots and a living encyclopedia of groove, his DJ set is a celebration of everything the OLG Stage stands for: diversity, unity, and joy through music. Keyon Harrold (June 25), the trumpet virtuoso behind Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead, brings fiery lyricism and righteous protest to the stage. Makaya McCraven (June 26), the modern architect of “organic beat music,” constructs a hypnotic wall of rhythm and soul with his drum kit. And Nubya Garcia (June 29), queen of the London jazz renaissance, pours every note of her saxophone into a sound that travels like a prayer on the wind.

The Bros. Landreth (June 20) deliver their Grammy-winning blend of roots-rock and heartbreak harmonies. Then comes a night for the ages: Ghost-Note (June 27) lights up the crowd with their funk explosion, Salami Rose Joe Louis (June 28) bends the mind with surrealist synth-jazz journeys. 

Check out the free shows on the OLG Stage every day at noon (except June 23)!

New this year! Enjoy even more free music on the OLG Bird’s Nest Stage in Festival Plaza at 5pm featuring:

Jude Zappala Quartet (June 21)

 SNACKTIME (June  22)

TBA (June 28)

Keith Hartshorn-Walton Trio (June 29) 

In 2025, the OLG Stages at the Ottawa Jazz Festival aren’t just venues – they’re a story in motion. A place where artists from every corner of the globe and every corner of Canada come together to make people dance, feel, and believe. Nine days. Nineteen acts. One unforgettable summer soundtrack.