Festival Preview: Can’t Miss Bands and Best Kept Secrets of NXNE 2014

By: Rebecca M. Williams (@rebeccapeppers) – 

Music festival fanatics rejoice! Summer is finally here, and NXNE is just around the corner. The interactive, all-inclusive music, film, comedy and art festival will take place June 13-22, and festival-goers can soak up all of the music, comedy and art against a backdrop of the Toronto skyline. Festival lightweights can catch a show here and there, while us diehard NXNE-ers can fill the entire day with live music, good drinks, cool art and everything else that this massive festival has to offer. Sound appealing? Here are a few must-see acts, festival survival tips and best kept secrets of Toronto’s biggest summer event.

NXNE’s biggest draw is its headlining bill of acts that will grace the stage in Toronto this summer, including St. Vincent (June 20, 9:10 pm), Juicy J (June 22, 9:00 pm) and Spoon (June 21, 9:00 pm) – their shows are free and open-air, hosted in the heart of Toronto at Yonge-Dundas square. Be sure to catch Merrill Garbus’ high energy pop-art tUnE-yArDs‘ performance at Massey Hall on June 19 at 10 pm. Or, get your punk on with home-grown Toronto outfit METZ (June 21 at 12 am). Pop-dreamer and beloved weirdo Mac DeMarco (June 20, 11 pm, the Opera House) will be repping Montreal at NXNE again this year, and his performance follows the release of his next full-length Salad Days.

Film is a huge part of NXNE, and the festival offers lots of opportunities for cinephiles to see the best new movies that have yet to hit the big screen. Go see the groundbreaking film Boyhood – filmed over the span of 12 years with the same cast, the qualms of growing up quite literally unfold before the audience’s eyes. With a soundtrack by Arcade Fire and Coldplay to tie it all together, this is a film you won’t want to miss. NXNE 2014 offers the festival’s most stacked comedy lineup yet – headliners like Reggie Watts (June 20, 8:40 pm, the Great Hall), Andy Milonakis (June 20, 7:30 pm, the Great Hall) and expect a 30-minutes-or-less set from Macaulay Culkin’s rebellion project The Pizza Underground (June 19, 11 pm, Lee’s Palace). Culturally enriching art displays will run throughout the week, and round out your festival experience with interactive talks and presentations from cutting edge minds behind today’s most influential and innovative companies.

Other cool, unique attractions will include the MiO House at the Hoxton, where electronic music fans can get their fix with an array of DJ performances throughout the festival. VICE Media will be hosting VICE ISLAND on Toronto Island, a spinoff from VICE’s party at SXSW in Austin, Texas this past year. VICE ISLAND will include a ferry ride for wristband holders and an exclusive appearance from hip-hop legend Pusha T (June 19, 11 pm). If you’re looking to keep up with the best up-and-coming unsigned acts, keep your ears open for lots of secret shows and impromptu performances from artists all over the city.

So, let’s say you’re convinced – you want to go to NXNE this year, but you want to make sure you get the absolute best experience out of the festival.

Here are a few key tips to make sure you survive and thrive at NXNE this summer:

1. Splurge on the wristbands. If you want to see lots of musical acts, but a few films and comedy shows caught your eye too, go for the full package – it will enable you to see everything on your list, plus you can check out artists you’ve never seen before. A huge part of the NXNE experience is discovering new music and media, so buy the package that will allow you to do so.

2. Get a TTC pass. Torontonians can groan all they want about the city’s transit system, but at NXNE, there is no better or cheaper way to get from venue to venue. Plus, for the shows at Yonge-Dundas Square, surrounding streets get blocked off – so a cab won’t get you where you need to be.

3. Remember the holy trinity of summer festivals: water, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes.

4. Plan out your schedule. It sounds like a chore, but checking out listings and set times will help you pack as much as you can into each day. Try to fill your downtime with events, talks, parties or BBQ’s that the festival has to offer. Sure, you’ll be tired at the end of the day – but when it’s all said and done, you’ll have experienced NXNE to the fullest.

5. There are plenty of chances to drink a wide array of libations at the festival, so by all means enjoy a round or two. But if you’re planning on boozing at NXNE, pace yourself – drinks aren’t cheap and a hangover will prevent you from experiencing the festival at full speed.

6. Keep your wristband on your wrist. Losing your wristband is a horrific, irreversible festival faux pas – security won’t let you in without one, and your friends aren’t likely to want to stay behind with you.