Toronto's PHANTOMFEST: Open Air festival adds acts for 2026 edition

Toronto's PHANTOMFEST: Open Air has revealed the full lineup for its second edition, a free, donation-powered underground electronic music and arts festival running this weekend at Leslie Lookout Park.

The two-day bill, built around this year's theme of Phoenix Rising, adds LeeLee Mishi, Antwon Faulkner and Purrpelle to a 15-act roster that also includes Barroness, Ataras + BLNCA, Tyler Hill, Chris Campos, Melanie Sutherland, Dick Diamonds, Nikki Atana, Paranoid Jack, Nour, Boots Boogie, Sugar Daddy Moth and Southpaw Brown.

PHANTOMFEST was founded by Christina Barron, who has thrown free outdoor dance parties in Toronto since 2016 before formalizing the event into its current festival format. "I grew up on dance floors," Barron said in a press release, describing a mission to make music and dancing accessible "without judgment or financial barriers."

Beyond the music, the festival will feature local vendors, artists and community programming across its two days, running from noon to 11pm daily. Keeping the event free relies on attendee donations, a model Barron has described as central to the festival's mission of removing financial barriers to electronic music events in the city.

The lineup announcement lands the same week as other North American electronic festivals firming up their own bills, including Breakaway Mass's return to Worcester with Zedd and Excision and Unsound naming first acts for its New York edition, both trackable alongside PHANTOMFEST in the festival tracker. The 2026 edition takes place August 29 and 30, with donations and RSVPs available through the festival's website; organizers have not yet announced whether the event will expand its footprint for a third edition next year.