TLDR: Cranium Festival 2025 brings free city-wide shows and a ticketed finale to Ottawa, Sept. 18–21, with Luna Elle, Aqyila, Smiley, PVRX, Banggz, Mindflip, Joe Gez and more.
Cranium Festival 2025 is set to soundtrack Ottawa’s goodbye to summer with four days that pull soul, R&B, and hip-hop into one city-wide current from September 18-21.
Tonight, the opening night at Queen Street Fare, leans warm and melodic. Luna Elle—presented by Mississauga Film + Music—anchors the room with velvet-edge catharsis, flanked by North Preston powerhouse Haliey Smith and Ottawa riser Mely Walide. DJ So Nice dusts the floor with Soul/R&B selections that turn the venue into a house party with better lighting.
Friday pivots to hip-hop’s harder edges. Ottawa catalyst Banggz sets the tone alongside Mindflip, while Toronto closer PVRX threads gravel realism with melodic hooks for the night’s headline run.
Saturday turns Ogilvy Square into an all-day hang—dance battles at 1 p.m., family-friendly magic and balloon art through the afternoon—and then the lights lift for co-headliners Aqyila and OVO Sound’s Smiley, a bright-dark swing from glossy R&B to deadpan confessionals.
Saturday at Ogilvy Square (2:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.) is a free, open-air marathon blending live music with a House of Paint! demo dance battle and DJs. Performances include OVO’s Smiley, Jordior, Joe Gez, Aqyila, Amstag, and Teigwan The Trip, with music by DJ Velvet and hosting from Bo Jangles.
Among Saturday’s performers, Joe Gez stands out as a Congolese-born artist who moved to Ottawa before relocating to Toronto. His latest single “Electric,” a collaboration with Winnipeg’s R.O.Z., has already cleared 453K Spotify streams. The duo is slated to perform the track at the EMB 15 Year Anniversary party in Winnipeg on Sept. 28, but Ottawa will get a preview of his momentum when he takes the Cranium stage.
Sunday splits in two. The afternoon belongs to House of Paint! Dance Battles at Ogilvy Square (2 p.m. to 4 p.m., free) with DJ Kamlet Beats on deck duty. The evening shifts to the Origin Arts & Community Centre for Barcode Live, a $15 ticketed showcase featuring Cheko7even, RAXX, Teigwan The Trip, J Chinnasz, YardBoyK, Niyah Ritch, JustJamaal ThePoet & JAAWORD, Theolodge, Badda, Fauxcuss, with DJ Circa Beatz and host J Morris.
For more information, visit CraniumFestival.com.
