Side By Side Weekend

Hello everyone,

We wanted to take a moment and provide an update on our plans for 2026.

After much discussion and deliberation, we have decided to press pause for this year. We will not be organizing a festival in 2026, and we’re taking a break from producing and promoting shows.

We didn’t come to this decision lightly. The festival means a lot to us and we know this kind of thing means a lot for Ottawa. We presented the 5th edition of the festival in 2025 and while relishing that accomplishment, we’ve also been thinking about how to balance the capacity of a small team of volunteers with how we want to continue operating Side By Side to participate in the music scene and contribute to the community; so we’re going to get some rest and regroup.

It’s a humbling and rewarding experience to build something for people to connect and participate. We are so grateful for the privilege of serving the community, for everyone who has been part of the festival and our events in any way, and for everyone who has reached out so far about working together this year.

This is not “goodbye”, this is a “see you around the scene”. Tony plays in the band .party, Fabien performs as .mosh and organizes Social Club, and Eric goes to a ton of shows all over town. Come say hi!

Please continue supporting local events, artists, and organizers. Keep it up, Ottawa. We’ll be right here.

With peace and love,
Tony, Fabien, and Eric

PS / ICYMI: We’ve working with a great group of students at for their upcoming event April 18th at .613 Give them a follow and join us at the event!

As we roll into festival time, we want to take an opportunity to thank our funders and sponsors. Their support is instrumental in helping us continue putting on the festival, and offering subsidized ticket options to keep the access open.

Side By Side gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the

Presenting Sponsor:


Festival Partners:
.beer

Community Partners:


🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Flexible ticket options are available at the door all weekend. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Meet the co-presenters! 🤝
online is an independent, genre-defying music presenter aiming to connect the diverse artistic and geographic communities of Ottawa.

Congrego presents a series of free, off-site park shows at The Pumphouse on July 27th as part of this year’s festival ☀️ Their Sunday afternoon lineup features performances by , & 🌳

📍K1R 0A7

Meet the co-presenters! 🤝

Founded in June 2022, .productions aims to cultivate, support and celebrate q***r art and drag in so-called ‘Ottawa’. Drag was started by Black and Latine trans and non-binary visionaries, and we want to honour that legacy by ensuring that trans and non-binary people, especially those that are Black, Latine, Indigenous, and POC, are able to have a space to perform, showcase their art, and inspire those that bear witness to their magic.

Don’t miss the .productions curated lineup gracing opening night of ❤️‍🔥 Friday, July 25 on the indoor stage, featuring music from , , & and drag performances by .aiamor, .elation & .caligula!

Time is ticking! Get your festival tickets & passes before opening night 🎟️👀 sidebysideweekend.com

Meet the co-presenters! 🤝

The iconic rave connoisseurs behind Ottawa’s .0nline are taking over the Side By Side Weekend Afterparty! Don’t miss co-founders & alongside this Friday, July 25th, at to end night #1 with a bang! 🧨

Friday’s festival afterparty is only $10 / entry included with the purchase of Friday and full festival passes 🎟️ Get yours via the link in bio!

Meet the co-presenters! 🤝

is a community-minded music presenter based in so-called Ottawa. Founded in 2017, First Crush aims to produce outlets for young, independent artists to explore meaningful self-expression in underground music circles, while challenging barriers within creative industries.

First Crush co-presents the outdoor stage on Friday, July 25th with its curated lineup featuring , , & 🎶

Advance & festival passes available via the link in bio!

Meet the co-presenters! 🤝

is a label - sort of. Founded on the idea that information should be free, Club Records was started as a way to share resources amongst musicians so that no one is ever discouraged from putting out music by all the “business stuff”.

Club Records co-presents the outdoor stage on Sunday, July 27th with its curated lineup featuring , , .ca & 🎶

Secure your day and festival passes: sidebysideweekend.com!

🏃ARTIST FEATURE🏃

is the DJ alias of Noah Elliott Perkins, a producer, singer and DJ from Ottawa, Ontario. Noah is a member the band , and also produces under the alias , an ambient / drone project created in 2024.

🗓️ Friday, July 25 2025
📍 Club SAW, Indoor Stage ( - 67 Nicholas St.)
🤝 Co-presented by: .0nline
🎟️ Day & festival passes available now! $10 cover for the Fortress afterparty / included with Friday day pass & full festival pass purchase via the link in bio!

🌹PERFORMER FEATURE🌹
aiamor is a non-binary Chinese-Dominican drag performer who’s goal is to bring their culture and story to Ottawa’s drag scene.

🗓️ Friday, July 25 2025
📍 Club SAW, Indoor Stage ( - 67 Nicholas St.)
🤝 Co-presented by: .productions
🎟️ Day & festival passes going fast: sidebysideweekend.com