Opinion: NOWADAYS Festival in Review

If you love the kind of festival that feels like a neighbourhood gathering, NOWADAYS Festival in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, should be on your radar.

This year’s edition, running October 9–11, 2025, took place in cozy Downtown Dartmouth spots like the Buffalo Club, Morley’s (home to the beloved Taz Records / Morley’s Coffee combo) and The Sanctuary Arts Centre. Each venue added its own texture; one moment you’re in a church, the next you’re in a coffee shop with a latte in hand, watching a set that could soundtrack your next road trip.

What makes NOWADAYS special is its community-first spirit. It’s a non-profit festival with a mission that goes beyond ticket sales. It's about connecting local and international artists with the growing Dartmouth music scene and making live music feel accessible again. There’s no velvet rope here, just a sense of discovery and togetherness that larger festivals struggle to encapsulate.

Festival Highlights:

The lineup was a kaleidoscope of sound this year, ranging from Indie Folk, Experimental Jazz, to Glitchy Electronic sounds with Post-Punk energy.

Charlotte Cornfield performed a heartfelt set, weaving humour and sincerity through her lyrics. She charmed the crowd with stories about her odd ways she gets from place to place, including nervously borrowing Evan Newman of Outside Music’s Subaru or picking up a hitchhiker with a jerry can on the way to another province for a show.

The Weather Station played a stripped-back acoustic set with no screens or effects, offering a one-of-a-kind show that focused on the lyricism and magnetic onstage chemistry of the duo. With just vocals, guitar, and quiet harmonies, they managed to turn a packed venue into something that felt like a living room performance. The band performed songs from Humanhood, a record that explores identity and traces a personal journey of losing and rediscovering one’s sense of self.

Scions played an electric evening set downstairs at the Sanctuary Arts Centre. The group blended spoken word, non-lyrical vocals, and a mix of electronic and acoustic sounds. The performance felt like a living art installation, part soundscape and part ritual, with lights and sound moving together in perfect sync to captivate the crowd.

Jeff Parker, the avant-jazz guitarist, delivered a mesmerizing set. He performed several Thelonious Monk pieces, looping and layering his guitar to build intricate textures and rhythmic phrasing. The result was a groove that felt spontaneous yet deeply intentional, keeping the audience completely absorbed.

Over at Morley’s Café for a free Saturday set, Joe Abbott played an upbeat acoustic performance that balanced humor and sincerity. One of the standout moments was a full song about the actual death of Tim Hortons, delivered with dark wit that caught the audience off guard and kept them listening. In contrast, he also performed songs from his record of lullabies for Babies Little Cuties, moving seamlessly between irony and tenderness in a single set.

Sam Wilson performed a soulful jazz guitar set, showcasing her formal training and thoughtful compositions that draw from meaningful places and personal experiences shaping her musical journey. She recently released Wintertides, an album that blends her jazz roots with folk-inspired arrangements, reflecting the natural beauty and quiet strength of the Nova Scotian landscape.

In the evening, with festivities having moved once again to Sancturary Art Centre, Montréal-based Nadah El Shazly enthralled the audience with a spellbinding performance featuring both electronic and acoustic songs. Joined by longtime collaborator and harpist Sarah Pagé, El Shazly performed tracks from her new album Laini Tani, sung entirely in her native Arabic. Her ethereal vocals and genre-blending sound enraptured the crowd, culminating in a well-deserved standing ovation. It was a unforgetable set and a standout moment of the festival.

If anyone was up to the task of following Nadah El Shazly, it was Amarillo, Texas' own Hayden Pedigo. He commanded the Sanctuary Arts Centre stage with just two guitars (one electric, one acoustic), one microphone and an audience hanging on every note. His signature intricate fingerpicking filled the space with warmth, while his dry humor and road stories between songs took us on a journey of our own. A spontaneous, thoughtful Q&A gave the night a conversational charm, dismantling the barrier between artist and audience. The crowd’s quiet attentiveness, punctuated by moments of silence throughout Pedigo's compositions made each song feel sacred, turning a simple solo performance into something truly special.

Other sets across the weekend showcased the festival’s range. Honourable Thursday mentions go to Jennah Barry, who opened the festival with her signature warmth and sharp songwriting, and Derek Piotr, whose set offered a layered and experimental start to the festival.

Friday’s lineup kept energy high across multiple venues. At Morley’s Café, there were performances from Klarka Weinwurm and Paper Beat Scissors. The evening included performances from David Grubbs, and Rumé Kover, followed by Fiver and Fittonia. Friday also featured a sold-out night with Bodysync, Liftkit, Century Samuel, and DJ Decision, while the Buffalo Club packed in fans for Weird Nightmare, Gizmo, and idialedyournumber.

The festival closed on a high note. The day began with a free all-ages show featuring Teleri and Fencing. Saturday offered something for everyone. You could catch Steven Lambke along with Sam Wilson, and Joe Abbott at Morley's Cafe playing a relaxed afternoon set. In the evening, the Sanctuary Arts Centre hosted the aforementioned Hayden Pedigo, Nadah El Shazly, and Dark for Dark. Miranda Ceara and the Oddfellows Orchestra played a sold-out show while the Buffalo Club hosted the highly anticipated set from Sheer Mag, Penny & the Pits, and Nate & the Busy Boys.

Overall, the weekend showed just how much grit, heart, and love for music can come together in the Maritimes. Nowadays Festival have proved that small venues and tight-knit communities can create something truly memorable. We’re already looking forward to seeing how it grows and what next year’s lineup will bring.

Keep an eye out for NOWADAYS 2026 at nowadayspresents.com

Header by Quintin Soloviev