Prepare The Ground Festival Reveals Full Lineup
Prepare the Ground, Toronto’s heavy music and arts festival, will be taking place May 29 – 31, 2026 for its third annual incarnation. The full cadre of artists, including the single day lineups and passes, are now available.
Legendary avant-garde composer William Basinski, Norwegian occult black metal trio Witch Club Satan, Texas punk / black metal outfit Portrayal of Guilt, ambient Flenser recording artist Kathryn Mohr, and Portland’s doom lumineer Mizmor join numerous other acts as the final additions to the festival. They join Amenra (heavy and quiet sets), Torche, Oathbreaker (North American exclusive reunion, Rheia in full), Oranssi Pazuzu, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (Source Tags & Codes in full), Pallbearer ( Foundation of Burden) HELL, Stygian Bough, and many more. Three & single day passes are available here.
Lineup:
…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (Source Tags & Codes + Secret of Elena’s Tomb)
Amenra (two sets, heavy and quiet)
Amenra at Neumos Seattle, WA August 2022 | Photo by Greg Goudey
Blood Ceremony
Blood Vulture
Burner
Cease
Conjurer
Dear Evangeline
dogwhistle
Final Gasp
Habak
HELL
HELL at Neumos Seattle, WA December 2025 | Photo by Samantha Jones
Hell is Other People
Indian Handcrafts
Kathryn Mohr
Lowheaven
Malevich
Minsk
Mizmor
Oathbreaker (Rheia in full)
Oranssi Pazuzu
Pallbearer (Foundations of Burden in full)
Portrayal of Guilt
Pretty
Sara Sloan
Stygian Bough
Svalbard
the Keening
Tómarúm
Torche
Tribunal
Tribunal at Funhouse Seattle, WA August 2025 | Photo by Samantha Jones
Unholy Altar
Unwell
UUGGHH
Wayfarer
Wiegedood
William Basinski
Witch Club Satan
Wrekmeister Harmonies
About Prepare The Ground Festival:
Prepare the Ground is a three day arts and music festival taking over two full blocks of downtown Toronto. Containing an outdoor arts market, four music venues (Trinity St. Paul’s Church, Lee’s Palace, the Cave, Transac), and a dedicated theatre for movie scores, amongst so much more. If the first year drew the blueprint and the second year laid the foundation, year three promises to establish and adorn its walls to make this festival the home for challenging, promising art for years to come.
