It was cold on the opening night of Igloofest 2026. With a wind chill of -15°C, the festival site was surrounded by a cloud of smoke formed by the breath of the audience, the food trucks serving poutine, the various heated areas set up to warm up, and the famous marshmallow campfires scattered here and there.

The line of people waiting to enter the general assembly with their tickets was particularly long on this first evening. Although the doors opened about twenty minutes late, the audience was extremely impatient, shivering in the cold and stamping their feet with excitement at the thought of finally being able to hit the dance floor and enjoy the other activities at the festival. As soon as they entered, people literally ran to get to the front of the main stage. Thursday evening’s lineup was certainly one of the most eagerly awaited of the week, with tickets sold out both on site and online.

SCÈNE VIDEOTRON

At the Vidéotron small stage checkpoints, we had Liv K and Cult Member, two established figures on the Montreal electronic scene.

Very active on Montreal’s fringe scene, Liv K is a DJ and programmer for Parquette, a transitory cultural space with a queer vibe that is heavily involved in the rave scene. Although she is more frequently seen at events organized by collectives such as Flush, Bijou, and Discono, this was the DJ’s first time at Igloofest. Her eclectic and energetic set ranged from classic four-on-the-floor techno to remixes of contemporary hip-hop music, with a few Doechii tracks thrown in here and there.

As for the popular artist Cult Member, who has carved out an international reputation in the electronic music scene, he delivered a captivating set combining techno and Rally House, with influences from club music and French House staples such as Thomas Bangalter.

These two sets, with their slightly different yet complementary energy, were musically one of my favorite experiences of the evening… Although most of the audience spent most of their time in front of the main stage… Had we forgotten that the Videotron stage existed? Or did we not see it, hidden away at the back? Or was it the effect of Disco Lines, the star producer whose track No Broke Boys exploded on social media this summer, who was playing on the main stage?

SCÈNE SAPPORO

It took a while for the front of the stage to fill up, probably due to the long line at the entrance, but also perhaps because of the audience’s excitement to explore the venue. But after only an hour and a half of opening, Gudfella, whose real name is Kyle Domingo, was already playing in front of a packed crowd. As the opening DJ on the Sapporo stage, he delivered a performance worthy of his reputation: a danceable, groovy set mixing house, techno, pop, and disco. The American artist, covered in several layers of clothing, danced behind his turntables, unzipping his coat a little, proof of the energy he put into his set.

And as the audience pushed further and further toward the front of the stage, the crowd soon turned into a compact mass. I have rarely seen such a tightly packed, crazy crowd. People were pushing against each other, each unknown body pressed up against other unknown bodies. And with the arrival of Disco Lines, the headliner of the lineup, the crowd’s energy seemed to reach its peak. The mix of house music, pop, and commercial music remixes met the expectations of the crowd, who had come here in large numbers partly to see him.

Honestly, it was madness on the ground. People were climbing on each other’s shoulders, some were pushing hard, shoving others aside to get to the front, beers were flying through the air, wetting hair and hats.

For a moment, I rejoiced at no longer being agoraphobic: in such a confined space, I would most certainly have had an attack.

When the long-awaited song “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines and Tinashe finally started playing, the audience, mainly made up of Generation Z, seemed to literally explode. They danced, shouted, sang, and pushed each other. Civility was replaced by fury.

While this set wasn’t necessarily what I tend to like or look for, I have to admit that the energy was there, and despite the dense crowd, I was still able to squeeze in a few dance moves and leave with lots of laughter and wonderful memories.