Critical Zero

We’re back for another edition of NXNE! This year was very different and special. However, the city was taken over by NXNE. For this year’s edition, NXNE partnered with Billboard, which brought the city some very established artists - ones now playing on the world stage. Artists like Khalid, Daniel Caesar, and The Beaches were just some of the big headliners.

That didn’t take away from the emerging artists, however. We met and hung out with artists from Spain, the UK, the USA, Saskatchewan, and many more places.

This year, we spent a good amount of time attending the mixers, panels, and hanging out at the NXNE headquarters - something we didn’t do as much in previous editions. It was incredible to see the community, from friends we know in the Toronto music scene to people in the industry and volunteers. We were all having a great time. We made sure to speak to everyone in the room, and after a few spicy iced teas, we began planning world domination (as one does). A big highlight of the event was gathering a few of our new friends (band members from Bloody Monroe and Cruel Hope) and going to check out the local record store down the street, called Rotate This. We found some gems! 

Between the NXNE HQ and venues, we went down to Taste of Little Italy, a street food festival that happens once a year for the weekend. We ate incredible amounts of food - though we walked about 22K steps, so it’s okay. (Plot twist: It is not.)

We saw many bands and artists and made sure to visit The Paddock Tavern, Bovine Sex Club, and the Horseshoe Tavern. It was a very musically diverse night - from punk and metal to country, we got a huge variety of music. A bang for your buck if you’re in Toronto!

Summers are incredible in Toronto, and NXNE is the beginning of an amazing next few months full of festivals, culture, music, and entertainment. Thank you to all the friendly NXNE volunteers and staff who make the event possible. We love you!