Toronto heavy music and arts festival Prepare the Ground has added 11 artists to its 2027 lineup, including Zola Jesus, Deadguy, Author & Punisher and Today Is the Day. The fourth edition runs from 4 to 6 June 2027. The festival says three-day passes are more than half gone, and the 2026 edition sold out.
Two of the new bookings are special sets. Zola Jesus will perform solo, with voice and piano only. Today Is the Day will play their album Temple of the Morning Star, and the festival poster bills the set as a 30th anniversary performance.
The other additions are One of Nine, a black metal band who write about Tolkien’s world, World Peace, Knoll, Royal Thunder, Wake, Wailin Storms and Fogweaver.
They join the 11 acts named in September. Agalloch top that list with what Decibel reported will be their first Canadian show in more than ten years, alongside Subrosa, Dark Castle and Lamp of Murmuur. Primitive Man will perform their album Observance. KEN mode are also booked to play an album in full, and the festival is still keeping the title hidden. Bosse-de-Nage, Junius, Franklin, Malfet and Thrä complete the first wave.
Prepare the Ground combines heavy music with visual art over three days in Toronto’s west end. Exclaim! reported in September that the 2027 edition will again use Trinity St. Paul’s Church, Lee’s Palace, Dance Cave and Tranzac, plus a theatre for film scores. Montreal Rocks was at those venues this year, and our review of the 2026 festival covers sets by Amenra, Oathbreaker, Pallbearer and others.
More artists are still to be announced. Tickets are on sale through DICE.
Prepare the Ground 2027 lineup so far
- Agalloch
- Author & Punisher
- Bosse-de-Nage
- Dark Castle
- Deadguy
- Fogweaver
- Franklin
- Junius
- KEN mode (performing an album to be announced)
- Knoll
- Lamp of Murmuur
- Malfet
- One of Nine
- Primitive Man (performing Observance)
- Royal Thunder
- Subrosa
- Thrä
- Today Is the Day (performing Temple of the Morning Star)
- Wailin Storms
- Wake
- World Peace
- Zola Jesus (solo piano and voice)
