Festival Générations 2026
This was a weekend I will never forget. 3 days, 10 bands, backstage access, lodge access, and drone permission. Deeply grateful to the team who gave me a chance on this. Full review and album below
Reflecting back on this festival, it’s hard for me to find the right words to do it justice.
The 4th annual Festival Générations in Nicolet, Quebec took place from Thursday, July 23 to Saturday, July 25, 2026. I had the opportunity to cover the entire event, and it was not only my first music festival, but also my first outdoor concert. Shooting a concert in broad daylight was a completely different experience from the dark indoor venues I’ve become accustomed to, and it challenged me in all the right ways. Over the course of three days, ten artists took to the stage, with DJs keeping the energy alive between every set.
The atmosphere was unlike anything I had experienced before.
Everyone was incredibly welcoming. I was given a black media bracelet that granted me backstage access, side-stage access, and even lodge access for different vantage points throughout the weekend. Walking around backstage, seeing artists preparing for their sets, and simply existing in the same space as so much talent was a feeling that’s difficult to describe. I know everyone says musicians are just regular people—and they are—but it was still surreal.
I also met a couple of photographers who took me under their wing, shared advice, and made me feel like I belonged. As someone still finding my footing in concert photography, that meant a lot. Shout-out to Chris and Maggie.
I may have overpacked after checking the forecast all week, expecting rain and chilly evenings, but Mother Nature had other plans; we were treated to three beautiful summer days that have already carved themselves into my memory.
Nicolet may be a small town, but it comes together in a big way. It felt like the entire community had rallied behind the festival. Volunteers were everywhere, local businesses sponsored much of the event, and the grounds were filled with food trucks, pop-up tattoo shops, bouncy castles, art installations, and even an anonymous confessional booth scattered throughout the wide-open field.
Day One
The weekend kicked off with Cam Kahin, an up-and-coming alternative garage rock band from Toronto. I was lucky enough to sit in on their soundcheck, which was another first for me. Watching a band fine-tune every detail before thousands of people arrived gave me a new appreciation for everything that happens before the lights come on.
Next up was Exterio, the legendary French-Canadian punk rock band that immediately got the crowd moving. Their energetic performance had fists in the air and fans singing every word right back at them.
The first headliner of the weekend was Three Days Grace—a band that holds a very special place in my heart.
Being backstage while they prepared for the show was honestly one of the highlights of the entire weekend. I had the chance to chat with Ivan, their tour manager, catch up with Sanjay, their tour photographer, and exchange a few words with both Cale and Adam Gontier.
When Adam looked at me and recognized me from our previous meeting, I instinctively blurted out, “Shut up…you remember me? You must see thousands of people every day.”
It completely caught me off guard.
For a brief moment, despite the pun, I genuinely felt seen.
I told Adam and Cale that I had started learning guitar on the guitar Adam gave me during our last encounter, and it was such a wholesome conversation. Cale recommended a pedal tuner, as I told him that I now understood why they brought so many different guitars on tour. As a photographer, and a fan, seeing artists appreciate your work is one thing. Having them remember you is something else entirely.
Then came showtime.
Three Days Grace drew the largest crowd of the weekend, packing over 12,000 people into the festival grounds. Standing high above the crowd and looking out over a sea of people singing every lyric back to the band was something I’ll never forget. The drone perspective gave me one of my favorite photographs I’ve ever taken and a view I’ll probably never experience quite the same way again.
After the show, I thanked Barry and Brad before watching the crew gather for what looked like a well-deserved pizza break. It was a small reminder that after performing for thousands of fans, they’re still just people winding down after a long day.
My ears rang for hours after the first night.
By the time I fought my way through the crowd, made it back to the hotel, and downloaded the first day’s photos, the adrenaline finally gave way to exhaustion. A few hours of sleep later, it was time to begin sorting thousands of images before doing it all over again.
Day Two
The sun burned even hotter on Friday as the festival grounds slowly transformed from an empty field into a packed sea of festival-goers.
Being allowed onto the grounds early was one of the coolest parts of the weekend. Watching vendors set up, artists arrive, and the crowd slowly pour through the gates made me appreciate just how much work goes into making an event like this happen.
The second day celebrated Quebec talent.
Classe Moyenne opened the evening with infectious energy. The four-piece group mixed pop, folk, and party anthems while dancing across the stage and never taking themselves too seriously. Their chemistry was impossible to miss.
After the show, I reached out to thank them, and to my surprise they thanked me instead.
They reached out personally to tell me how much they appreciated my photos—a rare occurrence—and left me with some incredibly kind words of encouragement. We wished each other nothing but success, and those messages honestly meant a lot.
Kaïn followed with their signature blend of folk and rock. Currently on their farewell tour, the veteran Quebec band had the crowd proudly waving fleur-de-lis flags and singing along from beginning to end.
The evening wrapped up with the Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project.
The crowd was absolutely wild.
At one point, someone tapped me on the shoulder and enthusiastically told me, “Take all the pictures you can because these guys are ***** incredible.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Watching them effortlessly blend bluegrass, punk, rock, and absolute chaos into one performance while casually drinking beers on stage was interesting to witness. The crowd matched every ounce of that energy, creating one of the most festive performances of the entire weekend.
Day Three
Sunday brought another scorcher and the final stretch of an unforgettable weekend.
Billie du Page opened the afternoon alongside two dancers, performing with confidence well beyond her years. Still balancing university while launching her music career, she took several moments to thank the audience for what she described as one of the biggest crowds she’d played for. Her gratitude was genuine, and it was a great way to start the festival’s final day.
Mike Posner was next.
While I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a regular listener, I quickly realized just how many of his songs I actually knew. More importantly, though, Mike wasn’t just there to perform—he was there to spread a message.
Positive affirmations filled the LED screens while he encouraged the audience to focus on kindness, gratitude, and love. At one point, he paused the show entirely and asked everyone to direct their energy toward a single fan in the front row before presenting them with a special gift. I was lucky enough to capture the moment, and later, that man found my photos online and personally thanked me for them. Standing in that crowd, you could genuinely feel the emotion. It was easily the most wholesome performance of the entire weekend.
French Montana brought a completely different atmosphere.
The positivity of Mike Posner quickly gave way to a full-blown party. Pyrotechnics lit up the stage while the crowd jumped, rapped, and fist-bumped through every song. The energy was louder, rowdier, and unapologetically celebratory. Although he accidentally referred to the crowd as Montreal a few times, nobody seemed to care (until the end of his set when the crowd began to chant ‘Nicolet!’)
The festival officially came to a close with Quebec DJ Mike Demero.
By this point, some attendees had started making their way home early to beat the inevitable traffic, but those who stayed danced until the very end. It was the perfect way to squeeze every last moment out of an already unforgettable weekend.
As the ending settled over the festival grounds, an incredible fireworks display lit up the sky one final time.
Looking back, this weekend taught me a lot…not just about festivals, but about myself.
I’ve always been a little hesitant about working the crowd. At indoor venues, I tend to stay in the safety of the photo pit, then run to the back, too afraid to get closer again, but festivals are different. People wanted to be photographed. They waved me over, asked for pictures with friends, posed for the camera, and embraced being part of the experience. Since coming home, I’ve received several messages from people tagging themselves in my photos, changing their profile pictures, and thanking me for capturing memories they’ll keep forever. That feeling is incredibly rewarding, and it’s given me a confidence I didn’t know I had.
Of course, not everything went perfectly.
Sorting over 8,000 photos from a hotel room on a laptop was a challenge, and I quickly learned that editing on the road is very different from working from my home setup. Flying the drone at night also pushed me outside my comfort zone. I probably didn’t use it as much as I should have, but that’s all part of learning. Every event teaches you something new, and I’ll be much better prepared the next time the opportunity comes around.
I arrived in Nicolet with more camera gear than confidence.
I left with sore feet, very little sleep, over 8,000 photographs, unforgettable memories, new friendships, and a renewed confidence in myself as both a photographer and a storyteller.
Festival Générations was my first festival, and it reinforced exactly why I fell in love with concert photography in the first place. Hopefully, this is only the beginning.