Rock on the River in Timmins – 2026

If you've been waiting for a reason to point your truck north this July, here it is. Rock on the River returns to Hollinger Park in Timmins on Friday July 24th and Saturday July 25th, 2026, and the lineup is the kind that makes you text three buddies before you've even finished reading the poster. Gates open at 5:00 PM both nights and the music runs until about 1:30 AM, which means a solid eight-and-a-half hours of live shows, cold drinks, and that summer-in-the-north feeling you can't bottle.

Here's all the most important info: Friday is rock night, headlined by The Offspring, with Gob, Plush, and Fortunate Losers warming up the crowd. Saturday goes country, with Russell Dickerson at the top of the bill, followed by Jade Eagleson, Nate Haller, and Makinna Givens. Two nights, two completely different vibes, one park. Tickets run $229.95 for the GA weekend pass, $129.95 for a single GA day, or $199.95 for VIP single-day access - and yes, the VIP move is worth talking about. Kids 12 and under get in for $20 at the gate when they're with a ticketed adult, which makes this one of the few mid-summer festivals you can actually bring the whole family to. It's all-ages, the bar is cashless (debit, credit, or prepaid only - buy your drink tokens from staff, redeem at any bar). There's plenty of seating in the bleachers, beer tents, accessibility platform, and picnic tables scattered around the grounds - no personal lawn chair allowed. Food vendors will be lined up across the festival site so you can find something to suit your taste.

There is no parking at the festival itself. Accessible parking and volunteer parking are in the Hollinger Park lot, but everyone else needs use the nearby municipal lots and walk in. That’s why I personally recommend staying at a hotel downtown, so you can just walk home when the music is over- Timmins is built for it in summer and you'll thank yourself when you don't have to wait in to get out at 1:30 AM.

 

A festival that grew up alongside us

Rock on the River is run by the Timmins Festivals and Events Committee (TFEC), a non-profit made up of eight volunteers who decided years ago that Timmins deserved a real summer festival, and then went out and built one. They've been at this since 2016, and the history page reads like a Canadian rock and country greatest hits - The Glorious Sons, Monster Truck, Billy Talent, Walk Off the Earth, Death From Above, Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party, Chevelle, Papa Roach, Headstones, Dallas Smith, Brett Kissel, Dean Brody. They've grown this thing year over year, weathered the pandemic with a pivot to an October 2021 show featuring Arkells and July Talk, and somehow keep pulling bigger names into a park in the deep wilds of Northern Ontario. The Offspring on the bill for 2026 is the kind of headliner that makes this more than just another local festival. This is the event in Northern Ontario.

The smaller acts on this year's bill are also pretty top-north. Gob has been making punchy Canadian punk-pop for thirty years and their live set still kicks a**. Plush is the young rock band fronted by Moriah Formica that everyone in the rock press has been talking about. Fortunate Losers bring straight-up rock and roll energy that sets a great tone for an Offspring crowd. On the country side, Nate Haller has been quietly climbing the Canadian country charts with hooky, anthemic singles, and Makinna Givens is one of those names you'll want to be able to say you saw before everyone else did. Don't be the person who shows up at 9 PM and misses the build-up - these openers make the build to the headliners so much more awesome.

And the VIP tickets - for an extra seventy bucks over a day pass, you get into the VIP-only tent with shaded seating and lounge areas, access to premium beverages you can't get on the general admission side, shorter restroom lines, a designated smoking area, and the freedom to bounce between VIP and the gen pop all night long. If you're going both days or you just want a place to actually sit down and decompress between sets, it's a no-brainer. VIP is 19+ only, so bring your ID.

 

Where to crash and how to get around

The festival site lists five official accommodation partners: Super 8 Timmins, Comfort Inn Timmins, Best Western Premier Northwood, Microtel Timmins, and Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa. The downtown chains are within easy reach of Hollinger Park, but if you want to turn the weekend into a proper getaway, Cedar Meadows is the one I'd push you toward. They run a wilderness wagon tour through 100 acres of wildlife park where you can see bison, elk, moose, and deer up close, and the spa is a perfect Sunday-morning hangover cure. Book early - rooms in this town go fast on festival weekend and the deals quietly evaporate as we get closer to July.

Getting around Timmins is easy. The downtown core is walkable, taxis and ride shares run reliably on weekend nights, and most of what you'll want to do is within a ten-minute drive of Hollinger Park. If you're flying in, Timmins Victor M. Power Airport has daily service from Toronto. Driving from southern Ontario is about eight hours from the GTA.

What else to do while you're here

Timmins punches well above its weight on the food and culture front. McIntyre Coffee Shop, tucked inside the 1938 McIntyre Community Arena, is a retro diner that locals will fight you over - go for breakfast before Saturday's show. Radical Gardens is the burger and taco spot getting national attention, with everything scratch-made and locally sourced. Restaurant Nadeau does home-style Canadian comfort food with the best butter tarts and sugar pie you'll find this side of Sudbury. Sparks Pizza downtown is a must if you're craving slices. For something a little more elevated, Maglicious brings the date-night energy, and 1800 Restaurant & Lounge does proper sit-down service. Wash any of it down at Full Beard Brewing Co., the local craft brewery that's got great nachos and even better beer..

If you've got a few extra hours, the Hollinger Open Pit Lookout gives you a jaw-dropping view of one of the largest gold mines in Canadian history, and it's worth seeing. Gillies Lake Conservation Area has a beach, walking trails, and is a five-minute drive from the festival. The Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre is free, open seven days a week, and tells the city's story properly. And if you're around on Thursday, the Urban Park Market brings local food and makers into downtown all summer long.

Don't sleep on tickets

Rock on the River sells out. It has for year's and the VIP allocation always goes first. Head over to ROTR2026.eventbrite.com or click through from timminsfestivals.com and grab yours now. Whether you're doing the full weekend, just locking in Friday for the rock, or going country on Saturday, don’t waste your weekend scrolling Facebook watching everyone else have the time of their lives. Get the tickets, book the room, and see you in Hollinger Park.

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