The Osheaga festival is making its big return to Jean Drapeau Park this weekend in Montreal after a two-year absence -- and an iconic Montreal band will headline the opening day of this 15th edition.

Arcade Fire will take over one of the festival's six main stages on Friday night. The band is taking over from Foo Fighters who had to cancel their appearance following the death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins.

The site on Ile Ste-Hélène is scheduled to open to the public early Friday afternoon with several shows on the schedule.

Osheaga offers a diverse musical menu with over 100 artists. One of the must-see concerts is the American hardcore punk band Turnstile on Friday night, according to program director Évelyne Côté.

"Personally, I saw them at Coachella, and it was an absolute revelation. They've been selling 3,000, 4,000 tickets in the U.S. since the release of their latest album, which was nominated for a Grammy," says Côté, who points out that rock is back in the lineup a lot more this year compared to the last few editions.

On the same night, Kygo and Charli XCX are also expected to be among the big artist names.

Saturday's headliners include rising rock singer-songwriter Mitski and singers Burna Boy and Future.

On the third and final day of the festival, pop singer Dua Lipa will play her second show in Montreal in less than a week, after performing at the Bell Centre on Monday. Machine Gun Kelly will also be performing on one of the main stages.

The festival is also making room for electronic music. Côté mentioned the presence of Apashe, Caribou and the duo Giolì and Assia, among others.

This 15th anniversary event will have taken almost three years to see the light of day, noted Côté. "We can say that it is very ripe," she said.

The festival was cancelled in the last two years because of the pandemic.

"I think this will be a 15th anniversary edition that will be significant for many reasons. We're very proud to finally be able to present it. It's been three years that we've been undoing and redoing," said Côté.

Osheaga also offers different activities during the three days. The festival attracts on average tens of thousands of people.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press in French on July 29, 2022.