Setting sails for The Festival De Musique Emergente

Nestled in the small, mining town of Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, The Festival de Musique Émergente (FME for short) is about to kick off their 13th year of music celebrations on September 3rd.

FME runs through the weekend to September 6th and throughout those 4 days the festival completely takes over the town. Starting Thursday night, visitors and locals alike will be treated to 10 outdoor shows featuring Montreal’s Syzzors and Ariane Moffatt, as well as Doldrums from Fairfax, Virginia.

In it’s full range, FME showcases over 60 acts from Québec and across the world and from a wide variety of genres. Indie and rock are represented through Californian bands, Deerhoof, The Dodos, PONI, and Heat, among others. The chill, soulful side of things will be hallmarked by the likes of Moon King, Seoul, and Louis-Jean Cormier. Upping the game are hip hop artists such as Toast Dawg and Opulence Family and Kid Koala will wrap things up with his ninja turntable moves on Sunday night.

Admittedly attending a festival in a small town you’ve likely never heard of (unless you are a native Québécois) might not be your standard impulse purchase, but there are more then 60 reasons listed on the schedule that are worth taking into consideration, here are a few other ones that tipped the scale for us:

Get out of town – you always say you should travel more, here’s an opportunity to change the scenery and sleep on a stranger’s bed

Culture – this is a town you presumably haven’t heard of, so chances are it will be a cultural exploration, and from what we’ve heard, Rouyn-Noranda knows how to host a party

Adventure – you will probably get lost, you will meet new people, eat French food, and discover new brews

Music (of course) – an event like this is always a great opportunity to discover new bands, and though there are many, they are spread across 4 days, making it easy for you see most of them if that was your plan

Check out the full line up here or through scheduled Facebook events here. More info can be found on the FME site where you can also grab your tickets and download the app. The official hastag is #FMEAT.