This year, I’ll be headed to my first festival in Canada in over twenty years. I’m so excited to reunite with my festival family and meet up at Salmo River Ranch for the 26th annual Shambhala Music Festival. Canada’s top festival runs from Friday, July 25, through Monday, July 28, with camping opening up as early as Tuesday, July 22!
The festival lineup is packed with headlining talent, including native Canadians Rezz and Excision. I could go on, but I don’t have all day. In this article, I’ll focus on four names from the middle tier that I’m looking forward to seeing at Shambhala 2025. With respect to all my fellow Ws, Ys, and Zs, my list runs in reverse alphabetical order.
WHIPPED CREAM
Spending this weekend at Tomorrowland and next week at Shambhala, it is the culmination of a 2025 renaissance for Whipped Cream. She’s dropped three hot new tunes recently, including the stage-ready single “collide” on Monstercat just last Wednesday, July 16. Her new album, Careline, was released at the start of the year, and last month she uploaded her 2025 Shambhala Mix Series set. You can catch Whipped Cream on Day 1, playing on Friday, July 25 at 11pm on the Amphitheatre Stage.
Shades
The dynamic duo of Eprom and Alix Perez, known as Shades, is smack in the middle of a 10-year anniversary tour, which started back on May 8. After their performance at Shambhala, there just a handful of stops left on the tour for their spring album, The Lower World. This is one performance to lock into your schedule now! Shades plays on Day 1 at the Amphitheatre Stage in the wee hours of Saturday, July 26 at 1:30am.
Mersiv
Mersiv is another Moon Lvnding favorite gracing the stage at Shambhala 2025. We covered his 2023 album Out of Bounds, and loved his recent album 444 last spring. For those who won’t be able to see him at Shambhala, Mersiv is taking over Virginia Beach for two nights on August 15 + 16, and tickets are still available. For those on hand at Salmo Ranch, Mersiv plays late on Day 3 at the Pagoda on Monday morning, July 28 at 1:45am.
ALLEYCVT
Fan favorite Alleycvt makes her Shambhala debut and I’m totally here for it. The squad is hyped after her monster year on the Feel It Tour. One of her 2025 singles, “Dawn,” was a collab with Mersiv and Seeka. With her expanding library, she’s got an arsenal of bass bangers for the festival stage, but I’m most curious to hear how the artists edit their sets to fit the Shambhala vibes. And always the fresh IDs, please! Alleycvt takes the Village Stage on Day 2, Sunday morning, July 27 at 2am.
Of course, there are hundreds more artists to choose from, and never enough time to hear them all. Super Future, Moody Good, Josh Teed, and 1tbsp all call to me from the 3rd tier names, but who knows where the group will take us? The best treat of all is getting to explore a new festival ground with the fam, so I’ll be sure to get a feel for all the different stages. To keep up with the latest about the festival, find Shambhala’s links below.
