Make Your Business a Destination at RoadTrip Music Festival
Mark your calendars: RoadTrip Music Festival arrives September 12, and downtown Kingston has never seen anything like it.
With multiple pedestrian zones spanning Princess, Brock, King, and Montreal Streets, thousands of attendees will be moving through the core all day long — shopping, dining, and taking in free live music before the evening's ticketed main stage event at Springer Market Square. This is one of the biggest foot-traffic opportunities of the year for your business.
Tell Me More About the Festival
RoadTrip is downtown Kingston's newest and largest music festival, taking over the core on September 12. From 10 am to 5 pm, the streets will be activated with shopping, dining, and free live music across multiple pedestrian zones. As the day winds down, the energy moves to Springer Market Square for a ticketed evening concert. Whether attendees are coming to browse, eat, or catch a show — there's something for everyone at RoadTrip, and your business should be part of that of something!
In collaboration and consultation with Flying V Productions and Steve Jordan (Canadian music experts), RoadTrip has secured the ultimate lineup for its inaugural year. From Canadian stars like Peach Pit to local talent like Kasador, RoadTrip is sure to offer a great variety for festival goers. Click here to see the full lineup.
How Can Downtown Businesses Benefit?
Downtown Businesses are strongly encouraged to do everything they can to reap the benefits of this massive event. From selling Official Festival Merch in your stores, participating in the Street Festival, to offering in-house promos and specials, there are many ways to capitalize on RoadTrip.
RoadTrip Festival Merchandise
Downtown BIA members have the exclusive ability to sell official merch before anyone else. Launching with the Princess St. Promenade on June 20, businesses like Agent 99, WHIT, Fancy That, The Roundstone, and Midori Gifts will be selling festival merch even before the festival does. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in tapping into, click here to view the Member Merch Collection.
RoadTrip Street Festival
From 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on September 12, the downtown core will be transformed into a massive shopping and dining experience. With multiple pedestrian zones in place, members will be put front and centre in front of the thousands of festival goers. Think Princess St. Promenade, but much, much larger. The following pedestrian zones will be in place:
Princess St. from Division to Ontario St.
Brock St. from Wellington to Ontario St.
King St. E from Queen to Clarence St.
Montreal St. from Queen to Brock St.
Click the button at the bottom of the blog to sign up for the street festival by June 30, 2026. Not a business located in any of these zones?No problem! We’re happy to place you where the action will be. Just complete the form so we know to include you.
What’s The Difference Between the Street Festival and Promenade?
The street festival portion of the day will be offering a similar experience to the Princess Street Promenade that attendees have come to expect and love for decades, but on a much larger scale.
Promenade has always been a beloved downtown staple — RoadTrip takes that same energy and cranks up the volume. A broader marketing campaign, major sponsorships, partnerships, out-of-market advertising, and giveaways are bringing in audiences from well beyond Kingston, while external vendors will fill out the festival footprint to make sure every corner of the core is buzzing.
Note: if your business is located within the pedestrian zones and you don’t plan to activate the space in front of your business- the festival will make use of your space by placing an installation, external vendor, or community group there to help fill the gaps and ensure a smooth flow of foot-traffic.
In-House Promotions
If selling merch and joining in on the festival isn’t enough, consider offering your own in-house promos and specials. Playing with the RoadTrip theme, here are some ideas to inspire you:
Last Stop
RoadTrip isn't just a new event — it's a new opportunity for downtown businesses to grow with it. This year kicks off as a single-day festival, but the vision is bigger: a multi-day experience that cements itself as a must-attend on the festival circuit. First impressions matter in the festival world, and the goal is simple — make RoadTrip the kind of event people start planning around. Will your business be a destination on the RoadTrip route? Click the button below to sign up now!
This link brings you to the Member Activation Guide, scroll to the bottom of the document to sign up.
RoadTrip is proudly sponsored by TD, Rogers Sports & Media, K-Rock 105.7, Country 93.5, Kingston Marriott, Queen's AMS, and Kingston Accommodations Partners.
This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.