A double milestone edition of Pique! Celebrating five years of reshaping Ottawa’s underground arts landscape, Pique arrives at its 20th edition with momentum, reflection, and an eye firmly on what’s next. This season’s program brings together returning collaborators and new voices from across local and international scenes, bridging different communities, genres, and styles. Get to know our lineup and grab your tickets now.

A special LAYLIT X PIQUE takeover of GRIDWRKS opening Pique’s 5-year anniversary weekend celebrations!

Collaborators since 2022, Debaser first partnered with Laylit when the collective curated programming at Pique. Four years later, Laylit has become a cornerstone of Ottawa nightlife, regularly hosting sold-out events each season. Together, Laylit and Debaser have cultivated a vibrant safer space where Arab/SWANA and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities can gather, celebrate, and connect through joy on the dancefloor.

Topique returns on June 12–13 as Pique’s semiannual symposium, offering a dedicated program of panels, artist talks, and demonstrations exploring equity and sustainability in the cultural sector. With participants from Uganda, Hong Kong, the United States, and across Canada, Topique continues to foster artist-led dialogue and knowledge exchange.

After our last SOLD OUT edition, Laylit takes over GRIDWRKS and ANNX once again for an unforgettable two-floor dance party!

For the first time in Ottawa, Laylit takes over GRIDWRKS and ANNX for an unforgettable two-floor dance party.

Laylit is a platform and collective celebrating music and artists from the Arab/SWANA region and its diaspora. Over the last four years their dance parties in New York City and Montreal have carved out an unmatched place in North American nightlife, becoming an anticipated social gathering and unique musical experience.

A rare Ottawa concert bridging Indigenous tradition with contemporary electronic music. Inuit throat singing duo, Silla celebrates the release of Sila is Boss, a fierce sonic experiment where throat singing meets club energy.

Pique winter edition returns on December 13th! As the days grow cold, we're cooking up a HOT lineup featuring ballroom legends, experimental innovators, and local party starters. Don't miss your chance to experience one last Pique before the year is over; grab your tickets today!

Join us for the Gridwkrs debut of Laylit, the international platform and collective celebrating music and artists from the Arab/SWANA region and its diaspora. Each party takes you on a genre-spanning journey, highlighting the incredible musical diversity, depth and richness that comes out of the region. Laylit has established its place on the scene with a signature electronic sound blending shaabi, dabke, mahraganat, Arabic pop and hip-hop with contemporary, boundary pushing dance music (techno, breakbeat, hyperpop…) inspired by New York and Montreal’s thriving underground clubs.

Usher in the fall season with another bold and forward-thinking edition of Pique, coming up on September 27, 2025 at Arts Court. Showcasing experimental and underground music, art, and performance, the quarterly festival features global innovators, local creators, and underground legends converging in downtown Ottawa’s Arts Court complex for a single-day blowout. 

We are thrilled to be back at POP Montréal this year to present a showcase of some of the most exciting underground artists from across the globe, with international artists from Indonesia and the Netherlands joining familiar faces from Montreal and Toronto. This showcase is an opportunity for international connection and artistic discovery that is not to be missed!

Laylit is a platform and collective celebrating music and artists from the Arab/SWANA region and its diaspora. Over the last four years their dance parties in New York City and Montreal have carved out an unmatched place in North American nightlife, becoming an anticipated social gathering and unique musical experience.

Pique summer edition — the boldest annual instalment of Debaser’s celebrated music and multi-arts festival series — takes over downtown Ottawa’s Arts Court complex. Featuring dynamic performances, thought-provoking exhibitions, and interactive installations across indoor and outdoor stages.

Laylit is a platform and collective celebrating music and artists from the Arab/SWANA region and its diaspora. Over the last four years their dance parties in New York City and Montreal have carved out an unmatched place in North American nightlife, becoming an anticipated social gathering and unique musical experience.

Alice Longyu Gao on-stage performing their most loved songs from their debut trilogy. Their debut trilogy includes 3 EPs: High Dragon Universe (2022), Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn, and Retire (2023), and Assembling Symbols Into My Own Poetry (2024).

Laylit is a platform and collective celebrating music and artists from the Arab/SWANA region and its diaspora. Over the last four years their dance parties in New York City and Montreal have carved out an unmatched place in North American nightlife, becoming an anticipated social gathering and unique musical experience.

Acclaimed Nicaraguan-Canadian composer, producer, and musician Brandon Miguel Valdivia, also known as Mas Aya, returns to Ottawa for a night of lush atmospheric production and live instrumentation.

Mas Aya is joined by avant-garde improvisational artist Aymara Alvarado Sánchez and eclectic vinyl selector DJ Glory Hull.