Graphic design by House9
Pique returns for its 21st edition on Saturday, September 26, 2026! And, for the first time ever, this edition will be completely FREE to the public!
Expect an evening of adventurous music, immersive art, and unexpected discoveries as Arts Court comes alive with performances, installations, and creative interventions throughout the night.
We are thrilled to partner with Nuit Blanche Ottawa and Ottawa 200 for this very special edition. Thanks to the Ottawa Nightlife Office and the Downtown Rideau BIA for their support in making this possible.
RSVP now to confirm your attendance. A fresh lineup of experimental sounds, multidisciplinary performances, and late-night discoveries to be announced!
LINEUP
LINEUP
Across multiple floors of Arts Court, Pique #21 brings together an expansive mix of experimental music, contemporary club culture, live performance, immersive installation, and participatory art. The program spans electronic, noise, hip hop, hyperpop, ambient, contemporary classical, improvisation, and global club sounds, with artists drawing from Indigenous, Black, and queer cultural traditions.
Audiences will encounter everything from live a/v, film, and multimedia production, to participatory performance, immersive installation and collective art-making. The program moves between intimate and ecstatic, analog and digital, traditional and futuristic—centering artists who use their practices to explore identity, land, technology, disability, memory, community, and new forms of cultural expression.
Legendary Overall Motha Maldita Siriano and Yéila Siriano Present: Queertopia 3000 Kiki Ball
OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity by Nancy Lee 李南屏
Plantains & Caviar: PC, NYCKY GHOST, TTRILLS
Programs
Explore the programs coming to Pique! Experience the return of Queertopia 3000, a joyful celebration of kiki ballroom culture, performance, fashion, and chosen family. Plus, teknosauna brings Finnish sauna culture to the festival with a hot sauna, cold plunge, drinks, and dancing.
Queertopia 3000
One of Pique's signature annual celebrations also returns with the third annual Queertopia Kiki Ball 3000, presented by Legendary Overall Motha Maldita Siriano and Yéila Siriano.
Celebrating ballroom culture through performance, fashion, creativity, and chosen family, Queertopia has become one of Ottawa's most joyful queer cultural events, welcoming both renowned legends and new audiences into the world of kiki ballroom culture.
Topique
Running alongside the festival, Topique, Pique's artist-led symposium exploring equity, sustainability, and creative practice, returns on September 26 with a dedicated day of conversations, workshops, and knowledge exchange.
This year's program will explore themes including community-led world building, music distribution in the age of platform capitalism, and the role of archives, memory, and cultural stewardship in shaping independent creative futures. Admission to Topique will once again be pay-what-you-can, ensuring accessibility for artists, cultural workers, and the public.
The full symposium program will be announced in the coming weeks.
teknosauna
Experience Finnish sauna culture with a twist. Sweat, cold plunge, sip, and hit the dance floor.
Presented by the Embassy of Finland in partnership with Nuit Blanche Ottawa and SAW.
Sauna is hot from 6pm to 1am
Bring your own bathing suit, towel, and flip flops/slides
Changing area available on site, but it is recommended to arrive with your bathing suit under your clothes
Featuring DJ Hulluella, a Sámi DJ, artist and producer from Finnish Arctic Circle. Known for her radiating high-energy performances, Hulluella’s eclectic selection honors music on a planetary scale, weaving percussive bass club, breaks, and techno seamlessly together in her signature mixed-bag style.
Volunteer at Pique!
All Pique volunteers receive:
Guaranteed admission to Pique
A meal ticket for Saturday + snacks during their shift
Their own Pique shirt
A unique experience to connect with artists and like-minded people!
Schedule
Whether you're mapping out your route between panels and performances, planning your dancefloor adventures, seeking out quiet moments with installations, or walking in the kiki ball, we've got everything you need to start building your perfect Pique weekend!
Mobile App
Download our mobile app for all the Pique info you need at your fingertips, including:
Artist and lineup information
Favourites and notifications, so you don’t miss a thing
Venue and accessibility info
Interactive schedule
Admission Equity and Sustainability
Donate to Pique! Contributions support admission equity—helping us to offer hundreds of ticket subsidies to community members in need for each edition of Pique—while also ensuring fair pay and healthy working conditions for the artists and cultural workers who make it all happen.
Accessibility Guide
As always, Pique is all ages. Arts Court is an accessible building, with elevator access to all levels. Check out our full accessibility guide for more info, and contact us at hello@debaser.ca to request support.
The EQUIPE harm reduction team will be on-site to support audience members and hand out free supplies thanks to our partners at MAX Ottawa. Pique staff and volunteers are trained in bystander intervention and harm reduction strategies to support audience members throughout the event.
