NextFest Winners BlokJam Reflect on their Inagural Festival Year

From our perspective as a young festival team, BlokJam came together as more than a first-year event; it felt like the beginning of a community platform. We set out to create a free, all-ages space where hip-hop music, dance, DJs, graffiti, vendors, and local culture could meet in the heart of ByWard Square. Seeing more than 2,500 people move through the festival, connect with each other, and show up for emerging artists confirmed that there is real energy behind this concept.

The day carried a positive atmosphere from start to finish. Families, friend groups, young creatives, artists, dancers, vendors, and people from both Ontario and Quebec helped shape a crowd that felt diverse, curious, and engaged. For us, one of the biggest wins was seeing the festival attract the audience it was made for while still feeling welcoming to anyone walking through the ByWard Market.

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Highlights from the Day

Some of the most powerful moments happened when artist disciplines merged. The MOOV dance competition brought one of the most engaged crowds of the day and gave the festival a real energy surge early on. Later, that energy built around the main stage, with artists delivering strong performances and the audience's cheering bringing the space to life.

The live graffiti mural by local artist FalldownG was another major highlight. Created in celebration of Bytown’s 200th anniversary, the mural became BlokJam’s gift to the city- a public tribute to Ottawa’s hip-hop and urban arts culture. Now displayed in the ByWard Market, the mural can be admired by all visitors as a festival legacy piece to revisit.

We were also proud of how the vendor market, community partners, sponsors, volunteers, and creative activations helped make the event feel full and accessible. The lineup reflected BlokJam’s bilingual identity and helped connect music, dance, DJ culture, graffiti, and local entrepreneurship in one shared space.

Thank you to all of or vendors and supporters!

Vendors: Rebel Planet, Neka Shoppp, martin sur ton mur, onenigiriortwo, Paperina, DRTY Laundry Apparel, Daboof, ZOZOVTG, rethrift vintage, 613 Cassette

Sponsors: UTG, Red Bull, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa

Partners: Ottawa Festival Network, ByWard Market District Authoity, and Aire Commune

Funders: Ottawa Festival Network, City of Ottawa

Biggest Learnings

As a first edition, BlokJam taught us a lot. The biggest learning was that our programming formula works- people responded to a festival that treated hip-hop and urban arts as a full culture, not just a stage lineup. At the same time, we saw how much potential there is to shape the day even more intentionally. For future editions, we want to build stronger

transitions between the dance battle, DJs, supporting artists, and headliners so the energy carries more smoothly from one moment into the next.

We also learned how important it is to keep the space safe, free, and open to all ages. That accessibility helped create the atmosphere we wanted; one that was welcoming, energetic, and community-first. As a young team, that matters to us because we want BlokJam to feel like a space where people can discover something new, support local talent, and see themselves reflected in the city’s creative scene.

Ambitions for Future Editions

Looking ahead, our ambition is to grow BlokJam into an ongoing platform for emerging artists and creatives across Ottawa-Gatineau and beyond. We want future editions to keep building on the strong foundation of music, dance, DJs, graffiti, vendors, and community partnerships while opening the door to even more disciplines, including street sports, additional dance programming, open mics, visual arts, fashion, and other creative forms.

We also see BlokJam becoming more than a single festival day. Year-round showcases, workshops, pop-ups, and smaller events could help keep the community connected between editions and give emerging artists more chances to perform, collaborate, and grow. The first BlokJam showed us what is possible when people come together around culture, creativity, and community. Now, we want to carry that momentum forward and keep building something that belongs to the city.