Get ready to Phoque Off into the metaverse as the Quebec music fest leaps into the virtual world

For the eighth edition of its alternative music festival, Le Phoque Off is diving headfirst into the metaverse. Running from February 21 to 25, this year’s edition of the festival will take place entirely on the metaverse, through a digital interactive interface designed by Brooklyn’s Nowhere.

Users will be able to hop between pre-recorded live sets through a digital interface designed to mimic the discovery component so crucial in physical musical festivals. Le Phoque Off’s lineup focuses on emerging Quebec artists, and this year the festival has expanded its purview to also encompass acts from as far as Mexico and France.

The lineup for this year’s festival includes the ’90s-soaked alt-rock of Montreal’s Douance, brooding hip hop courtesy of  Quebec’s Sensei H, the woozy folk-rock of Quebec’s l i l a, punishing post-metal courtesy of Quebec’s Vitrail, and much more.

“We’re thrilled that nearly half our lineup is made up of women musicians this year and that we’re able to highlight artists of all stripes by teaming up with Groover (France) and Chido Carnal Fest (Mexico),” says Yanick Kapuano, Head of Programming for Le Phoque OFF. “One of our favourite events is Fanmi se Famni (Family is Family), a collaboration with Pasa Musik in celebration of Black History Month.”

While attending a virtual music festival in the metaverse may sound complicated, the set-up is quite intuitive. To maximize the experience, festival organizers recommend festival goers have a camera on their computer, headphones, and a recent computer (2015 or later). (They also strongly recommended that Googe Chome users stick to one open tab only.)

Tickets for the Phoque Off metaverse edition are on-sale now for $10 per day or $28 for a festival pass. Tickets are available here. The festival is also launching Phoque Off PRO, with an added industry component including panels and networking events. More info on Phoque Off PRO can be found here.

The eighth edition of Le Phoque Off runs from February 21 to 25 on the metaverse, through a 3D interface by Nowhere. Check out the complete lineup here.