Announcing DEMO FEST 2025

Announcing DEMO FEST 2025

DEMO FEST is back for 2025

This time brought to you by The Counterforce!

The short version:

  • Spend October + November recording a new punk demo and submit it to DEMO FEST
  • Submission deadline is December 1st
  • Release day is December 21st

Never heard of DEMO FEST?

In 2020 during the height of Covid-19 lockdowns in Montreal, DEMO FEST 2020, brought together hundreds of punks and friends recorded a new demos during the Fall and everything was released by DEMO FEST on the Winter Solstice. Over 200 demos were completed (all mastered by Will Killingsworth!?) and the project raised well over $10000 for Solidarity Across borders. All the music is still up on Bandcamp.

DEMO FEST
DEMO FEST is a fundraiser for Solidarity Across Borders. Over 200 artists spent the fall writing/recording/producing a ‘demo’ style new release. Everything was released on December 21st. All proceeds go to Solidarity Across borders. Consider paying more than the minimum for individual releases, or buying the complete discography. Every little bit counts!

What is DEMO FEST 2025?

1. A fundraiser for Solidarity Across Borders / Solidaridad sin fronteras / Solidarité sans frontières (SAB), a Montreal-based migrant justice network.

2. A motivator to encourage punks to complete new recordings in the Fall, giving us all the gift of new music as we enter the darkest and coldest months of winter.

How does it work?

Punks spend October and November recording a new demo's worth of music and submit it to DEMO FEST 2025.

Submissions will be accepted starting in October and the deadline to submit your demo is December 1st.

On the Winter Solstice (Sunday December 21st, 2025), it will all be released on the DEMO FEST website.

Everything will be streamed for free. Donations to SAB will be encouraged, and collected in exchanged for high-quality downloads.

How to participate?

Check out the DEMO FEST 2025 website and check or follow DEMO FEST on Mastodon/the Fediverse at @demo_fest@counterforce.social for the latest updates.

Flyer

Here's a flyer! To print or share: