The DEV Hotel & Conference Centre is set to launch its first major music festival this summer with DEV FEST 2025, headlined by Canadian rock legends 54-40, hometown favourites Barstool Prophets, and local music heroes Trevor Walsh and Mark Muir.
The event will take place on Friday, June 27, just in time to kick off the Canada Day long weekend. With doors opening at 3 p.m. and music starting at 4:30 p.m., festivalgoers can expect a full evening of rock, food trucks, and local craft brews at 1950 Montreal Rd.
Barstool Prophets frontman Graham Greer said he’s thrilled to see a large-scale music festival return to the city. “I think it’s fantastic. The more the merrier, isn’t it? It’s nice to see that property getting used for something like this,” he said, referring to the DEV Centre.
Sharing the stage with 54-40 is a nostalgic bonus. “Some of our most favourite tours were with them. We did Western Canada twice and spent four or five weeks on the road together. There was great camaraderie; it was very beneficial for us.”
Both 54-40 and Barstool Prophets performed at the final Cornwall Lift-Off festival in July 2014. Barstool’s most recent Cornwall show was at Ribfest in July 2024, marking a long-awaited return to their hometown stage. They recently played a sold-out show in Ottawa at Overflow Brewery.
Greer also reflected on overcoming hearing challenges that once made him doubt he’d ever perform again. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it again,” he said, crediting hearing aid technology with restoring his ability to play both acoustic and electric shows. “Going from near madness back to normalcy — it’s been a game changer.”
Opening the evening is Trevor Walsh, who will be performing with local guitarist Mark Muir. “I feel so grateful to be opening for the Barstool Prophets and 54-40 — two iconic Canadian acts that, like myself, have stood the test of time,” Walsh said. “With my buddy Mark Muir, we are going to have an absolute blast. This is definitely going to be one of the highlights of my career.”
