Nextfest 2026 OPENING CEREMONIES

Regina Espina is a 19-year-old musician from Edmonton, Alberta, rooted in folk, jazz, and romantic Latin influences. Singing since childhood, she began at local open mics and now performs across venues in the city, sharing stages with many accomplished and inspiring musicians. Regina performs covers and writes her own music, drawing from a wide range of genres with curiosity and care. Inspired by pioneering artists, she is committed to honouring tradition while embracing contemporary expression, bridging past and present through her performances.

Caylie G (they/she) is a queer Pop-Folk artist based in Edmonton, Alberta, on Treaty Six Territory. With roots firmly planted in their prairie upbringings and a soft spot for glittering theatrics, Caylie has cultivated a sound best described as sparkly cowboy-pop. Their music explores the valleys and swells of love, heartbreak, and the complexities of humanness and queerness with a tender balance of vulnerability and strength. Caylie’s lyrics resonate with folks from all walks of life, capturing the essence of the human experience with softness and candour. In just the last year and a half, Caylie has released three EPs: The Trials and Tribulations of a Twenty-Two-Year-Old Teenager, Softhearted Cowboy and Girls, and has toured across Canada. Notably, performing at Winnipeg Folk Fest and Folk on The Rocks (Yellowknife, NWT). With their combination of whimsical antics and good ol’-four-chord storytelling, Caylie is a voice for those with soft hearts, big feelings and people that have never gotten over anything in their lives.

DJ I AM PREETY (she/her) is a progressive and deep house DJ whose work is rooted in intention, connection, love, and embodied joy. Through sound and movement, she creates spaces where people feel invited to soften, expand, and come home to themselves. Her sets blend progressive house, downtempo, deep house, and global rhythms, often weaving in Indian melodies and ethereal textures that reflect her cultural roots and storytelling instincts. She approaches DJing as a journey, beginning spacious and gentle, gradually unfolding into deeper grooves that invite presence, release, and flow.Beyond music, Preet works at the intersections of energy, community-building, empowerment, environmental sustainability, and climate action. She is deeply committed to allyship, inclusion, and uplifting others, believing that true leadership is rooted in care, listening, and shared success. Music and movement, for her, are powerful tools for healing. Channeling her vibration, she enters a flow state behind the decks. Sharing her sound becomes an energetic exchange… a moment of gratitude, connection, and collective rhythm.