Ten years after The Tragically Hip played their final hometown concert, Kingston is getting ready to gather again.
For me, the anniversary brings back some pretty vivid memories.
I was fortunate enough to have four seats about 10 rows back for that final show on August 20, 2016. I was there with my wife Kim, one of our kids, Jett, and my brother Sean.
Like so many people in Kingston that day, though, our experience started well before The Hip walked onto the stage.
My Memories of The Tragically Hip’s Final Kingston Concert
Before the concert, we stopped at The Sports, part of the longtime Queen’s Inn in downtown Kingston. Local musician Jay Smith played a great set of Tragically Hip songs, and you could already feel that this was not going to be an ordinary night.
The Queen’s Inn and its pub spaces have since ended their long-running operations, which makes that memory feel like another small piece of Kingston history now.
Outside, the excitement was everywhere.
Thousands of people had descended on downtown Kingston. Checkpoints had been set up around the main downtown event area, streets were closed, and getting anywhere near the arena or Springer Market Square felt completely different from a typical Saturday night in the city.
Inside the sold-out arena were about 6,700 people.
Just a few blocks away, more than 25,000 people filled Springer Market Square and the surrounding downtown area for the outdoor viewing party.
Across Canada, nearly 12 million people watched at least part of CBC’s commercial-free live broadcast, whether they were at home, at cottages, in backyards or watching outside under the stars.
Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau was there too.
But statistics do not really explain what it felt like inside that arena.
More Than a Concert
There was anticipation before the first note, but there was also an awareness of why we were all there.
Gord Downie had announced his diagnosis with terminal brain cancer earlier that year. Everyone knew this tour was different.
Once the show started, though, the band gave everything they had.
For close to three hours, The Hip worked through a 30-song set spanning their career. Gord danced, screamed, joked with the crowd, changed into those unforgettable metallic suits and somehow seemed to command every corner of the building.
Songs including Bobcaygeon, Wheat Kings and New Orleans Is Sinking had thousands of people singing every word.
And they kept coming back.
Three encores. Nine more songs.
Finally, Ahead by a Century.
The atmosphere throughout the night was hard to put into one word. It moved between excitement, celebration, sadness and gratitude, sometimes within the same song.
There were tears throughout the arena. There were hugs. There were moments when the crowd was deafening and others when you could feel everyone absorbing what was happening in front of them.
For those of us lucky enough to be there, it felt like far more than a concert.
It was a Kingston moment.
The Bus Ride Home
One of my favourite memories actually came after the music stopped.
Parking downtown that night was almost impossible, so like a lot of Kingstonians, we had taken the bus.
A couple of hours after the final note, downtown was still full of energy, but it had changed. The barricades were starting to come down. Crews were beginning to return the streets to normal. People were slowly making their way home.
The mood felt quieter and more reflective.
Our bus was packed with concertgoers, but everyone was friendly, talking about the night we had just experienced.
And then people started singing a few Hip songs on the ride home.
After a night when millions of Canadians had watched Kingston, a bus full of locals finished it by singing together on the way home.
That part has always stuck with me.
Ten Years Later, Kingston Is Gathering Again
Now, a decade later, Kingston is preparing to mark that night with Forever Hip Kingston 2026, a city-wide celebration of The Tragically Hip, their music and their connection to their hometown.
Events and experiences are happening throughout the summer and fall, but the centrepiece takes place August 20 to 22, 2026, exactly 10 years after the final concert.
For those of us who remember 2016, it is a chance to revisit a remarkable chapter in Kingston’s history.
For visitors and newer fans, it is also an opportunity to explore the streets, venues and landmarks that connect The Hip so closely to this city.
Forever Hip Events: August 20 to 22
Springer Market Square will once again be at the centre of things, with three days of music, film and community events.
Thursday, August 20: Rockin’ the Square
The anniversary begins Thursday evening with Rockin’ the Square from 7 to 10 p.m.
Choir! Choir! Choir! will lead a large-scale Tragically Hip singalong, turning the audience into part of the performance.
The evening also includes performances by Kingston artists Miss Emily, The Abrams and members of Kasador.
There is something especially fitting about bringing people back to Market Square to sing together.
Ten years ago, thousands stood there watching Kingston’s band perform its final show only a few blocks away. This time, the crowd gets to provide some of the music.
Friday, August 21: Music, Memories and Long Time Running
Friday’s programming runs from noon to 10 p.m. in Springer Market Square.
Throughout the day, visitors can take in archival footage, Music Walking Tours and a local merch market featuring Kingston musicians and makers.
At 8 p.m., there will be a free outdoor screening of Long Time Running, the 2017 documentary following The Tragically Hip through their final cross-Canada tour and the concert that brought them home to Kingston.
For anyone who remembers that summer, it should be a meaningful way to revisit the story.
Saturday, August 22: The Final Concert Returns to the Big Screen
On Saturday evening, Springer Market Square becomes a community viewing party once again.
From 7 to 10 p.m., fans can gather for CBC’s commercial-free rebroadcast of The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration.
It will bring the 2016 hometown concert back to the big screen, in the same Square where thousands originally gathered to watch it live.
The weekend also coincides with the release of the band’s new live album, Live July 22 – August 20, 2016, featuring recordings from the final cross-Canada tour.
Explore The Tragically Hip’s Kingston
Forever Hip extends well beyond Springer Market Square.
Throughout downtown Kingston, fans will find Hip-inspired public art, storefront installations and landmarks connected to the band.
A custom Forever Hip mural by Kingston artist EronOne is planned for Wellington Street beside HEIST Restaurant + Wine Club, while sidewalk art and guitar-pick-shaped window decals are appearing throughout the downtown core.
There are also three self-guided Music Walking Tours exploring Kingston’s music history and The Hip’s connection to the city.
The Downtown Tour explores the band’s early years and formative venues. The West Tour includes high school memories, Queen’s University locations and community music stops. The Extended Tour connects more music stories and locations across Kingston.
Tragically Hip Landmarks Worth Visiting
If you are downtown for Forever Hip, several permanent landmarks are worth including in your visit.
The Tragically Hip Way runs outside Slush Puppie Place, where the large “THE HIP” sign lets visitors stand in for the letter “I.”
In Springer Market Square, a commemorative stone marks the place where thousands gathered to watch the final concert in 2016.
Along Kingston’s waterfront at Breakwater Park, Gord Edgar Downie Pier honours Gord Downie’s connection to the city and his environmental work.
These places are reminders that The Hip’s relationship with Kingston is not confined to an anniversary or a chapter in the past.
It is still part of the city.
More Forever Hip Around Kingston
The anniversary weekend is only one part of Forever Hip.
Throughout August, participating Kingston restaurants are offering limited-time Forever Hip food and drink features. Downtown is also featuring music-inspired public art, while additional Hip-related events continue into September and the fall.
The Tragically Hip will also be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in Toronto on September 26, 2026, adding another milestone to an already significant anniversary year.
Why Forever Hip Means Something Different in Kingston
The Tragically Hip formed in Kingston in 1984.
They went on to become one of Canada’s most recognized bands, but Kingston was always part of their story.
That was never more obvious than on August 20, 2016.
Inside the arena, thousands were watching the band play. Outside, tens of thousands filled downtown Kingston. Across the country, millions more were experiencing the same songs and the same farewell.
But if you lived here, there were smaller moments too.
There were the downtown bars playing Hip songs before the show.
The crowds walking through familiar Kingston streets.
The packed buses.
The strangers talking to one another after the concert.
And, in our case, a busload of people singing a few more songs together before heading home.
That is what I think of when I remember that night.
Ten years later, Forever Hip is not simply about replaying a concert.
It is about the connection between a band, a city and generations of people who found part of their own lives in those songs.
The Tragically Hip have never simply been a band that came from Kingston.
They are part of Kingston’s story.
Planning to Attend Forever Hip Kingston 2026?
The main anniversary events take place August 20 to 22, 2026, in Springer Market Square in downtown Kingston, with additional Forever Hip experiences happening across the city.
Schedules and event details can change, so check Visit Kingston’s official Forever Hip guide before heading downtown for the latest information.
Event information current as of August 16, 2026.
