The 2026 DREAMS! Music Awards kicks off Monday with a call for submissions and the presentation of this year’s Hall of Fame inductee.
The event will be at the Biltmore Theatre in downtown Oshawa from noon to 2 p.m., with the Hall of Fame inductee presented by 2022 inductees Paul Andrew Smith and Mike O’Neil of 70’s pop rock band Wednesday.
The event will also feature performances from Candace and Michael, Will Gillespie and Jules McCools.
DREAMS! Inc. – Durham Regional Excellence in Arts, Music & Sound – is a not-for-profit regional organization dedicated to celebrating, connecting, and strengthening the music ecosystem across Durham Region.
Following six successful years as The OMAs (Oshawa Music Awards), the organization was rebranded in 2025 as DREAMS! Inc., reflecting an expanded regional vision and a broader commitment to supporting the growth of music and arts communities throughout Durham. The rebrand introduced a dynamic series of live performances, artist showcases, workshops, and networking events that celebrate the region’s vibrant music culture, culminating in the annual DREAMS! Music Awards, presented by Invest Durham.
Through partnerships, community engagement and year-round programming, DREAMS! Inc. aims to strengthen the regional music economy, amplify local talent, and foster meaningful connections that unite artists, audiences, and industry professionals through a shared passion for music and culture.
Durham Region’s music scene has consistently punched above its weight in the music industry, internationally as well as nationally, and it has done so for decades, noted Will McGuirk, the 2025 DREAMS! Music Industry Leader of the Year.
McGuirk, a writer, music historian and one of Oshawa’s biggest booster, has called for those in the industry to “invest in your young people” by making “every floor a stage and every wall a gallery.”
Oshawa, the region’s largest city, is home to much of the infrastructure but artists live and work right across the eight municipalities which stretch from Lake Ontario to Lake Scugog and Lake Simcoe, from the Rouge River to the Ganaraska Forest.
Oshawa and Durham Region have produced global stars like Daniel Caesar, Shawn Mendes and Sum41, producers Boi1da and T-Minus, hip hop pioneers Snow, K-Os and Dream Warriors, and rising stars like Crown Lands and Dizzy.
“Neil Young bought his first musical instrument while living in Pickering as a child, Ian Tyson had a ranch in Bowmanville, Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo lives and records nears Kendal, just east of Highway 15, Mars Bonfire who wrote ‘Born to be Wild,’ grew up in Oshawa, and members of A Foot in Cold Water, Moxy and Wednesday are all here,” McGuirk said.
Country stars from Durham are also showing up on the charts, he added, citing Meaghan Patrick, Sacha and Robyn Ottolini.
There are also five venues within walking distance of each other in downtown Oshawa; on any given night one can get up to 10,000 music lovers taking in a show; more if you include the pubs, clubs and cafes which host music seven days a night.
1970s band Wednesday
INsauga’s Editorial Standards and Policies
Last 30 Days: 58,939 Votes
All Time: 1,353,672 Votes
475 VOTES
Are you excited for the World Cup?
WIN A $100 GIFT CARD
Subscribe to INsauga’s daily email newsletter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.