DEMO FEST is back for 2025
This time brought to you by The Counterforce!
We've received over 70 demos!
We are now busy processing everything for the release day: December 21st!
While you are waiting, please share this flyer:
Never heard of DEMO FEST? Read about the first iteration in 2020 where we released over 200 demos on a single day. The DEMO FEST 2020 bandcamp page still has over 200 demos if you need something to tide you over while you wait for December 21st!
Otherwise read on below for more info:
What is DEMO FEST?
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A fundraiser for Solidarity Across Borders / Solidaridad sin fronteras / Solidarité sans frontières (SAB), a Montreal-based migrant justice network.
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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 spent October and November recording a new demo's worth of music and submit it to us. We'll start accepting submissions via this website in October.
The deadline to submit your demo was December 1st (er, December 10th).
On the Winter Solstice (Sunday December 21st, 2025), we will release all the submitted demos on this website.
Everything will be streamed for free. Donations to SAB will be encouraged, and collected in exchanged for high-quality downloads.
More questions? Read the FAQ below.
Contact
E-mail us at: contact at demo-fest.org
Check or follow DEMO FEST on Mastodon/the Fediverse at @demo_fest@counterforce.social for the latest updates!
FAQ
Are you posting everything on bandcamp again this year?
Currently that's not the plan. We'll build a website using a tool called faircamp. It will look and work like Bandcamp but will be just for the DEMO FEST 2025 releases. You can see an example of a site built with faircamp here.
Bandcamp is OK, but the recent ownership changes make us nervous about what could happen in the future. So we want to encourage people to experiment with a different way to post their demos online!
Can I still post my DEMO FEST demo on Bandcamp, or Spotify, or wherever else?
We ask that you at least treat DEMO FEST like an exclusive premier, and wait a few months before posting your demo online elsewhere. Let's say until March 1st, 2026 if you want a date. This will let us capture the most donations for Solidarity Across Borders. It's your music! You should be free to do what you want. We are operating on a punk handshake agreement here, so we arn't going to sign a licensing deal or anything.
Where does the money go?
All funds raised are going directly to Montreal-based migrant justice organization Solidarity Across Borders / Solidaridad sin fronteras / Solidarité sans frontières (SAB). They provide direct mutual aid to migrants in Montreal and support to those facing deportation, as well organize broader social campaigns in the fight towards Status For All!
SPREAD THE WORD
Please share DEMO FEST with your friends far and wide. Here's a flyer to print and share digitally:
