Beyond 9
Photographer: Simarjeet Singh
“Our focus is on what happens when we come together and experience the grounds with different ideas of the future. We want to develop a space that cultivates that.”
2026 marks the fourth annual Cloud 9 Eco-Art and Electronic Music Festival, a celebration of music, art, sustainability, and community. Hosted on the spacious grounds of No.9 Gardens, Canada’s first sustainability centre located just outside of Kingston, artists, musicians, educators, and community members come together to experience a festival whose value lies just as much in the space itself as the events taking place within it.
As I spoke about this event over the past month with Rupert Davies, co-founder of Cloud 9, it became clear that the festival is more than a music event. At its core, Cloud 9 is an experiment in what can happen when young people are given the space to create and reimagine what a festival can be. Since Cloud 9’s first festival in 2022, the project has grown in both its scope and ambition into a multi-sensory experience centred on connection, creativity, and a deeper relationship with the land, while its core mission has remained the same.
“Something that has stayed the same is that we didn’t go after this project seeing it as a traditional music festival. We saw music playing a strong component, but I think that the strongest component was just the space that we have to offer and share with members of the younger generation.”
When the large youth committee that organized Cloud 9 in the initial two years first connected over this idea, it was in the wake of the pandemic, during a period of significant loss of social structures and spaces. For many young people, the places that once provided opportunities for connection slipped away, heightening the need for social environments where young people can exist alongside one another.
Cloud 9’s mission expands beyond the grounds of No.9. In the bigger picture, the festival speaks to a broader question: what does it mean to create a space where people feel that they belong? Rupert spoke about the concept of a “third place,” a sociological theory developed by Ray Oldenburg that centres on the importance of social environments separate from home and work. These anchoring spots allow the community to thrive by giving people spaces where they can find a strong sense of belonging. Rupert talked about how he drew many parallels to what he wanted Cloud 9 to be after his experience working at a boutique hotel that offered a lobby space not just for guests, but for outsiders to come together and connect; it acted as a place where people could gather simply because they wanted to be around other people. This same philosophy shows up in Cloud 9, where music becomes an avenue for connection rather than the sole reason for gathering.
“What stayed the same was the fact that they have continued to highlight this beautiful space, No.9 Gardens. What has changed is how we activate the space.”
The team at Cloud 9 also began asking what non-musical programming they could host that speaks to their mission. This is reflected in their focus on education and wellness, something not typically offered at other conventional music festivals.
“We're called the Cloud 9 Electronic Music and Eco Art festival, but I think that over the four years we've added to the experience being education and wellness, focused a lot on activating local artists and workshop facilitators to create these immersive, hands-on workshop experiences for the guests during the day. It's sort of half this celebration and party, and half this time to come together and learn a new skill, and an open discussion around how it's going in the parts that we can play in our communities back home.
The emphasis on connection is embedded in the history of No.9. In 2007, No.9 Contemporary Art & the Environment was formed as a not-for-profit intended to raise environmental awareness while making art more publicly accessible. Almost 20 years later, the organization has expanded through several ambitious projects, including Cloud 9, all rooted in its nine pillars of sustainability and belief in innovative thinking and youth-driven change.
At the heart of this work is the belief that environmental engagement does not have to exist separately from art or community. Instead, they can inform one another and create spaces that encourage people to learn and participate. As a student-run creative publication, MUSE has similarly sought to build a place for Queen’s students to explore their creative energy and connect with one another. MUSE has become a centre for creativity within the Queen’s community, where students can share ideas and collaborate through creative expression. MUSE and Cloud 9 share the same goal: to foster a community where young people feel comfortable expressing themselves in a place that sparks imagination and creative energy.
“It's not what we end up doing at the festival, but who we end up connecting with and how their input informs the experience. I've met some of my closest friends here for the first time. I think everyone can say that through their experience here, they've really met some like-minded individuals. […] A lot of the time, people come here and they really just show their real and true selves, and you can really tell. There's a deep vulnerability here with everyone and what they hope to get out of it. Another thing that's very common is that people come here to recognize the importance, and they offer their own skills or services to help add to the experience.”
Rupert went on to share that the weekend's wellness component wouldn't be possible without Whitney, the founder of Starboard Sauna and a former Cloud 9 attendee. Over the years, she started her own mobile sauna company in Prince Edward Island County, and she is bringing her services this weekend.
“This was once someone who just came to Cloud 9, and now they're really helping to shape what this year's experience is going to be like.”
Rupert shared another example of a friend he met through Cloud 9 who was inspired by his first time at the festival. After that, he went to work in northern communities to help create more sustainable living systems, and after returning from that work, he came back to Cloud 9 and delivered a lecture last year on what he had learned. These stories are just two examples of the festival’s impact extending beyond a single weekend. People can arrive at Cloud 9 as an attendee and return as a contributor. They demonstrate that people keep coming back to Cloud 9 because they feel so connected to this project, the land, the people, and the possibility for relationships to develop past the weekend
“Through our evolution of updating other components to the festival, to create a holistic and broad experience where you can tap into your musical side or go learn about ecology or just spend an hour going back and forth between the sauna and the cold lunch; I think there are a lot of different things that can shape your Cloud 9 experience.”
Another new feature this year is the mindfulness & movement workshop led by Renelyn Quinicot, one of three workshops hosted on Saturday, the main day of programming. Rupert describes it as “the perfect balance between a personal activity and also a communal one, because you're kind of in your own mind, but everyone is also doing the same around you.” This workshop provides a reset amongst the other activities planned out for the weekend, one where you can hear the stillness in the area, the presence of birds and crickets, and the wind through the trees.
“Having all of these components fosters a general understanding of how important it is for us all to be here at one point in time, sharing these moments with one another, sharing this connection to the land around us, and just keeping a very open mind for why it's not just important that we connect, but it's important that we continue to support these spaces that foster that connection.”
The Cloud 9 experience is shapeless by design, so there is always room for community to grow. Through the people and place that embrace you from the moment you arrive and after you depart, there will always be a sense of belonging for those who journey to the grounds of Cloud 9.
Cloud 9 2026 takes place on September 11-13.
Visit the Cloud 9 website to buy your tickets and learn more about No.9 and Cloud 9, and follow @cloud9.festival on Instagram for updates on the festival.
A special thank you to Rupert Davies for his time working with the MUSE team.