The countdown to Osheaga in August has officially begun, and this summer's festivities are kicking off this Saturday, June 9, with the first Osheaga event: a block party, just like they used to pop up in Brooklyn in the 70's and 80's.

This Saturday, expect a mishmash of art and music under the burning afternoon sun, on the Montreal side of the Lachine Canal, over by Des Seigneurs street.

Live art will be provided by a Brooklyn duo, the Skewville Twins, who made a name for themselves by making wooden copies of Converse sneakers and throwing them up on phone lines around NYC. Local visual artists En Masse, Labrona & Cie, DHS, K6A and La Paria will also take part in custom-made exhibitions.

It wouldn't be a party without music, and so local DJs and musicians will provide the soundtrack.

There will be two other events scheduled to whet your Osheaga appetite: Qualité Motel on June 28 on the Quai de la Montagne, and Plaster at the Corona Theatre on July 13.

Saturday's block party is free, and it starts at 1PM. See you there!