The Arrogant Worms Concert and Music Talk

Date

Friday June 12, 2026
7:00 pm - 8:20 pm

McArthur Lecture

Join us for a silly and wonderful performance by The Arrogant Worms! We are so thrilled to welcome the band for a free concert open to the Queen's and Kingston community.

Dr. Ben Bolden, Karma Tomm, and Sistema Kingston will join us to talk about the power and joy of music education before The Arrogant Worms take to the stage to perform.

Please reserve your ticket in advance as space is limited. Donations welcomed at the door.

Doors are at 6:30 pm.

Tickets

The Arrogant Worms

The Arrogant Worms have spent over three decades making fun of a big dumb world. Their songs have been played on the radio, the internet, and in outer space (on the space shuttle Endeavour). The Worms began at Queen’s University in 1991 when some members of the student cabaret group, The Queen’s Players, started writing songs and sketches for the campus radio station CFRC. Soon the group became The Arrogant Worms (Chris Patterson, Mike McCormick, and Trevor Strong) who have since toured ceaselessly across Canada (and select other parts of the world), released 13 albums, and recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Their song, The Last Saskatchewan Pirate, has been covered by bands such as Captain Tractor and The Longest Johns, and their Happy Happy birthday song is a viral sensation with over one hundred million views of the various fan videos on YouTube. More than thirty years after they began, The Arrogant Worms continue to provide tuneful and silly escapism for everyone who needs it.

 

The band The Arrogant Worms poses in front of a graphic orange and white wall. The band members make surprised expressions and look intently at the camera.

 

This performance is being put on as part of the 2026 McArthur Lecture.

Please note that photography will take place at this event for promotional and archival purposes. Notice of Photography (PDF 103 KB)