Canada Day in Ottawa is "fun and a little surreal," according to Emily Haines. But it's "always an exciting party," adds Alex Cuba. They are just two of the award-winning musicians set for this year's official festivities celebrating our national holiday.

Haines's pop-synth rock troupe Metric, Latin pop singer-songwriter Cuba and indie darling Coeur de pirate are among the musical acts set to rock the Parliament Hill stage on July 1.

Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly unveiled details of this year's program in Gatineau Wednesday morning. Family-friendly festivities will take place at three sites: Parliament Hill and Major's Hill Park in Ottawa and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau.

'Incredibly proud'

"It is always a very exciting party, you know," Cuba, whose album Healer won a best Latin pop Grammy in February, told CBC News.

"It's a moment where you see Canadians being very proud of being Canadian," he said. "It makes me incredibly proud to be Canadian, because in this country I developed my talent to what I am today."

Three of the acts set to play Ottawa on Canada's national holiday -- Coeur de pirate, Alex Cuba and Indian City -- talk about the opportunity. 0:50

The Havana-born, Smithers, B.C.-based artist said he hopes the massive crowds — an average of 350,000 people descend on the Canada Day sites in the Ottawa-Gatineau region each year — will enjoy the music and get their groove on.

"I feel very responsible to deliver something beautiful [and] show to the Canadians there, to the Canadians watching on TV and watching on the internet the variety of cultures that we have in Canada," he said.

Musicians in this year's lineup hail from across the country. Also set to take the stage are:

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​"I'm so excited," Quebec pop singer Béatrice Martin, who performs as Coeur de pirate, said of the patriotic, high-profile gig.

"I'm so proud to be Canadian, especially now. I feel very blessed that this is happening," said Martin, who released Roses, her first bilingual album of original material, last summer.

"I'm putting out music in French and in English, the two main languages, and not a lot of people get to do that. So I try to do my best to represent."

The daytime program on Canada Day ranges from the Changing of the Guard ceremony and Peace Tower Carillon concert in the morning to a midday concert as well as a show by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

Broadcast and online

In the evening, all the musicians and the Snowbirds will return once again, with a fireworks extravaganza slated to cap the evening.

The festivities will be broadcast on multiple CBC and Radio-Canada platforms online, on radio and on television.

Metric last played the Canada Day gig in 2013, with Haines recalling the event as "fun and a little surreal," ending with the band taking in the fireworks alongside astronaut Chris Hadfield.

"Having toured with Metric internationally for years, I have always felt like an unofficial ambassador for Canada. Everywhere in the world,, people are curious about our beautiful country," she said.

"It's nice to be having a bit of a moment on the world stage with our new prime minister and our recent successes in sports and music, but I've always felt we are the envy of the world and very fortunate to live here …. There's not a day that goes by that I don't appreciate how lucky I am to call Canada home."