Parks, puppies, acoustic guitars, sitting and singing in the sunshine all weekend long: The Live in Bellwoods Great Heart Festival exemplifies the best of the Canadian music scene, a place where, as long as you’re down, you’re always welcome to join in for a song.

This year, Humble Empire teamed up with Young Lions Music Club to bring a great roster of musicians to the park. From Vancouver’s The Belle Game to Boxer The Horse from Charlottetown: we were treated to sounds and songs from coast to coast. With twenty-one bands on the roster, it was a fantastic way to hear new music in the most relaxed setting. We loved all of it but it was Winnipeg’s Enjoy Your Pumas that stole our heart. The bands played acoustic interpretations of their sets, and fans scattered on the grass amidst bicycles, picnics and tall cans. Toddlers rolled down the hill, couple canoodled and we all joined in to sing the refrain; it was a mini music fest love-in that radiated only good vibes.

There’s a reason they call these guys the mayors of Bellwoods—they throw one hell of a town hall meeting.

Check out the photos from this great event, and here’s to another year of amazing music, Live in Bellwoods.

~ Haley Cullingham

Photos by Becca Lemire (Click to Enlarge)