Festivals
Boots & Hearts Festival 2025 – Day Three Recap & Photos
By the time Saturday rolled around at Burl’s Creek, lightning and thunder was a thing of the past and the sun was back in full force, already claiming its victims. Red shoulders, parched throats, and hats lost the battle against dust. But that did not slow down the fans. Day Three of Boots & Hearts Festival 2025 sold out before the gates even opened, and the Burl’s Creek grounds felt like every country fan in Ontario had shown up with one mission: make it a day worth losing your voice over.
While we didn’t manage to catch all the amazing artists performing that day, here are the highlights of the ones we saw:
Kelsi Mayne wasted no time firing up the Front Porch stage, jumping between country grit and surprise genre shifts. One minute she was tearing through her own songs, the next she was blending Kings of Leon with Coolio. It was the kind of set that makes early arrivals grateful they skipped sleeping in.
Right after, Karli June kept the energy glowing in the mid-afternoon sun. Warm, conversational, and with vocals that could carry across the field without a mic, she turned her set into something intimate, even pulling in Justin Legacy for a duet that felt like a small-town porch jam with a few thousand friends watching.
Hailey Benedict was the first act on the Main Stage and proved why she’s being called one of country’s fastest-rising stars. She balanced high-energy confidence with the charm of someone who still looks genuinely grateful to be there. Her cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” got the crowd belting so loud you almost forgot it was still daylight.
As evening crept in, Chase Rice rolled in with swagger, striding down the catwalk like it was his own front driveway. His set jumped between party anthems and heart-tugging moments, with “Eyes on You” sending the crowd into one giant, swaying chorus of couples and friends.
At one point, he cracked open a bottle of Jack Daniels, tossed it into the pit, and promised the band wouldn’t stop until the bottle was drained. It was reckless, and perfectly on brand.
The night’s closer, Sam Hunt, took the stage like a man ready to finish the festival in style, but fate had other plans. A sudden power outage hit early in his set, halting the momentum. Hunt shook it off, came back swinging, and had the crowd screaming even louder… until it happened again. Unfortunately, this time the lights stayed out, cutting short what was shaping up to be an incredible headline set.
That didn’t stop the after-hours chaos. Down With Webster turned the late-night party into a full-body workout, with a spin on “A Thousand Miles” that somehow had more energy than any daylight set all weekend. By the time the last beat dropped, the festival grounds looked less like a tired crowd and more like a second wind had just kicked in.
Saturday at Boots & Hearts had it all: heat, hiccups, and a whole lot of music worth remembering. The only question now is how Sunday could possibly top it!
Stay tuned for our review of Sunday and our artist portraits!
Check out our favourite photos of the day below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
SAM HUNT
DOWN WITH WEBSTER
CHASE RICE
HAILEY BENEDICT
KARLI JUNE
KELSI MAYNE
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport
Festivals
Governors Ball 2026 Release Daily Schedules
The set times are in. Governors Ball Music Festival just dropped its daily schedules for June 5–7, and the usual game begins: mapping your day, picking your battles, and accepting you can’t see everything.
Friday, June 5
Day one leans indie-pop into rap by night. Lorde closes the main stage at 8:30, opposite the tail end of Baby Keem(7:30–8:30). That’s your first big call: polished pop spectacle or Keem’s high-energy set.
Earlier, things get messy in a good way. KATSEYE (6:35–7:30) overlaps with Pierce the Veil (5:30–6:30) bleed, and The Beths (6:00–7:00) sit right in between. Indie fans will feel that pinch.
Midday conflicts are lighter, but The Dare (4:00–4:45) vs. Arcy Drive (3:30–4:15) creates a small fork in the road.
If you’re pacing yourself, the cleanest run is late afternoon into Mariah the Scientist (4:45–5:30), then pick your lane.
Saturday, June 6
Saturday is the most chaotic on paper. Stray Kids headline at 8:30, directly after Kali Uchis (7:30–8:30). That transition is smooth if you stay put.
The real trouble hits earlier. Major Lazer (6:30–7:30) collides with Blood Orange (5:30–6:30) and the start of Amyl and the Sniffers (7:30–8:30). Dancehall vs. alt-R&B vs. punk. Pick a mood and commit.
Mid-card is stacked with clashes: Ravyn Lenae (4:00–4:45) overlaps with Jane Remover (3:30–4:15), and Snow Strippers (4:45–5:30) runs right into Wet Leg (4:45–5:30). That last one is a true coin flip, two buzzy acts at the exact same time.
Sunday, June 7
Sunday might be the strongest day top to bottom. A$AP Rocky closes at 8:45, opposite the end of JENNIE (7:45–8:45) and Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist (7:45–8:45). That’s the toughest final hour of the weekend.
The lead-up is just as tight. Dominic Fike (6:45–7:45) overlaps with Clipse (5:45–6:45) and Hot Mulligan (6:15–7:15). Three different crowds, same window.
Earlier, Japanese Breakfast (4:00–4:45) and Holly Humberstone (3:15–4:00) form a nice back-to-back if you stay mobile, but Between Friends (2:30–3:15) cuts into that flow.
The takeaway
Friday is manageable. Saturday is conflict-heavy. Sunday is stacked late.
If you hate missing songs, plan short splits. If you want full sets, accept you’ll miss something big. That’s part of the deal, and honestly, half the fun.
Festivals
PNE Summer Night Concerts Announce 2026 Lineup
Vancouver’s summer concert calendar is locking into place. The annual Summer Night Concerts are set to return to the Pacific National Exhibition from August 22 through September 7, bringing live music back to one of the city’s biggest seasonal events.
This year carries a bit more weight than usual. The series will debut at the brand-new Freedom Mobile Arch, a 10,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre built for large-scale performances. The venue promises better sightlines, improved sound, and a more immersive setup for fans. It’s a major shift for the fair, which spent much of last year dealing with construction that limited its footprint and contributed to a drop in attendance.
Now, with the full site back in action, organizers are aiming for a reset. The 2026 lineup leans into that idea, mixing legacy acts with newer names across genres like rock, pop, hip-hop, and electronic.
Headliners include Blue Rodeo, The Guess Who, The Beaches, Nelly, and Zedd, alongside artists like Mt. Joy, Train, and Barenaked Ladies. Special performances include Cynthia Erivo backed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances from Punjabi Virsa, Weird Al Yankovic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Pierce the Veil, Sarah McLachlan, and Boy George & Culture Club.
The full schedule runs nightly:
- Aug. 22: Blue Rodeo
- Aug. 23: The Guess Who
- Aug. 25: The Beaches
- Aug. 26: Nelly
- Aug. 27: Zedd
- Aug. 28: Mt. Joy
- Aug. 29: Cynthia Erivo with VSO
- Aug. 30: Punjabi Virsa
- Sept. 1: Train
- Sept. 2: Barenaked Ladies
- Sept. 3: Weird Al Yankovic
- Sept. 4: Earth, Wind & Fire
- Sept. 5: Pierce the Veil
- Sept. 6: Sarah McLachlan
- Sept. 7: Boy George & Culture Club
Tickets start at $49 plus fees and include admission to the PNE Fair. Presale began April 19, with general on-sale launching April 20 through TicketLeader.
New venue, full fairgrounds, and a lineup that leans both nostalgic and current. After a quieter year, the PNE looks ready to feel busy again.