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Billy Talent and Fall Out Boy to Headline the First All Your Friends Festival at Burl's Creek in Ontario

Launched by Republic Live, the new emo and pop-punk focused camping festival will feature acts like Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Lights and Fefe Dobson at the Aug. 23-24 inaugural edition in Oro-Medonte.

Billy Talent

Billy Talent

Dustin Rabin

Emo and pop-punk fans across the country take note: Canada is getting a new festival this summer.

Billy Talent and Fall Out Boy will headline the first edition of All Your Friends Festival at Burl's Creek in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, this August. A new initiative from Republic Live, the same company behind country festival Boots & Hearts and its new country management arm RLive, as well as the on-hiatus multi-genre WayHome Festival, All Your Friends taps into a different market.


The inaugural lineup features a nostalgia trip of 2000s and 2010s third-wave emo and pop-punk artists like Jimmy Eat World, All-American Rejects, Mayday Parade and Plain White T's.

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Beyond the major American names, the festival is also a reminder of how much Canadian talent came out of that era, from headliners Billy Talent to synth-pop singer Lights, rock group Silverstein and pop-rock singer Fefe Dobson. If much of the lineup is a callback to the heyday of Converse, deep side-parts and Warped Tour, All Your Friends is also showcasing rising Canadian artists like Grandson, LØLØ and Charlotte Sands.

"All Your Friends Fest promises to captivate music fans by merging the nostalgic essence of the past with the electrifying energy of the present," says Republic Live's Eva Dunford. "This festival is a celebration of the spirit and energy of a genre of music that has powerfully influenced generations."

Nostalgic festivals and concerts are already a popular attraction, from the 2000s-indie festival Just Like Heaven to the ubiquity of anniversary tours. Las Vegas has an emo-pop and pop-punk nostalgia fest, When We Were Young, as well as a new, second-wave emo festival launching this year, Best Friends Forever.

While major tentpole festival Coachella has experienced slow ticket sales this year, more niche events, oriented towards specific genres, are attractive to promoters in Canada right now. Live Nation Canada recently launched a new Canadian country festival this year, Vancouver's Coast City Country, which will have its first edition in April. Vancouver's FVDED In the Park festival narrowed its focus this year, deciding to program only dance music acts following a community survey.

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The launch of a new camping festival is a major venture, at a time when many live performance events are struggling financially post-lockdown. All Your Friends provides some indication of what promoters can bet on right now: nostalgia, immersive experiences and genres like emo-pop which have a nostalgia factor for Millennials and traction with Gen Z listeners.

The inaugural edition of All Your Friends takes place Aug. 23 and 24. Tickets go on sale Mar. 29 at 10 am EST via the festival website.

Find the full festival schedule below.

Friday August 23 - Main Stage

Billy Talent (CAN)

Silverstein (CAN)

Mayday Parade

GOB (CAN)

LØLØ (CAN)

Friday August 23 - Second Stage

The All-American Rejects

Lights(CAN)

Gym Class Heroes

We The Kings

The Honest Heart Collective (CAN)

Saturday August 24 - Main Stage

Fall Out Boy

Jimmy Eat World

Plain White T’s

grandson (CAN)

Charlotte Sands

Saturday August 24 - Second Stage

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Dashboard Confessional

The Maine

Fefe Dobson (CAN)

Stereos (CAN)

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Swiftcouver sign in Vancouver.
Destination Vancouver/Instagram

'Swiftcouver' sign in Vancouver.

FYI

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