Skip to content

New music festival coming to Timmins

The event, the first of its kind in the city's history, will take place in late April and features an impressive array of musical acts.
John Cayen at The Working Class
Festival organizer John Cayen is very excited to bring a new music festival to Northeastern Ontario. Andrew Autio for TimminsToday

Music fans in the Timmins area will have a new opportunity this spring to experience a diverse array of live acts.

Heart of Gold Fest was announced on Friday by the owners and operators of The Working Class.

The festival will see concerts hosted at the Second Avenue hotbed as well as the nearby Victory Tavern.

The event will kick off at The Working Class on Thursday, April 21, and will continue on April 22 and 23.

“Its actually been an idea in the back of our minds for awhile. We didn't necessarily know if we had the resources or connections to make it happen. But as time went on, being show promoters, and with The Working Class coming into the picture, it just unfolded. We had a few bands lined up in close proximity, so we thought we could really tie something together here and put Timmins on the map,” said John Cayen, who has been a live music promoter in the city for well over a decade.

“We've been to a few festivals, Krys Saudino, Dale Yungwirth and myself. We sort of took ideas from what we were seeing. Pouzza Fest in Montreal, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, North by Northeast in Toronto. Those are all smaller club festivals. We thought 'there's no reason why we can't do that,” he said.

After mulling over several name ideas for the festival, they chose to tie in with the city's slogan.

“It embraces our city's history and heritage. I think its a cool name. Not only does Neil Young sing about it, but its our hometown and something to be proud of,” said Cayen.

He is very excited to announce the first wave of artists on Tuesday, March 1st.

“These bands are current. They're hip. They are internationally known. When we announce the line-up, if there's a band you might not be familiar with, I strongly suggest you go familiarize yourself, because these bands are cool. I think its a real treat that we're bringing this to the people of Timmins and Northeastern Ontario, its something you definitely don't want to miss.”

Cayen believes the festival will be the first of its kind in Timmins.

“If its successful and it really catches on, which I'm confident it will, we'll look to expand and maybe include more venues. But right now, the Victory Tavern and The Working Class are iconic now in our city for live music, so that's where we're going to start off.”

He says the shows will be timed to 'bounce off' one another, between the two venues.

“Its going to be a continuous cycle of high quality Canadian content, a lot of great Canadian bands.”

Cayen says the artists will be from all across Canada. There is one well known American punk rock band that will be announced as a part of a 'secret show' within the festival.

The bands will be a wide variety of musical genres.

“There is heavy music, there is pop music, there is folk music. We're trying to have something for everybody.”

He says not only will there be touring bands involved, but the festival will include many local acts.

“I'm really excited about that, because it breathes a whole new life into the culture, and arts and music in the city, and bands sprout up and you never know where things can go. Because we have so much talent here right now, so to pair that up with touring bands is going to be a very unique show.”

Many people likely associate a 'music festival' with a large grassy field filled with uncomfortably large crowds, overflowing port-a-potties, and nine dollar bottles of water.

Club festivals are a completely different style, taking place in urban centres and utilizing a city's live music venues and arts community. They offer a much more intimate experience.

Cayen says the event wouldn't take place without the support of both community and larger sponsors.

“We got the bands together. We've got the locations in place and we got a lot of cool sponsors to help us out, such as Pabst Blue Ribbon and Radical Gardens here locally. Next thing you know, we had the Heart of Gold Fest.”

Along with the full lineup that will be announced on Tuesday, the ticket options and prices will be released.

There will be full weekend passes, as well as tickets for individual shows. A full festival pass will guarantee a priority entry into every performance.