HOPE Volleyball SummerFest 2025 delivered a day that felt tailored for music lovers, volleyball followers, and anybody who remembered to deliver sunscreen.
The annual beachside charity occasion drew hundreds to Ottawa’s Mooney’s Bay for a day of sand smashes and shoreline sing-alongs, culminating in a four-act live performance that spanned genres and generations.
Ottawa-born, Beirut-based, Lazzy Lung opened the present with a gritty, assured set that leaned into alt-rock nostalgia whereas preserving it present. Frontman Allan Chaaraoui introduced a good, passionate vitality that resonated throughout the gang.
Subsequent up was Hawksley Workman, whose theatrical aptitude and genre-bending tunes saved the vitality buoyant below the afternoon solar. His set blended basic favourites with newer materials, balancing huge choruses with intimate storytelling. Whether or not you got here for the falsetto or the feathered hat, you bought your cash’s price.
Then got here Sloan, who delivered a elegant, crowd-pleasing set that showcased the band’s unparalleled skill to harmonize, swap devices mid-show, and make it seem like the best factor on this planet. Drawing from a listing that spans over three many years, they hit all the correct notes with fan favourites for the gang.
Closing out the evening have been The Wonderful Sons, who tore onto the stage with full-throttle confidence and a listing of radio-ready hits. Their mix of rock swagger and earnest lyrics hit residence for a crowd that was already sun-warmed and beer-happy. The Hip’s Braveness as walk-on music was an aesthetic contact, and the gang’s arms-in-the-air singalong to “Every part Is Alright” felt just like the cathartic, sweaty punctuation mark the day wanted.
HOPE SummerFest as soon as once more proved its skill to tug collectively a day of stay music that feels each intimate and high-energy. Whether or not you got here for volleyball, beer tents, or rock and roll, there was one thing for everybody.