It was an almost comically perfect image for a festival built around queer and women-led artists, but what stood out more was the reaction below. Thousands of fans cheered, pointed skyward and sang along as the Toronto band launched into “Lesbian of the Year,” turning an already celebratory afternoon into something that felt bigger than a typical festival set.

That sense of community lingered throughout the weekend. Across two days of music from Kesha, Wet Leg, Lorde and dozens of emerging artists, All Things Go continued to prove why it has become one of North America’s most distinctive festivals.

The first weekend of June marked All Things Go’s second Toronto edition, following its inaugural event last October. Founded in Washington, D.C. as a response to the lack of gender diversity on festival lineups, the festival has built its identity around showcasing women and queer artists. Often described as an “anti-festival festival,” it offers an alternative to the traditional festival experience—one where representation is at the forefront and fans don’t have to choose between overlapping sets.

Backstage, Canadian artist Jade LeMac spoke to RANGE about the significance of performing at a festival where queer artists are not only included, but centred.

“It’s such a big part of who I am, so it means so much to me,” she said. “I’m super honoured, and super happy to be proud and prideful.”

Thousands of fans crossed the bridge into the newly opened RBC Amphitheatre, eager to see headliners Kesha and Lorde. The venue’s single-stage format meant attendees could settle in for the day, moving between the seats and lawn while exploring pop-up activities including friendship bracelet stations and a Glambot-style camera experience.

Saturday began with pop singer-songwriter Bella Kay, whose song “iloveitiloveitiloveit” has found viral success on TikTok and Instagram. Speaking with RANGE shortly after her set, the emerging artist expressed her excitement about being included on such a significant lineup.

“It’s insane! It’s the biggest venue I’ve ever done for sure.”

By late afternoon, the venue had transformed into a sea of glitter, cheetah print and bright blue hair extensions as fans streamed into the seats and spread across the grassy lawn, eagerly awaiting Kesha. In the meantime, the growing crowd soaked up performances from Canadian pop artist Sofia Camara, followed by Holly Humberstone and Rachel Chinouriri.

The Beaches received a hero’s welcome from their hometown crowd. The band’s members barely had time to address the audience before being interrupted by cheers, later telling fans that Toronto would always be the most special city for them to play.

Closing out the night, Kesha emerged in a halo of white feathers and was greeted by thousands of voices immediately shouting back every word of “TiK ToK.”

A wall of dancing bodies stretched from the floor to the furthest reaches of the lawn as the pop star moved through her greatest hits and selections from her latest album. Complete with a red latex outfit change and tightly choreographed dance sequences, the performance felt less like a nostalgia set and more like a celebration of an artist who has fully reclaimed her own narrative.

Sunday brought another day of blue skies and groups eager to secure a good spot for Lorde later that evening. The day’s programming moved effortlessly between genres, from Montreal artist Flower Face’s gothic folk to Brooklyn indie-rock band Momma’s fuzzy guitar riffs and ’90s grunge sound.

All Things Go—often affectionately referred to as “All Things Gay” by attendees—featured Toronto-exclusive merchandise that leaned into the nickname. One of the most popular shirts spotted throughout the weekend read: “I went to All Things Go and all I got was more gay.”

As the sun set around a packed and buzzing crowd, English indie-rock group Wet Leg emerged as the epitome of effortless cool. Lead singer Rhian Teasdale wore a trucker hat and Timberland boots with a tattered pseudo-football uniform, setting the tone with the band’s breakthrough hit “Wet Dream.”

The audience eagerly embraced her tongue-in-cheek stage presence as the band played through several tracks from their sophomore album moisturizer, including “CPR,” before ending with the provocative “mangetout.”

Judging by the volume of screams when indie-pop sensation Lorde appeared, it seemed as though the entire population of Toronto was packed into the venue. Accompanied by laser beams and backup dancers, the New Zealander opened with “Royals” from her debut album Pure Heroine.

Her set unfolded almost like a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance, weaving together songs from her latest introspective project Virgin with earlier material. Carefully coordinated lighting and hidden cameras embedded within the set design gave the performance a feeling of vulnerability, as if the audience was witnessing Lorde’s inner dialogue in real time.

In between songs, the singer appeared genuinely moved by the audience response and declared that All Things Go was “the best festival in North America, hands down” because it was all about “the girls, gays and theys.”

For the final song of the weekend, fan favourite “Ribs,” Lorde climbed down from the stage and disappeared into the crowd, walking between rows of seats while singing directly among adoring fans.

It was an unexpectedly intimate move from one of the world’s biggest pop stars, but it felt perfectly suited to a festival where the barriers between artist and audience often seem a little thinner. More than two years into its expansion beyond Washington, All Things Go’s greatest success may be that it has managed to scale up without losing the sense of belonging that made people fall in love with it in the first place.