Tune your Ride Collective presenting Toronto Bicycle Music Festival and Sunset Series
Location: City wide: Bell Manor Park (Etobicoke), Flemingdon Park (North York), Humber Bay Park West (Etobicoke), Memorial Park (Etobicoke), Parma Park (North York)
About the Artist: Tune Your Ride Collective creates fun, interactive bicycle-powered arts events that showcase local musical talent. For the past 10 years they have presented the Toronto Bicycle Music Festival, a free, family-friendly, mobile music festival that takes place in and between Toronto’s wonderful parks and streets.
About the Parks: Bell Manor Park is a small neighbourhood park located in south Etobicoke. It is in a residential area surrounded by mid-rise apartments and contains a playground with a small splash pad and a community garden. The space is well used by families in the area, with kids running, biking and playing in the park.
Flemingdon Park is a large park in North York that runs along a hydro corridor and features several multipurpose sports fields, two ball diamonds, ball hockey and basketball courts, a community garden, a children's playground and a splash pad. The event took place in an area of the park where there is a basketball court and a community garden. A small community centre is located beside the park.
Humber Bay Park West is a narrow park jutting out into the water of Lake Ontario along the lakeshore in Etobicoke. It's a lovely multi-purpose park that features a bike trail and an off-leash area for dogs. A number of parking lots and paved pathways make this an accessible park.
Memorial Park is a small residential park close to the east bank of the Humber River in Etobicoke. The park connects to the Humber River recreational trail and features a bandshell under a tree canopy.
Parma Park is a medium sized park located in North York and is in close proximity to several apartment buildings and townhouses. The space features a ball diamond, basketball court, a gazebo, a splash pad and a children's playground. The park is adjacent to the Parma Park community and the O'Connor Community Centre, and is located in a Neighbourhood Improvement Area.
How the Parks were Animated: Tune Your Ride Collective presented a series of free, family-friendly, mobile, pedal-powered music concerts and a one-day festival showcasing a diverse range of artists. The "Sunset Series”, four bike-powered community concerts, took place biweekly throughout July and August, leading up to the main event, the Toronto Bicycle Music Festival, in September. At each event participants had the opportunity to meet for a communal bike ride to the park hosting the concert and, once there, attendees could sit and enjoy the show or jump on a stationary bike to help power it. The Festival began with a performance underneath an expressway at the Bentway, followed by a group bike ride leading to Humber Bay Park West for an afternoon of music. All of the events showcased a range of Toronto-based talent and were amplified by a unique bicycle-powered sound system ridden by audience members. Food vendors at the concerts added to the fun and festive atmosphere.
This project was funded by the City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council’s Animating Toronto Parks grants program.
Impact: The format of the programming – communal bike rides from park to park – enabled Tune Your Ride to reach a wider geographic area of the city, encouraging people from across the city to join in or attend. The project also gets people out and exploring parts of the city they may not visit otherwise and mixes the arts with active living. Tune Your Ride physically engages audience members by enlisting them to help power the event by peddling one of the stationary bikes.
In order to get the word out about the event, Tune Your Ride starts the outreach early, connects to a wide range of community organizers and maintains relationships with Cycle Toronto and Friends of the PanAm Path.
“It is outside and close to nature!”
“Cool idea, relaxed concept!”