Mississauga music fundraiser for cancer returns this weekend: ‘SOMETHING THAT BRINGS JOY’

Music on the River is on Friday and Saturday at Port Credit Memorial Park

Published Aug 09, 2026  •  3 minute read

Stephanie and Will Gooch, organizers of Music on the River in Port Credit.

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Music is set to fill the air in and around Port Credit Memorial Park in the coming days.

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Music on the River was initially launched last year as a small concert series, but “small” quickly evolved into something huge — raising more than $20,000 for Rethink Breast Cancer.

This year’s event will be on back-to-back days, Aug. 14-15, which wife-and-husband organizers Stephanie and Will Gooch figured would better serve the community — and themselves, given the parents of a five-year-old balance late-night and early-morning planning sessions with their full-time jobs.

Also, this time around, all the money raised will be in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at the Princess Margaret — where Stephanie received her treatment.

Stephanie’s cancer battle

“In November 2024, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer,” Stephanie said. But the diagnosis spurred her and Will into action. They immediately discussed wanting “something good” to come of it.

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“We would be at the hospital and I would be getting chemo and everyone around us looked the same,” she recounted. “There were young people, people we would talk to that had kids the same age as us; it made us realize, ‘OK, we’re definitely not alone here, but we need to do something that brings joy to this terrible time in our life.”

They learned quite a bit from the four events last year (which were held on the last Thursday of June, July, August and September).

“We weren’t sure if we were going to do it again, just because we knew how much work was involved,” Steph said. “But when we sat down and really thought about it, we really wanted this to be a way for Port Credit to give back to the cancer community, for us to give back to the cancer community, and for this to become a staple in this community.”

Music on the River performers.

What can attendees expect?

There’s something for everyone, including face-painting, a paint workshop, lawn games, and local vendors, artisans and small businesses selling their items and promoting what they do.

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And of course, expect great music, including performances from Sly Fox, Chynna Lewis and Leah Holtom on Friday.

On Saturday, Terra Lightfoot, Clerel, Katey Gatta, Fraser Melvin, Jin, Avery Raquel and Emily Burgess take to the stage.

How to donate

People can donate at the event in several ways — purchasing one of the 250 swag bags with a minimum donation of $50 or purchasing silent auction items, with 100% of those proceeds going to the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Foundation.

Last year’s swag bags were valued at $600 apiece, so people can expect more great stuff this year.

There will also be QR codes available at the event, as well as directly on the Music on the River website, which will take people to the Princess Margaret’s fundraising page.

Will, Steph and their son Franklin on her final day of chemo.

Stephanie is excited and feeling good about the weekend — for more than the obvious reasons.

“I rang the bell in April of this year so I am officially out of active treatment,” she shared. “It feels incredible. It was a long road. But I feel good.”

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She continued: “Surviving cancer is something that I feel very grateful for, to still be here, but it also changes you on every level. So doing something like this, it just feels really good to be able to have an outlet, to give back.”

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What resonates with Stephanie most are the people who approached her last year that were either going through treatment or had been through it.

“For me, this is what this is about,” she said. “It’s for us to celebrate our stories, and just have a place where we can come and have fun and also feel like we’re doing something really good and giving back.”

Music on the River is on Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Port Credit Memorial Park.

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