This is what it was like at the MMVA awards in Toronto

Toronto played host to hundreds of screaming tweens and exhausted dads on Sunday night for the 2017 iHeartRadio Canada Much Music Video Awards.

Hosted by Brampton's Alessia Cara and Joe Jonas, the MMVAs honoured the best Canadian music videos from the past year.

Alessia Cara posing at the MMVAs. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Hours before the awards began, the area around queen and John was already teeming with music fans who braved the rainy weather.

Swarms of fans flocked Queen St. on Sunday. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Most spectators were outfitted in rain smocks, many bearing signs like the cardboard flat I saw asking Shay Mitchell if she wanted pizza (yes), or the bristol board with a handwritten novella asking Shawn Mendes to prom (no).

Lilly Singh on the red carpet. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

On the red carpet, everyone looked fabulous. I spotted YouTube superstar Lilly Singh wearing a Love Thy Sister t-shirt.

The red (pink) carpet at the MMVAs. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Mariana's Trench kept it simple with their lead singer, Josh Ramsay, in a whipped cream bikini, and the rest of the members in bodysuits covered in balloons that were constantly popping.

KJ Apa had fans at the MMVAs. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

I was most excited to New Zealand's KJ Apa in the flesh. The horde of teens agreed, going absolutely wild when Apa and One Direction non-father Niall Horan arrived.

The crowd all had their smartphones ready. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

One girl sobbed relentlessly as they walked by, but if Riverdale has taught us anything, it’s that teens only find other teens attractive when they’re weirdly distant and emotionally unavailable.

DNCE on stage at the MMVAs. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

By the time the main event started, there was electricity in the air. The hosting was on point, with both Cara and Jonas entertaining the crowd with their charisma and talent. Julia Michael’s performance was incredible, and Lorde was, of course, amazing.

Lorde put on a show at the MMVAs. Photos by Hector Vasquez.

Even the Arkells, who I have been wary of since their lead singer used to borrow my best friend’s notes at McMaster, made me fall in love with them.

Iggy Azalea at the MMVAs. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

As the show came to a close, I was struck by how many different people attended the MMVAs. I had expected it to be mostly rabid young fans who needed their Horan fixes but there really were all kinds of attendees.

If you weren't there you got to relive it through Snapchat or Instagram Stories. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

There was a woman in her late thirties in orthotic sandals, an older man in plaid with a backwards cap, even a couple with a little toddler who didn’t cry once, not even when Ed Sheeran won an award.

Imagine Dragons brought their drums to the MMVAs. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

And they were all united by their one common interest- snapchatting for the entire duration of an awards show to their uninterested friends who could get a much better video of Post Malone online.

by Martha Stortz via blogTO