That piano man, he ain't got no shoes (22 photos from Bon Soo)

Joseph Kargiannakis isn't afraid of the cold.

Note the lack of any winter attire as he performed during last night's 49th annual Bon Soo Winter Carnival opening ceremonies.

No hat, no gloves, no jacket, no scarf, and even no shoes.

"Taking my shoes off makes me feel like I'm playing at home," Joe told SooToday.com. "It relaxes me and hopefully lets me draw the audience in."

It worked.

The packed-to-the-rafters bundled-up crowd loved him and his rendition of Billy Joel's Piano Man.

He was almost as popular as Mr. Bon Soo with the Bon Soo Dancers or the talented Studio Dance Arts performers.

The evening's festivities also included performances from singer songwriter Lorissa Scriven and members of the Musical Comedy Guild, and addresses from MP Bryan Hayes, MPP David Orazietti, Mayor Debbie Amaroso and representatives from festival sponsors.

Replacing the traditional fireworks display, the night ended with a laser light show - a first for the Bon Soo Winter Carnival.

We're pretty sure that fans of the festival will urge event organizers to bring the fireworks back next year when Bon Soo celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Bon Soo continues until February 12 with daily events throughout the city, including sleigh rides, dog pull competitions, the bum slides at Bellevue Park, the new Northside Toyota Ball Hockey Tournament, hip hop dance lessons from Studio Dance Arts, and the ever-popular polar bear swim.

For full festival details and event listings, please click here.