Retro theme drew 20k for Countryfest

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This article was published 04/07/2024 (638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Country roads took around 20,000 home to Dauphin last weekend for Countryfest, despite some rain on the festival’s first day.

Event president Duane McMaster said Wednesday that figure is how many total people organizers estimated attended the annual festival during its three days from June 28 to 30.

That represents a 10 to 15 per cent increase compared to last year. It’s not quite the attendance the festival saw before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s trending in the right direction.

For example, the 2017 edition saw a daily attendance of around 14,000. Though 2024 marks the 35th anniversary of the first Countryfest, it has only been held 34 times because it was cancelled in 2020.

“We are still trying to work our way back up there,” McMaster said in a phone interview.

“What I’ve heard is that they’re forecasting a five-year recovery for tourism and so I think we’re in year three … since we were able to open up after COVID. I’m anticipating next year is going to be better again and I’m really hoping we’re going to get up to those pre-COVID ticket sale numbers.”

A factor that really encouraged McMaster this year was support from residents in the Dauphin area. He said day-pass purchases, usually made by people within one to two hours’ driving distance, were up 35 per cent over last year.

Traditionally, he said, a large number of ticket purchasers have been from the Winnipeg area.

“Seeing that local support here is really encouraging, that the people in Dauphin and area really value country just as well and want to come see what we’re selling,” McMaster said.

Though there was some rainfall on Friday, McMaster said it had mostly petered out by 6 p.m., before the headline acts went on stage. After that, he said the weather was just about perfect.

In past years, Countryfest weather has run the gamut from 38 C heat to 10 inches of rain.

The theme for this year’s festival was ’90s country, focusing on a lot of established acts like Alabama, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Diamond Rio and Jo Dee Messina. Manitoba artists on offer included Harlequin, Doc Walker and Mitchell Makoons.

While McMaster said a lot of those acts are what people his age listened to when they were younger, they were also a big hit with the younger crowd.

Organizers thought the theme was successful enough that McMaster said they want to make sure at least a third of 2025’s lineup will be retro artists as well.

He said that he heard from some attendees that they appreciated Countryfest’s dedication to the country theme after being disappointed that the Country Thunder Saskatchewan festival in Craven had Nickelback as one of its headliners this year.

That focus on country, the natural amphitheatre and the amenities on offer are what he said are the reason he thinks people have kept coming back to a city of just over 8,000 for more than 30 years.

As for incidents at the event, McMaster said there was nothing out of the ordinary except for a few scuffles and people who overindulged on intoxicants. To his knowledge, there had been no arrests and any medical issues were non-life-threatening.

A few years ago, the festival introduced a “Trash for Treats” program to encourage campers to collect and drop off their garbage and recyclables in exchange for prizes. McMaster said it has been successful enough that they added a third drop-off point this year.

Now, volunteers are out making sure the grounds are clean and ready for Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival, taking place in the same location from Aug. 2 to 4.

McMaster said a lot of people don’t realize that Countryfest is a non-profit organization run by volunteers and almost no paid staff, with proceeds getting donated back to Dauphin and volunteer organizations.

“Nobody’s getting rich off of this,” he said. “Anybody that thinks that we’re charging the prices we do or we’re doing what we do because somebody’s getting a paycheque at the end of it would be mistaken on that. I’m pretty proud of that fact, that we do so much good for the community and for the surrounding region.”

Heading into next year, McMaster said organizers are looking to improve the feel of the festival and add activities during the day for people of various ages to take part in.

The following year’s lineup is traditionally announced in October, with tickets going on sale either late that month or early November.

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