Country Thunder kicks off July 10th in Craven, blending country and rock genres. 

Every July, Craven, grows in numbers for a few days and nights as the area becomes a hot bed for country music and its fans.  

Considered as the largest country music festival in Canada, Country Thunder is a well-known musical festival that takes place in the Qu’Appelle Valley just outside of Craven. Music fans travel from all over to attend the annual event which boasts over 25,000 attendees over the four-day festival. In 2024, Country Thunder saw its one millionth guest walk through the gates.  

Oliver Tuchenhagen, 20, has made the trip from Thunder Bay, for the last three years to enjoy the music and meet up with old friends.  

“Getting back together and seeing people I’ve played hockey against or went to school with is great. It’s nice to catch up like this once a year, even if it’s just for a weekend” he said.  

The festival boasts some big names as headliners over the years, including Grammy and Country Music Award winners Keith Urban and Tim McGraw. The 2025 line-up will include legendary rock band Def Leppard. 

Regina native Melia Farrow, 18, is an avid country music fan. She says the best part about the festival is that she doesn’t have to travel far to attend. 

“The atmosphere and being able to listen to all your favourite artists in a small town near home is awesome,” Farrow said. Her favourite performances so far have been Morgan Wallen and Hardy who she saw back in July 2022.  

Kim Blevins, the general manager of Country Thunder Music Festivals says the Craven site has a long history hosting music festivals. “There has been a festival on that site since 1983 when the first Big Valley Jamboree was held,” she said.  

Blevins noted the owner of Country Thunder, Troy Vollhoffer, who is from Regina but now based out of Nashville, also has a long history with the Craven area. In 2004, when another festival at the site failed to happen. Volhoffer and his team were already there for production so he was offered the land and the festival as payment. The Craven Country Jamboree was born, and in 2017 was rebranded as Country Thunder Saskatchewan. 

With music genres becoming more fluid over the last several years, the festival has become more inclusive.

“With a great deal of cross over among different artists, we decided that our fan base would enjoy an infusion of classic rock, and we were correct,” said Blevins, adding that 2024 was their most successful year since before the pandemic. Rock music will make its return to Country Thunder again this year.  The genre was added to the festival in 2024 with Nickelback brought in as a headliner. 

As for any hints of what to expect at this year’s festival, Blevins teases only that the lineup is going to be amazing, with a fantastic mix of the best acts in the business, incredible Canadian talent and lots of up and coming local talent. In addition to Def Leppard, artists like Jason Aldean, Bailey Zimmerman and Sara Evans will take to this year’s stage. 

“We’re also proud of our ancillary activities,” she said, “The songwriters circle has become a great success over the past few years, and we also offer other interactive activities like a log-rolling/climbing act, motocross demonstration and the sling-shot, a thrill ride.”  

The Country Thunder festivals according to Blevins aren’t just about music – they are about the experience; and Craven has been an experience for over 40 years.  

“We are proud to be the care-givers of this incredible legacy,” she said.

Country Thunder will be held in Craven from July 10-13.