Saddle Up for Dauphin's Countryfest

Country music fans are saddling up for the Dauphin's Countryfest, June 28 – July 1. The four day festival hosts 24 mainstage acts plus two additional stages with bands that span the country, blues, roots, rock genres and beyond.

A dozen Manitoba acts hit the Countryfest stages this year, including award winning blues/roots rocker Romi Mayes, new country family duo D’Aoust Brothers, singer/songwriter Kayla Luky, and Western Canadian Music Award nominees Keith and Renee. Other Manitobans playing the fest include rock legends Bachman & Turner, Big Dave McLean, Take With Audio, Day After Nashville, Still Standing, Ryan Keown, Dagnabbit, and Hot Stone Road.

Dauphin's Countryfest, the oldest and longest running country music festival, was named one of Canada’s Top Summer Music Festivals on Where.ca. Headliners this year include Reba MacEntire, Zac Brown Band, Ronnie Dunn, The Good Brothers, and many more. 

Countryfest will also highlight emerging talent, hosting 730 CKDM's Countryfest Talent Search. Eleven finalists will perform live, with a live back-up band on June 29 on the main stage. Finalists include Kyla Cederwall, Avery Eramchuk, Leanne Pearson, David Pestrak, Jade Turner, and Jason Petric.

This is also the 10th year for Dauphin's Countryfest's annual Battle of the Bands competition, which strives to support and encourage amateur talent from across the country. Open to bands from any genre of music, finalists include 10 Stone, Cottonmouth, and The Treble. The bands will compete on June 28 at the Corral.

Check out the schedule in the Live Music Calendar and get full festival details at countryfest.ca.