Country music fans. Get ready. It’s coming.
The Wendover Western Festival is just weeks away.
This year’s marks the 38th edition of the Wendover Western Festival, which takes place from Wednesday, July 10 and concludes on Sunday, July 14.
The yearly music festival is organized by the Wendover Optimist Club.
“The excitement is building, we are getting lots of calls,” said Liette Hotte, president of the Wendover Western Festival organizing committee, and member of Wendover Optimist Club for 25 years. “It’s coming fast.”
Hotte, who has been involved with organizing the festival for the past 20 years, said this year’s lineup features a variety of performers that cater to all ages.
“There’s a belief that country music is for older people,” added Hotte. “We want people to know that is not the case. It has really evolved, and there are performers for all ages this year.”
There are nearly 25 performances over the course of the five-day festival. The festival takes place at 5000 Centre Street in Wendover and includes on-site camping, food service, washrooms, showers, cash bar, and there is a municipal park in proximity of the festival.
Hotte said that over the course of the festival’s history, it has attracted people all across the province of Ontario, with many visitors also coming from the province of Quebec.
“We are the only festival like this that’s around this region,” said Hotte, adding that planning for the next year’s festival happens roughly one month after the conclusion of the current year’s festival. “We want to make sure we offer something for everyone to enjoy and come out and really have a good time and enjoy some really good music.”
Hotte said the organizing committee will ask for feedback at the end of the festival, with one of the questions being who attendees would like to see perform in future editions of the Wendover Western Festival.
“We do our best to book the artists that people really want to see,” said Hotte. “But it all depends on who is available.”
A weekend pass for the festival costs $80, while single day tickets for Thursday, July 11 are $25, tickets for Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13 are $30 each, and a ticket for Sunday, July 14, the festival’s final day, is $25.
Hotte anticipates that roughly 6,000 people will visit the festival over the course of the five days.
For the complete festival schedule, ticket and camping information, visit https://www.festivalwesternwendover.ca/.