Country Thunder Saskatchewan organizers estimate 25,000 attended festival in 2024

Country Thunder Saskatchewan wrapped up on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Angela Stewart/CTV News)

As Country Thunder Saskatchewan wrapped up on Sunday, officials believe over 25,000 people walked through the gates over the four-day-long festival.

Organizers anticipate the large turnout who showed up to Country Thunder was due to the headliners who took to the stage on the weekend.

Nickelback played the main stage Saturday night, while Luke Combs wrapped up the party on Sunday.

Megan Benoit, the Digital Manager of Country Thunder Music Festivals said those thousands of attendees were not just from Saskatchewan.

She said organizers saw and met people from all over the world.

“We see people from all pockets of the province, but we also see a lot of people from Manitoba, Alberta. We see people come from the States, you know, all over,” she explained.

“We've met people from Australia, Switzerland, and really everywhere. So I think it just has that reputation for bringing world class entertainment to Saskatchewan.”

While under different organizers and titles, people have gathered in the Qu’Appelle Valley near Craven to celebrate music for more than 40 years.

According to Benoit, that long standing history has made Country Thunder Saskatchewan an institution that everyone looks forward to.

"There's such a longstanding history with this festival, so I think a lot people whether they have been coming from years or they are coming for the first time, it's well known here,” she explained.

“It has that history and that reputation. So, people look forward to this all year, it's kind of a little getaway.”

This year’s turnout was higher than previous years, according to Benoit.

Heading into 2025, the team said they will look back at how this year’s event went and make improvements where it’s needed.

“Every year we look at how it went and make next year better, so we will review some of those things,” she said. “We’ve got a lot people on our logistics team that will meet up and see what worked and what we can do better. We are always looking to make improvements and make the fan experience better.”

Plans are already in place for next year’s Country Thunder, with some special announcements coming this fall.