Country Thunder Saskatchewan 2025 sees police respond to over 150 calls for service

An RCMP vehicle is parked beside a Saskatchewan Marshals vehicle near the festival grounds for Country Thunder Saskatchewan. (Courtesy: Saskatchewan RCMP)

Police officers in and around this year’s Country Thunder Saskatchewan festival in Craven were hard at work it seems – as the RCMP reports its members responded to a total of 156 calls for service.

“The sheer volume of people at events like this means that we expect more calls for service, and venue campgrounds mean we have a greatly increased population in the area. Saskatchewan RCMP plans extensively for this to help ensure everyone remains safe,” RCMP S/Sgt. Kent Ashworth said in a statement to CTV News.

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Over the course of the four-day event from July 10th – 13th, officers laid four criminal impaired driving charges, two assault charges and one mischief charge related to property damage inside the festival grounds.

Police also issued 40 roadside driving suspensions.

The RCMP weren’t the only police force at the festival, as the newly formed Saskatchewan Marshals Service provided traffic control during the event.

“I would like to thank everyone who worked together to keep attendees of this event and local residents safe,” Ashworth added.

This year’s total marks a slight increase from previous years.

In 2024, RCMP responded to 147 calls for service during the four-day festival. A total of 33 people were taken into custody, and six criminal code charges were laid that year.

In 2023, police responded to 105 calls for service, taking 26 people into custody. This marked a decrease from the year previous, when 126 calls were recorded.