Cowgirls and cowboys delighted despite the rain!

Every year, my annual must-see event doesn’t disappoint. Even the less-than-perfect weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of the 2023 edition of the Festival Country de Lotbinière! The festival’s varied program won over the crowd, rain or shine.

2025 Edition

First of all, note that the 2025 edition of the festival will be held from Thursday August 21 to Saturday August 23, 2025!

And to give you a foretaste, I’m taking you with me to relive my three days at the 2023 festival.

Day 1

For the first time, my friends and I decided to go for the full experience: a campsite on the Festival site and three days of Country music.

As the day drew to a close, we set off for Saint-Agapit. Since we live nearby, we quickly arrived at the campsite. Once we’d set up our tent, we put on our cowboy boots and headed for the main stage. The evening’s program: country singers Owen Riegling, Travis Denning and Jameson Rodgers.

The other festival-goers are as excited as we are, right from the first songs. Despite the light rain, no one leaves the site and, in fact, several brave souls join us as the evening progresses to see the performance of Jameson Rodgers, the day’s headliner.

Day 2

Today, the weather is on our side for camping and strolling around the event site. For fans of local shopping and line dancing, the Saloon is the place to be. A large Gourmet Area is set up outside, featuring several foodtrucks offering a variety of menus from vegan Poke Bowl to authentic Texas-style BBQ dishes. Access to the Saloon and Gourmet Area is entirely free and open to all.

In the afternoon, there’s live entertainment on the free stage not far from the Saloon and street trucks. This allows us to discover up-and-coming artists, including that year (2023), the Blue Ridge Band, a group of young men from Lévis and Bellechasse.

Also on the main stage tonight is Quebecer Francis Degrandpré, best known for his hit song Bang Bang. He offers a great opening act to warm up the crowd before American stars Robyn Ottolini and Russel Dickerson.

Francis Degrandpré's 2023 show at the Festival Country de Lotbinière in Saint-Agapit — ©Francis Degrandpré to perform at Festival Country Lotbinière in 2023|Julie Lapointe

Robyn Ottolini's 2023 show at the Festival Country de Lotbinière in Saint-Agapit — ©Robyn Ottolini on stage at Festival Country Lotbinière in 2023|Julie Lapointe

Day 3

As soon as we woke up this morning, the weather was not on our side. It was raining and windy, forcing the organizers to cancel the afternoon’s shows on the free stage. Just when we thought our day of festivities had literally come to an end… we find a tent set up by campers singing karaoke. As we approached, we saw that one of the musicians scheduled to perform during the afternoon was at the microphone, having fun with everyone. It doesn’t get much more VIP than that! We even witness a 2ᵉ performance by Francis Degrandpré (the previous day’s opening act) and his guitarist Vincent Lemire, who is also a singer. Even the rain makes the experience unique!

After the impromptu show, we return to our tent and see a second, interesting-looking refuge in the distance. On our way there, we discover another group of campers line-dancing while listening to one of their friends play guitar. Once again, we join in the fun.

Another great evening of music that, despite the rain, is well worth the effort.

Finally, everyone’s wish comes true! The rain subsides sufficiently for the main stage program to go ahead as planned. Raincoats and rain boots are the order of the day. Once properly dressed, no one seems to be bothered by the weather. On the program tonight: Phil G. Smith, MacKenzie Porter and Dallas Smith.

You’ve just experienced with me my 2023 edition of the Festival Country Lotbinière. And I know it’s a unique experience every year. Here’s a video summary of the 2024 edition!

Festival Country Lotbinière 2024 | A look back at the 9th edition