Dedicated Email - Thursday - 05/07/2026 - Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair - Campaign

If your May Long Weekend plans are still “TBD,” consider this your sign.

The Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair is back 5/14-18, and this year it’s going bigger than ever with five full days of music, rodeo, food, and straight-up good times. Think: over 100 artists, seven stages, late-night dance floors, high-adrenaline stunts, and enough country energy to make this a must-see.

Basically, it’s a “choose-your-own-adventure festival,” starting at $18 for fairgrounds admission (kids 12 and under get free access to the fairgrounds).

What’s New (and kinda unexpected)

This isn’t just the same country fair you remember. There are a bunch of new reasons to head out to Cloverdale early and stay all weekend. (They’ve got a full weekend pass for that, too)

• Thursday night fair fun (yes, Thursday): $5 gets you in for a preview night with live music, rides, and a behind-the-scenes rodeo sneak peek.

• Kickoff Concert with Brett Kissel & Cooper Alan: This is the kind of country energy we’re talking about! Big names in the best country music venue in town. (19+ - separate ticket required)

• Rodeo Drone Show: watch the sky light up after k-os on Friday and again Sunday night. Think fireworks, but better!

• Rodeo Tailgate Party: pre-game the rodeo with live music, food, and good vibes before the main event.

• Action Zone 2.0: demolition derby, freestyle motocross, lumberjacks, rock climbing, outlaw bar & food trucks… You get the idea.

Also: roller disco, mini golf, stunt dogs, and a fishing pond. It’s so much fun. Lean into it.

All the details: https://cloverdalerodeo.com/country-fair/event-schedule/ 

Venue Crawl Energy (but make it country, alt, rock and…)

With seven stages and dozens of attractions across the fairgrounds, this is basically a mini festival crawl:

• CR Main Stage: your headliners (k-os, Tony Stevens, The Strumbellas, Gord Bamford, The Road Hammers)

• Longhorn Saloon: There’s a reason why the “big red barn” always sells out. It’s the best late-night party in town. Not to mention VIP opportunities and the Thursday Night Kick-off Concert (separate ticket required)

• Rodeo Reds (all-ages during the day): line dancing, country vibes, and good times.

• Rodeo Reds (19+ after 10 pm): late-night country, DJs, and VIP energy

• Hops & Vines: chill, drink-in-hand, discover-your-new-favourite-artist vibes

• Lasso Lounge: duelling pianos + live-streamed rodeo + DJs & solo acts = elite combo

• Indigenous Stage & Village: must-see live performances, storytelling, and cultural programming

You can go from a motocross show to a folk set to line dancing in under 20 minutes. Highly recommend.

The Rodeo (aka the main event)

Let’s not forget: this is BC’s biggest rodeo, and it pulls in 96 of the world’s top cowboys and cowgirls competing for serious prize money. If this IS your first Cloverdale rodeo, here’s your primer:

• Four events: Bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, & barrel racing

• Five rodeo performances across the weekend - kicking off on Friday night under the lights at the Stetson Bowl.

• Finals on Monday for the big money (for those who pace themselves)

• VIP opportunities to be front and center for the action

Even if you’ve never been, it’s the kind of thing you feel more than understand. Toss in an energizing new host, live music performances, trick riders, and a tailgate party? Say less.

TL;DR

Reasons to make this your long weekend plan: exciting rodeo energy, music festival vibes, mouthwatering food truck and BBQ options, cuddly critters, family fun, adrenaline-fuelled shows, the list goes on… this is the best value in town for too much fun to fit into one day.

If you’re building your May Long Weekend around one thing, this is it.

Get tickets and check out the full lineup: cloverdalerodeo.com