The weekend Canadian country music fans have been waiting for has nearly arrived. The three-day Cavendish Beach Music Festival is going down July 7-9, 2017 and is expected to attract 100,000 country music lovers. Taking place in the incredibly beautiful resort community of Cavendish, P.E.I., the festival, now in it’s ninth year, has continually attracted some of the biggest names in country music.
The past festival lineup reads like a rolodex of contemporary country music’s biggest and brightest: Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, Ricky Scaggs, Corb Lund, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Kenney Chesney, Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban.
With 2017’s lineup looking to be another legendary year, we’ve put together a list of who you need to check out.
Over the past few years, Kip Moore has become a household name. Born in Georgia but residing in Nashville, Kip’s debut album, Up All Night (2012), went on to become the top-selling album by a male artist in 2012 and 2013. Try listening to any country music radio right now and not hear his single, “More Girls Like You.”
Even if you’re not a country music fan, you may have heard of Zac Brown Band via their Avicii collaboration, Broken Arrows. The certified platinum-selling band has had 16 singles on the Billboard Country Music chart, including eleven number one singles spanning over six studio albums.
In the most Canadian of moves, Chad Brownlee originally gained notoriety as a professional hockey player. Hailing from Kelowna, B.C., this country music star only turned his attention to music following a string of injuries in 2007. Brownlee has since had a heap of singles on the Canadian country music charts and was nominated for a Juno for Country Album of the Year in 2013.
Little Big Town has some of the best vocal harmonies you can hear in country music, and it shows via their 24 singles that have charted on the American Hot Country charts. With three number one singles and six other top 10 hits, Little Big Town is sure to get the crowd singing at this year’s festival.
The Brothers Osborne might be one of the better up-and-coming bands to watch at this year’s festival. With only one album to their name, the brothers have managed to get five singles in the top 100 country charts and have their album peak at 17 on the US top 100 album chart last year.
What is it: One of Canada’s biggest and best country music festivals
When is it: July 7-9, 2017
Where is it: Cavendish Beach, PEI (about 40km outside of Charlottetown)
What to bring: Dress for the weather and bring an umbrella. P.E.I. is an island on the Atlantic and weather can change quickly. Unfortunately Go-Pros and professional video recording devices are not allowed on the festival grounds. The event is also eat-in only, so don’t bother packing snacks. 1 litre of water a day is permitted to be brought into the festival grounds.