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Giddy up, Newfoundland and Labrador.
St. John’s will host the national Country Music Week next year for the first time in the history of the event.
The annual Canadian Country Music Association celebration will run Sept. 15 to 18, 2027, and includes the CCMA Music Awards.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning, at a press conference at the Mary Brown’s Centre.
Amy Jeninga is the president of the Canadian Country Music Association. She said music is engrained in the culture of the province and hosting the event here is a natural fit.
Jeninga said CCMA recently conducted a study where they found Atlantic Canada had a huge interest in country music, as well as recent growth in country music consumption for N.L.
She said Country Music Week typically includes programming for the industry like seminars and networking events, but also lots of events for the fans to give them a chance to connect with the artists. She said fans can expect performances and pop-up events through the week.
Jeninga said this has been in the works for a while, and these events are planned as long as five years out from when they happen.
Andrea Barbour, minister of tourism, culture and arts, shared similar sentiments, saying bids and planning had begun long before she was elected seven months ago.
Barbour said the provincial government is “ecstatic to be funding the event.” They’re putting up $1.3 million to help put it off, which Barbour said is “a great investment for the province.”
The federal government is also putting some money towards the event through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. A representative for ACOA confirmed to CBC News that the agency contributed $500,000.
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen said this is the next in a string of events in the last few years that have put the national spotlight on the city and the province.
Breen cited the 2025 Canada Summer Games and the 2026 Briar as examples of what he calls the “strong track record of hosting major national events.”
About hosting these large events, Breen said the city takes a lot of pride in it.
“We love doing it. And if you love doing something you do it better than anyone else,” he said.
Breen later told reporters that he expects the economic impact to be similar to the Briar, estimating between $15-18 million.
The 2026 CCMA awards are set to take place in Saskatoon, Sept. 16-19.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cbc.ca ’
