WE FEST Music Festival in Detroit Lakes
Aug 7 - Aug 9
41st Annual WE FEST
When: August 7-9, 2025
Where: Soo Pass Dude Ranch in Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
Hotel Accommodations are booked separately from event tickets.
To Book your room, call The Lodge (directly) at 218-847-8439.
GUEST SHUTTLE services to/from The Lodge & We Fest 1p-1:30a daily (fee applies).
CofC FREE Shuttle Thu–Sat: Noon-2a; every 20 min. w/stops at Fairgrounds near beach & at We Fest West Gate.
WE Fest 2025 Headliners Announced: Hardy, Jon Pardi, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney, Kip Moore, Gretchen Wilson, Rodney Atkins, Sammy Kershaw, Pecos & the Rooftoops, Avery Anna, Bayker Blankenship, Gayleee Hammack, Mackenzie Carpenter, Noah Hicks, Zandi Holup, Noah Rinker, Alex Lambert, Rafe Carlson, and more.
Since WE Fest began in 1983, it has been one of the leading country music festivals in the nation. Twice nominated for the Country Music Association’s prestigious Best Special Event award, the WE Fest is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding events of its kind in the nation.
2025 We Fest Headliners
Big Loud Records/Big Loud Rock heavy hitter HARDY—crowned “Nashville’s nü-metal king” by the Los Angeles Times—continues to soar with the release of his highly anticipated new album QUIT!!. Out now to critical acclaim, the album adds to HARDY’s nearly five billion career streams, with singles taking over radio charts across rock and country. HARDY’s first full rock LP follows 2023’s half-country, half-rock sophomore album the mockingbird & THE CROW, which debuted top five all-genre on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and topped seven additional Billboard charts in its first week, including Top Country Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Album Sales.
The pride of Philadelphia, Mississippi has earned his reputation as “a promising purveyor of keeping the spirit of classic heavy Southern rock alive” (American Songwriter), “capable of writing the big hits for radio, obstinate enough to do something completely unexpected, and savvy enough to find the throughline for it all” (Rolling Stone). A five-time ACM award winner and two-time CMA Award winner, HARDY has also won three CMA Triple Play awards, was named the 2022 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year and is a three-time AIMP Songwriter of the Year. HARDY has written 16 No. 1 singles including his own 3X Platinum chart topper “ONE BEER” featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson, the platinum Dierks Bentley and BRELAND collaboration “Beers On Me,” game-changing 3X Platinum duet “wait in the truck” feat. Lainey Wilson and first-ever rock radio No. 1 “JACK.” He’s previously toured with Thomas Rhett, Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, and more. (from Jellyroll Youtube page)
Since first hitting the country landscape, Pardi has separated himself from the pack, carving a lane that was all his own by producing, writing, and singing songs he created from the melodies up, and earning praise for it. Having “cut a path through modern country’s embrace of pop, hip-hop and EDM” (The New York Times), ACM and CMA award-winning artist Jon Pardi is a “hero in the making” (Variety) with “an emboldened work…that draws both vitality and assurance from his anything-but-sterile relationship to his tradition’s modern era” (NPR). With his “state-of-the-art blend of traditional instrumentation and progressive grooves that point to country’s future” (Rolling Stone), Pardi is “a leader among a growing number of artists bringing back fiddle, steel and twang” (People). His “long-lasting mark on the genre” (MusicRow) and his impressive ability to carve out his own path with “the kind of country music multiple generations came to know, and love, can still work on a mass scale” (Variety). Filled with fiddle, twang and steel guitar, Pardi continues to “apply new ideas to country’s old sounds” (Los Angeles Times) and “bring authenticity back into Country music” (People).
2023 saw a series of career milestones for the California-native, including a surprise moment at California’s famed Stagecoach Festival in April, where Country Icon Alan Jackson formally invited Pardi to join as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. His history-making induction on October 24th–presented by Opry member Garth Brooks–officially welcomed him as the first artist from California ever inducted. Additionally, the Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter/producer last year released his first-ever Christmas record, Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi, featuring 12 songs including original music, holiday classics, and unexpected covers.
Pardi recently celebrated his sixth career #1 on Country radio, “Your Heart Or Mine,” off of his ACM Album of the Year nominated project, Mr. Saturday Night. Featured by NPR, Paste, Billboard, and The Tennessean, Pardi’s album Mr. Saturday Night proved Pardi “might be the most successful at combining the old-school sound with today’s need for hooks” (Nash News), earning praise for his ability to “blaze his own trail over the past decade” (Billboard) with a “refusal to chase (that) sets Mr. Saturday Night Apart” (Taste of Country).The album earned Pardi back-to-back Album of the Year nominations and reunited the producing team of Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Pardi, the same team behind the boards of his critically acclaimed CMA and ACM Album of the Year nominated project, Heartache Medication. Heartache Medication debuted among the top albums on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and was named in 2019 Rolling Stone’s “Best Album of the Year” and by the Los Angeles Times as one of the (Top 10) “Best Albums of the Year.” Heartache Medication followed his breakthrough Platinum-selling album, California Sunrise, which featured the multi-platinum, chart-topping hits “Dirt On My Boots,” “Head Over Boots,” “Heartache On The Dance Floor” and “Night Shift.” Currently headlining the Mr. Saturday Night Tour, Pardi is currently working on his new album.
Known for his explosive live shows and electrifying stage presence, COJO Music / Warner Music Nashville Platinum recording artist Cody Johnson has established a following of passionately loyal fans who regularly sell out shows across the country. MusicRow predicted Cody “just might be the future of real country music” as his career has skyrocketed with five celebrated albums: Leather, Human The Double Album, A Cody Johnson Christmas, Cody Johnson & The Rockin’ CJB Live, and Ain’t Nothin’ To It plus an award-winning feature-length documentary “Dear Rodeo: The Cody Johnson Story.” He has 47 career RIAA certifications, a Pandora Billionaire Award, nearly 7.5 billion global streams and two #1 singles.
Cody’s numerous industry honors include recognition as a CMT Artist of The Year, three CMT Music Awards wins, two CMA Awards and being named “Best New Country Artist” at the iHeart Music Awards. His television appearances have entertained fans on the Today Show, the Kelly Clarkson Show and the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in addition to outstanding live tv performances at the iHeart Music Awards, the ACM Awards, CMA Awards, CMA Music Fest, CMT Giants honoring Vince Gill, CMT Music Awards, and the CMT Artist of the Year Special.
Cody launched “The Leather Tour” this January boasting numerous sold-out dates so far including a record-breaking show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. His new single “Dirt Cheap,” from his Leather album, is one of the fastest chart moving songs of his career.
GRAMMY, CMA and ACM award winner Ashley McBryde cut her teeth playing country songs in biker bars – and it shows. The Grand Ole Opry member’s 2018 major label debut Girl Going Nowhere (Warner Music Nashville) charmed The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Paste, The Washington Post and more, all en route to landing a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album. McBryde closed out 2019 with ACM New Female Artist, CMT Breakout Artist, a New Artist of the Year win at the 53rd Annual CMA Awards and two nominations for the 2020 GRAMMYs for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Girl Goin’ Nowhere.”
Her follow-up Never Will was tagged by Rolling Stone as one of the most anticipated of the year alongside NPR, who also ranked her Top 10 RIAA Platinum-Certified single “One Night Standards” as one of the best songs of 2019. The album earned McBryde a 2021 GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album, making Never Will the only album nominated for Country Album of the Year by the ACMs, CMAs and the Recording Academy in the same award season. Her GRAMMY-winning duet with Carly Pearce, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” went all the way to No. 1 and earned McBryde and Pearce the ACM and CMA award for Musical Event of the Year.
McBryde was also honored with the 2022 CMA International Artist Achievement Award for the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the United States. Her collaborative project Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville featuring Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, Pillbox Patti, Caylee Hammack, Aaron Raitiere and Benjy Davis earned McBryde her third consecutive GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album, making her a six-time GRAMMY nominee. The project earned McBryde her second consecutive nomination for CMA Album of the Year, along with Music Video of the Year for “Light On In The Kitchen” from her latest critically acclaimed album, The Devil I Know. McBryde is currently on her headlining The Devil I Know Tour Presented by Ariat and kicked off 2024 with a sold-out run of shows in the U.K., Ireland and Northern Ireland before returning to North America for the second leg in February.
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This year, the Bacardi Country Club ups its game with a bigger footprint, more private performances and surprise guests! Passes for the Country Club are available to purchase but supplies are limited. Get yours while you can!
BACARDI COUNTRY CLUB
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The Barn Stage at WE Fest with its rustic barn setting offers a more intimate atmosphere compared to the larger Main Stage. It hosts a variety of artists, showcasing different genres and styles that feature a unique vibe.
BARN STAGE
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LODGE ON LAKE DETROIT
BOOKING NOTE
Book NOW before they’re gone.
Note: Minimum Stay is 3 Nights during We Fest weekend event.
WE FEST EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY:
Full prepayment is required to guarantee each reservation.
Once prepaid, deposits are non-refundable, and reservations are non-cancellable. No exceptions.
Any “no shows” on the date of arrival, forfeit the full deposit; all remaining reservation dates are released.
Reservations are non-changeable and non-transferrable.
A deposit may not be transferred to another person, nor applied to a future stay.
Additional WE FEST Details
Book hotel lodging separately from event tickets. “Click to Call” The Lodge on Lake Detroit directly at 218-847-8439
for best room rate and availability.
Parking: We offer GA Parking, GA Accessible Parking, and VIP Weekend Parking. Please review the ticketing descriptions above for more details on these options. Single Day Parking is sold onsite at the event and may not be available based on availability.
Use of cameras in the concert area: Small cameras will be allowed in the venue area. Professional cameras and video cameras will NOT be allowed. This includes any camera with a detachable lens.
Pets at We Fest No pets. Please let your pets at home. They are not allowed in the venue or camping areas. Service animals will be permitted with proper paperwork and registration. For more information on bringing a service animal to the event, please visit the We Fest accessibility page.
WE Fest Shuttle Service Information:
- Anderson Bus Line offers shuttle service direct from the hotel to WEFest for hotel guests (round trip).
- * Service Times: daily from 1 pm to approx. 1:30 am. Shuttles pick up at hotels approx. every 30 minutes.
- * Cost= $60 – 3 day wristband / $25 one day only. CASH ONLY. Pay shuttle directly when riding.
The Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce has arranged for shuttle bus service to and from We Fest. Save the hassle of all the festival traffic, finding a parking place, and then walking from the parking area.
- Service times: Thursday – Saturday: Noon to 2 a.m. Shuttle run every 20 minutes with stops at the Fairgrounds near the beach & at the We Fest West Gate.
- Cost: $10 – Daily Pass | $25 – All 3 Days
- Pickup Locations: Becker County Fairground and Downtown Detroit Lakes @ Washington Avenue
- Parking: Free
- For More Information: Call the Chamber at 218-847-9202
About WE FEST
WE Fest offices are located on the Scenic Soo Pass Ranch, which also contains a natural amphitheater that accommodates up to 50,000 people, including 7,000 reserved seats, and 10 separate campgrounds with a total camping capacity of 35,000 people. WE Fest employs a year-round staff of professional sales, marketing and administrative staff.
Fully developed as a concert venue, the Soo Pass Ranch has a permanent stage and backstage compound, including air-conditioned dressing rooms with running water, catering and production facilities, including permanent sound towers and mix station. The concert bowl also contains 50 permanent concession stands, and locations for dozens of additional portable concessions. The company has invested heavily in developing the concert site, including bringing city sewer and water lines to the ranch, which allows for running water, and permanent rest rooms in the concert bowl.
Best Hotels Near We Fest in Detroit Lakes
The Lodge on Lake Detroit & The Spa Within
WE Fest is a massive country music festival that takes place annually in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The host venue is a large plot known as Soo Pass Ranch that affords visitors from all over the opportunity to enjoy three full days of top-notch country music entertainment and a festive environmen. While many attendees prefer to camp on-site, hotels in Detroit Lakes are booked to capacity each year for folks that want to kick back with all the creature comforts of a modern hotel. If you’re looking for the best hotel near We Fest, start with the Detroit Lakes hotel consistently voted top hotel by TripAdvisor Guests. Best Western Premier The Lodge On Lake Detroit is a Lifestyle Lakefront Minnesota Hotel, offering a great location that is directly across Big Detroit Lake from The Lodge (6.5 mi). The Lodge is a natural to host a crowd of We Fest visitors, as it hosts live musical entertainment throughout the year in its Fireside Lobby.
With our modern amenities and thoughtful design, we stand out among other lodging choices in Detroit Lakes, MN. For couples or family getaways, we offer a variety of rooms and suites with king, queen or two queen beds. Our free hot breakfast (currently using Grab & Go Bags while Covid precautions are in place), free local calls, indoor heated pool and fitness center make the hotel a great place to recharge between enjoying Detroit Lakes attractions and activities. View hotel detail.
All rooms feature lakefront views, free Wi-Fi and wired internet, flat-screen TVs with extended channels. Rooms are equipped with mini-frige, microwaves, and coffee makers and are pet and smoke free. View accommodation detail.
Detroit Lakes Day Spa: The Spa Within at The Lodge offers an extensive menu of select spa treatment services, many of which are signature treatments exclusive to this spa. These revitalizing treatments include the use of warm and cold basalt stones for face and body, and a variety of facials and massage therapies that are sure to induce a state of deep relaxation.
