From Fiddles to Full Throttle: “Blue Jeans & Country Dreams” at the GNE

Pull on your favourite denim and mark your calendar, because the Great Northern Exhibition is rolling back into Stayner from September 19–21, 2025, and this year’s theme says it all: “Blue Jeans & Country Dreams.” That’s your cue for three easygoing days of music, motors, livestock, and the kind of neighborly good times Ontario fairs do best. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

First, the entertainment roster is brand new for 2025, and it leans right into the country-casual vibe. On the Outdoor Stage you’ll hear local and regional favourites across the weekend, look for 93 North, Jess Bowman, 2 Guys with Guitars, and family sing-along sets with Dan the Music Man. Indoors, magician Sawyer Bullock brings his “Magician Ordinaire” show, and there’s a hands-on Demo Day on Sunday. Around the grounds you’ll spot the Circus Company stilt walkers and Jeremiah Sharpe popping up with close-up magic, while the C.A.S. Zone packs in family hits like Circus Lumberjack and the mighty (and very bendy) Mighty Mike. Saturday night’s Special Events Area turns into a foot-stomper with Hogback Road. It’s all part of an “all-new” entertainment push the fair’s been teasing, so expect fresh faces alongside beloved fair rhythms. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

Of course, a GNE weekend wouldn’t be a GNE weekend without the big machines and bigger cheers. The Demolition Derby slams into Sunday afternoon, always a grandstand shaker, and the pulsing, dirt-churning tractor and truck pulls stack up across Friday and Saturday (including lawn tractors, super mods, and a field tractor showdown). If you love horsepower in any form, you’ll also find the Horse Pull, plus Western and English horse shows, heavy horses, roadsters, and more across the rings. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

Families, plan to roam. The Children’s Activity Tent runs through the weekend, and little legs can test their mettle at the Children’s Pedal Tractor Pull. Pony rides and the petting zoo are on the go, and the Baby Show is back to deliver maximum “awws.” If you like your nostalgia with a whiff of gasoline and grease, don’t miss the Antique Vehicle & Machinery Show and Sunday’s Antique Tractor Pull, they’re catnip for gearheads and history buffs alike. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

Music and movement spill far beyond the stages: the Fiddle & Step-Dance Competition takes over Saturday with a full day of toe-tapping classes and then a big, friendly fiddle jam to wrap it up. It’s one of those GNE traditions that somehow stays both fiercely competitive and wildly welcoming, exactly the energy you want at a country fair. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

And because this is, at heart, an agricultural exhibition, make time for the pavilions and show rings. You’ll find 4-H achievements, open livestock shows, sheep shearing demos, and the kind of exhibitor pride that turns passing curiosity into genuine appreciation for the region’s farm families and producers. Even a quick wander through the barns can teach you more than a dozen YouTube videos ever could. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

All told, “Blue Jeans & Country Dreams” is more than a theme, it’s your weekend dress code and a promise: come as you are, and leave with dusty boots, a full heart, and a camera roll of grin-wide moments. Whether you’re there for the clang of the derby, the thrum of a super mod pull, a sing-along with the kids, or a quiet chat with a breeder beside a prize ewe, the GNE has stitched together a fresh-plus-familiar lineup that feels exactly right for 2025. See you at the fairgrounds September 19–21, the gates, the music, and the midway will be waiting. (Blue Jeans and Country Dreams)

Note: schedules can shift—check the official site before you go for the latest daily times and stage listings.