This past weekend, the inaugural Minnesota Country Club Festival officially made its debut at Harriet Island Regional Park, bringing a younger, rock-leaning country crowd to St. Paul for two days of music, food, and riverside vibes. Produced by the same Live Nation-affiliated team behind the wildly successful Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, it borrowed many of that festival’s best features—from the spacious layout and worthwhile VIP experience to a schedule with no overlapping sets, meaning you could actually see every artist without making impossible decisions.
Minnesota Country Club Festival
Saturday was hot. Like, “find-any-patch-of-shade-you-can” hot. Temperatures climbed well into the 90s, but that didn’t stop thousands of people from packing Harriet Island. Some spread out blankets and camped in front of the stages all day, while others wandered between food vendors with frozen drinks in hand. Despite the crowd—estimated at around 17,000 on opening day—the overall vibe stayed remarkably laid-back.
One thing that immediately stood out was how smoothly everything ran. Food and beverage lines were surprisingly short all afternoon, which meant more time listening to music and less time standing in line.
The food lineup leaned heavily local, with favorites including Chicken X Waffles, El Burrito Mercado, Island Noodles, SmashCity SmashBurgers, Hebros, Pizza Nova, Bao Bao Buns, and Ben & Jerry’s. We grabbed Chicken X Waffles’ crispy tater tots ($12) and El Burrito Mercado’s elote-style corn ($10). Drinks were about what you’d expect at a major festival (two Lucky One vodka lemonades ran just over $30). Plus, there were free hydration stations if you chose to bring in an empty water bottle.
Minnesota Country Club Festival
Beyond the music, there was plenty to wander through between sets. White Claw’s Shore Club, Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Hideaway, Culver’s Blue Room (with free frozen custard samples), Cornbread Hemp’s THC Seltzer Bar, and Lucky One’s dog-themed lounge all gave people a reason to stick around instead of simply waiting for the next act.
Musically, the festival leaned more Americana, indie folk, and country rock than mainstream country radio, with a lineup that included Treaty Oak Revival, Charley Crockett, Stephen Wilson Jr., Trampled by Turtles, Jessie Murph, and The Red Clay Strays. Minnesota favorites Trampled by Turtles had the hometown crowd singing along to staples like “Wait So Long” and “Victory,” while Jessie Murph brought a younger energy fueled by hits including “Wild Ones,” “Blue Strips,” and “1965.” The Red Clay Strays closed the night with the gritty Southern rock sound that has quickly made them one of the hottest acts in country music.
Minnesota Country Club Festival
The VIP section was also worth the upgrade. Between shaded picnic tables, high-top seating, and air-conditioned bathrooms, it became one of the most popular spots to cool off throughout the afternoon.
By the end of the night, it felt like Minnesota Country Club had already found its footing. It shares plenty of DNA with Minnesota Yacht Club, but the atmosphere was distinctly its own—less about rushing from stage to stage and more about settling in, discovering new artists, eating well, and spending a summer day along the river.
If year one is any indication, this festival has all the ingredients to become another staple of Minnesota’s summer concert season.
