Get ready to get muddy Bonnyville.
The fourth annual Extreme Mudfest is taking over the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds from Aug. 23 to 26.
Whether it's the mud run, demolition derby, quad racing, or anything in between, everyone is bound to be getting down and dirty.
Festival-goers will rock the Friday night away, with performances from Static Shift and Hinder set to hit the stage.
Two weeks before the event, Friday night headliner Theory of a Deadman cancelled their performance. Coming to fill-in their place is Hinder, known for hits such as "Lips of an Angel." Before they hit the stage, Static Shift will be warming up the crowd.
"We're also disappointed because we would have loved to see Theory of a Deadman come and play," expressed Billie Jo Aasen, president and executive producer of the event. "The fact that we were able to get Hinder on just over two weeks notice was really great for us."
No details were released as to why Theory of a Deadman cancelled their performance, but Aasen believes it may be related to personal issues.
Country performances will take over the stage on Saturday night with sets from Terri Clarke, Jay Allen, and Brody Siebert.
But, before the concert is a day of mud-filled action.
Saturday morning kicks off with the Extreme Mud Run. The obstacle course runs through a mud pit with multiple hurdles for participants to overcome.
"At one point you chug a pop or a beer, it's a lot of fun," Aasen said, adding the mud run is a unique way to start the Saturday morning of the festival. She encourages everyone to sing up online.
"At the end of it, you become the ultimate redneck. You get private portapotty access, a Mudfest hoody, and become king or queen of the mud run."
Afterwards, spectators can take in the lawn mower races, a demolition derby, tuff trucks, and rock crawlers.
The Canadian Mud Racing Organization participates in these events. President of the Bonnyville 4x4 club, and Mudfest co-promoter, Rick Reddecliff said combining the music festival with the motor sports has been a great way to bring people to the area.
"It's all about putting on something to bring people into Bonnyville, that's what keeps me doing this."
Added to the weekend's schedule, because of popular demand, are the quad races.
"Every year we've had people reach out and say 'hey, do you have quad racing?'. So, this year we thought it would be yet another thing to add to the experience of Mudfest," Aasen noted.
Reddecliff added the draw of Mudfest is that it's not just a music festival or mudding event. Offering a wide-variety of activities for spectators keeps it unique, and has people coming from all over Canada.
"At the end of the day, Mudfest is all about the experience. Once you get there, you feel the vibe of the people, and the whole culture that we built around it, the bands are secondary to the whole culture," Aasen added.
A ball tournament is back for a third year, and will be ongoing throughout the event.
For further information on how to register, volunteer, or to buy tickets, visit extrememudfest.com.
