From August 7–10, one of the province’s longest-standing festivals will return to the southeast: the St. Pierre-Jolys Frog Follies and Ag Fair.

Festival programming and media coordinator, Roxane Gagne, says the lineup for the 2025 event is proving to be more exciting than ever.

“Our entertainment has gone up in terms of crowd-pleasing,” Gagne says. “We’re bringing in some really fabulous acts this year.”

According to Gagne, there is a quintessentially Canadian flavor to this year’s entertainment, including acts like escape artist Dean Gunnarson and the Incredibly Hip, an on-point Tragically Hip tribute band.

As always, effort has also gone into finding local acts to take the stage, some that are well-known and others up-and-coming.

For those who love farmer’s markets, The Stand Market and Events will feature up to 80 different vendors on Sunday at the fair.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a frog festival without frog-jumping contests. Canada’s national contest will take place on Saturday at 1:00 and the youth version will happen on Sunday at 1:30.

What sets the Frog Follies apart from other festivals, year after year, is the lack of an admission fee.

“All of the events during the Frog Follies are free,” Gagne says. “There’s no cost to get in at all.”

The Follies, she adds, is rich in local sponsorship, which helps make that possible. As well, they receive funding from both the provincial and federal governments due to their bilingual status.

With an annual budget of $50,000 and $60,000 per year, they hope to fill financial gaps through the availability of a silent auction and 50/50 draws throughout the weekend.

While admission and all the performances are free to attend, Gagne suggests that people come with some cash to enjoy the great local eats.

All weekend, guests will find hot food and snacks at the canteen and a variety of food trucks.

On Friday night, folks are encouraged to participate in the Chamber of Commerce dinner.

“All the businesses in town put together this big dinner and it’s $10 per person,” says Gagne. “It’s a feast and it’s quite magnificent.”

The St. Pierre-Jolys Frog Follies has a colourful history dating back to the 1970s when an esteemed guest prompted a whimsical response from this francophone hamlet.

“The queen came to St. Pierre-Jolys to visit a small French community outside of Winnipeg,” Gagne says. “The townspeople of the time decided to throw a festival for her and it stuck. Even then, frogs was the theme.”

Some time after, festival coordinators joined forces with the St. Pierre Agricultural Society to include an agricultural component to the fair.

Today, Gagne says, the festival draws crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 every year.

Around ten people make up the planning committee and they seek about 100 volunteers to pull off the weekend. At this stage, Gagne says they still need around one-quarter of those volunteers to step up.

Volunteers can sign up on the festival’s website.

“It’s going to be a fabulous weekend to enjoy as a family… because there’s just so much to do.”