La Petite-Nation's summer festival calendar

Summer in La Petite-Nation means something's on almost every weekend. Big festivals with headliners, and little free shows in front of the church where everybody brings a lawn chair.

Summer 2026 just wrapped. We put together the recap so you can plan next year. The 2026 dates are here to give you an idea. For 2027, we tell you when each event usually happens. Official dates are up to the organizers, so keep an eye on their pages.

June: warming up

It starts with Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Québec's Fête nationale, on June 23 or 24 depending on the town. Nearly every village throws its own, from Boileau's potluck to the Optimist Club's evening in Thurso. Check with your municipality.

On Saturday mornings from June to late August, the Bowman farmers' market sets up its little cabins in Parc du Centenaire, with a different theme every week.

July: the western takes over

Saint-André-Avellin Western Festival

The big party of the summer. Eleven days from mid to late July: professional IPRA rodeos that count toward the Coupe Canada in Saint-Tite, concerts under the big Desjardins tent, line dancing at the Saloon, midway rides. 2026 was the 24th edition, July 16 to 26, with Kaïn, Marc Dupré and Kevin Parent. Access to the midway site was free for the first four days.

Free concert series

For a lot of locals, this is where summer really happens.

• Music Wednesdays, Papineauville: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Parc Henri-Bourassa, a different style every week. Blues, disco, folk, singer-songwriters. Chairs provided. The 2026 season, the ninth, kicked off July 1.
• Music Sundays, Montebello: Sundays at 1 p.m. in front of the church, July 19 to August 23 in 2026. French chanson, operetta, a trad jam with Folklore Outaouais, Celtic music. Bring a chair.
• Relax Thursdays, Chénéville: Thursday evenings on the church grounds, with a bar. July 23 to August 6 in 2026. If it rains, it moves to the Danny-Legault hall at Centre St-Félix-de-Valois.
• Summer evenings, Saint-André-Avellin: drum circles at Parc des Générations (bring your own), 7 p.m. concerts and 9 p.m. outdoor movies with free popcorn, June to September.
• Place du Citoyen, Thurso: a few outdoor music nights a month, June to August.

Namur and its lumberjacks

The Namur Lumberjack Festival brings competitions, demos and family activities built around logging, in a village that lived off the forest for a long time. Usually late July or August. And roughly every three years, the Namur Festivities bring together this Namur with the ones in Belgium and Wisconsin. The last one was in 2025.

August: the busiest month

Twist Fibre Festival

More than 120 wool and fibre vendors at Complexe Whissell, workshops in spinning, knitting and dyeing, and sheepdog demos. The organizers bill it as the biggest textile festival in the country. The 14th edition ran August 7 to 9, 2026. It's usually the second weekend of August.

Lac Simon Crossing

An 11.5 km swim from the Sépaq beach in Duhamel to the Lac-Simon beach, plus 500 m, 2 km and 4 km events and a family relay. It ran from 1964 to 1987, then came back in 2022. In 2026 it was August 8. Even if you don't swim, go cheer from shore.

Petite Nation en fête, Thurso

Four nights in mid-August on the Thurso soccer field, with a big outdoor stage, food trucks and bouncy castles. In 2026, August 12 to 15: Roxane Bruneau, Souldia, France D'Amour, JF Pauzé, Lendemain de veille.

The Mayo pilgrimage

Quieter. On the Sunday closest to August 15, the Our Lady of Knock shrine, a replica of the one in Ireland beside St. Malachy's Church, holds its pilgrimage. A slice of Irish history in the middle of the Outaouais.

Wellness and a triathlon in Ripon

The Outaouais Health & Wellness Festival fills Ripon's Centre de vie for three days: talks, yoga, Qi Gong, forest bathing (August 21 to 23 in 2026). On August 23, the Petite-monnaie Triathlon sent athletes on an 800 m swim in Lac Viceroy, then 20 km by bike through the back roads and a 5 km run.

Val-des-Bois en musique

Summer ends big. The municipality runs this one itself, on the Lièvre River, capped at 4,000 people, with free shuttles and a campground just for festival-goers. In 2026, August 27 to 29: Éric Lapointe, Marie-Chantal Toupin, Kaïn, Les Trois Accords. A three-night pass was $69.30 for adults, and kids 11 and under get in free.

And after that?

Summer doesn't really end on Labour Day here. September rolls right into Ripon Trad, the Montpellier Medieval Festival and the Plaisance Clay Festival.

For the free shows, think about seating. At Montebello's Music Sundays you bring your own chair. At Papineauville's Wednesdays, they're provided.

Saint-André-AvellinPapineauvilleMontebelloChénévilleThursoNamurLac-SimonDuhamelMayoRiponVal-des-BoisBowman

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