One of Manitoba’s largest off-road community weekends begins today as the 23rd annual St. Jean ATV/UTV Derby opens in St. Jean Baptiste for two days of mud competition, trail riding, entertainment and fundraising.
The organizer lists the 2026 event for September 18 and 19 and describes it as Canada’s largest ATV/UTV derby.
Friday’s program starts with pre-registration from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and builds into Friday Night Lights, a mud-bog competition with ATV and side-by-side classes. Saturday is the main derby day, with registration from 9:00 a.m. to noon before riders head onto the approximately 40-kilometre trail.
A small community hosting a very large ATV weekend
St. Jean Baptiste sits in Manitoba’s Red River Valley and has a population measured in the hundreds, but derby weekend brings a much larger crowd into the community.
The organizing committee says the event began with 75 machines and has grown over the years to average roughly 1,200 machines and 1,500 participants.
Those figures are historical averages rather than a forecast for the 2026 event, but they explain why the derby has become such a significant annual project for the community.
The organizer says approximately 150 volunteers are needed to run the weekend, with additional preparation taking place well before riders arrive.
Landowner permission is also central to the event because sections of the route cross private property.
Friday Night Lights opens the weekend
The first major riding activity is Friday Night Lights.
The organizer lists classes for both ATVs and side-by-sides, with entry fees varying by class.
Youth classes are listed at $30. Stock adult classes are $40, while King and Queen categories and the SxS class are $60.
Adult displacement classes cover 400 cc through 1,000 cc machines, while the UTV/SxS category is listed as “Anything Goes.”
The rules also require a tether or kill switch for competitors.
That kind of detail matters because a mud-bog event can put riders and machines under very different loads than an ordinary trail ride. Traction changes quickly, drivetrains are heavily loaded and visibility can deteriorate almost immediately once the course is churned up.
Saturday brings the main derby trail
The main derby registration fee is $40 per machine.
Friday pre-registration runs from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., while Saturday registration runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the event’s main registration tent.
The organizer says the trail is approximately 40 kilometres long and follows parts of the Red River area while remaining relatively close to town.
Check stops are positioned along the route, and food is available during the ride.
For riders, the route length may sound modest compared with a full-day backcountry ride, but derby riding is not simply about distance.
Mud, traffic, stops and changing trail conditions can make a relatively short route physically and mechanically demanding.
Safety rules are explicit
The derby publishes several basic riding rules.
Helmets must be worn while operating an ATV. Machines must be registered. Riders 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are instructed to remain on marked trails and remove any garbage they bring onto the route.
The organizer also explicitly prohibits drinking and driving.
Those rules are particularly important at a large event where riders of different experience levels are sharing a temporary route.
Participants should also arrive with a machine that has been inspected before the weekend.
Tyres, wheel bearings, steering components, brakes, drive belts or chains, cooling systems and recovery points deserve attention before a mud-heavy ride.
A tow strap and basic tools can be useful, but riders should still follow the organizer’s event-specific rules rather than assuming ordinary trail practices automatically apply.
The event is also a fundraiser
The derby is not operated only as a recreational ride.
The organizing group says the event has raised approximately $250,000 for the community over its history.
Beneficiaries have included the fire department, arena, daycare, church, youth sports groups and other local projects.
That community-fundraising model helps explain the scale of volunteer involvement.
The trail exists for one weekend because residents, landowners, sponsors and local organizations cooperate to make the event possible.
For visiting riders, respecting the marked route and private-property access is therefore more than a safety issue. It is part of preserving the relationships that allow the derby to return.
Camping and entertainment extend the weekend
Camping is offered for $80 for the weekend per camper or tent, according to the event site.
The organizer also promotes live music and a bar during the weekend, with security on duty at night.
Those activities turn the derby into a destination event rather than a simple Saturday trail ride.
Anyone staying overnight should check in using the organizer’s current camping instructions and keep event rules in mind when moving machines around the site.
Why the derby matters to the Canadian ATV community
Large organized ATV events serve several purposes at once.
They create a reason for riders to travel, support local businesses and provide a structured route where land access has been arranged in advance.
They also bring together dealers, sponsors, volunteers and clubs around the same riding community.
For Manitoba riders, the St. Jean derby is especially notable because of its longevity and scale.
The event’s growth from a small first-year gathering to an annual weekend involving hundreds of volunteers and participants shows how organized off-road recreation can become part of a community’s identity.
Bottom line
The 23rd annual St. Jean ATV/UTV Derby begins today in St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba, and runs through Saturday, September 19.
Friday features pre-registration and Friday Night Lights mud competition. Saturday registration runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon before the main derby trail.
The main derby costs $40 per machine, helmets are mandatory, ATVs and UTVs must be registered, and riders are required to remain on the marked route.
For anyone travelling to St. Jean specifically for the event, the organizer’s current schedule and registration page should be checked before departure because weather and event operations can affect an off-road weekend quickly.
