Here’s what you need to know ahead of Bluesfest 2026

Bluesfest has become a highly anticipated city staple and Ottawa’s biggest music festival, averaging over 250,000 people in attendance each year. 

This year, the festival will run from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 19, featuring big-name headliners like Limp Bizkit, The Lumineers, Lord Huron and Gwen Stefani. Additional free performances have also been added to the schedule to celebrate Ottawa’s 200th anniversary. 

Whether you’re a first-time festivalgoer or a returning attendee, here’s everything you need to know from headliners to transportation ahead of the 2026 festival. 

Who’s playing at Bluesfest in 2026?

Although the festival is now best known for hosting headliners beyond its titular genre, the festival’s six stages still feature many blues performers and local artists. Four of the stages host live performers while the other two are exclusively for DJs. 

Offsite free programming will also be available at the World Exchange Plaza on July 11 and 12, and at The Shed on Sparks Street on the 18th and 19th.

Bluesfest’s full lineup breaks down all artists by the day and time they’re performing, as well as the stage they’ll be on, with single-day tickets being priced by the demand for the headliners on the RBC Stage. 

RBC Stage lineup

• Thursday, July 9: Cody Johnson (9:10 p.m.), Jessie Murph (7:20 p.m.), Jade Hilton (6:00 p.m.). 
• Friday, July 10: Limp Bizkit (9:30 p.m.), Cypress Hill (7:30 p.m.), F!TH (6:00 p.m.). 
• Saturday, July 11: HARDY (9:30 p.m.), BigXthaPlug (7:30 p.m.), Aspects (6:00 p.m.).
• Sunday, July 12: The Lumineers (9:30 p.m.), Leif Vollebekk (7:30 p.m.), summersets (6:00 p.m.). 
• Wednesday, July 15: Conan Gray (9:30 p.m.), Myles Smith (7:30 p.m.), Natasha Bedingfield (6:00 p.m.). 
• Thursday, July 16: Lord Huron (9:45 p.m.), Lucy Dacus (8:15 p.m.), Royel Otis (6:45 p.m.), Koko Love (5:45 p.m.). 
• Friday, July 17: Ella Langley (9:15 p.m.), Sheryl Crow (7:30 p.m.), Angine de Poitrine (6:00 p.m.), Nayana (5:00 p.m.). 
• Saturday, July 18: Gwen Stefani (9:30 p.m.), Shaggy (7:30 p.m.), Billie du Page (6:00 p.m.). 
• Sunday, July 19: The Guess Who (9:40 p.m.), The Sheepdogs (7:20 p.m.), Rebelle (6:00 p.m.), Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy + Family (3:00 p.m.), Choir! Choir! Choir! (1:40 p.m.), Les Petites Tounes (12:30 p.m.). 

The Hard Rock & Casino Ottawa Stage, formerly known as the River Stage, will host Patrick Watson on July 11, Social Distortion on July 16 and Death From Above 1979 on July 17. 

The schedule for the LeBreton Stage, the Barney Danson Theatre and all other stages can be found through the festival’s website.

How much does Bluesfest cost this year?

The cost of Bluesfest tickets vary, but a general admission full festival pass to access every day of performances is $428.04 with tax and service fees included. 

General admission day passes range from $87 to $232, depending on the lineup. 

Bluesfest also offers a three-night pass which discounts the cost of admission for each day selected. 

VIP and platinum passes are also available, with the highest tier passes costing more than $2,500.

Bluesfest tickets can be purchased on the festival’s website.

Bluesfest is also offering free daytime programming on July 19 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in partnership with the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Tourism as part of Ottawa’s 200th Anniversary Celebration. 

Getting to Bluesfest

Organizers say the best  way to get to the festival is by taking the O-Train. The LRT’s Line 1 to Pimisi Station drops off just a five-minute walk away from LeBreton Flats. OC Transpo and Para Transpo buses, connected to the LRT, are free for festival ticket holders as of three hours before gates open and up to two hours after they close. 

Extra buses will also be in service as needed, but the festival recommends checking schedules in advance due to road closures.

Organizers discourage driving to the festival because of road closures starting at 5 p.m. and no public parking at the war museum. 

If you plan on driving, advance parking passes can be purchased for $17.40 with your festival ticket. There are three off-site parking lots in Gatineau, a 15-minute walk from the festival. 

As of this year, attendees can also keep a lookout for the Ottawa Bluesfest Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa Platinum & VIP Shuttle, which will take people to and from the festival at regular intervals. More information on this service can be found on the festival’s website.

A new taxi stand will also be located at the intersection of Lett and Wellington Street (eastbound). 

Bluesfest also offers a parking lot for bicycles on the east side of Booth Street, open from 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. each festival day. 

Navigating festival grounds

Bluesfest takes place at LeBreton Flats and the Canadian War Museum, a short walk from the LRT’s Pimisi Station. 

The RBC Stage is in front of the museum, the Hard Rock & Casino Ottawa Stage is behind it, the LeBreton Stage is within a tent on the West side, and the Barney Danson Theatre is inside the museum. 

The first of the DJ Stages is the Spin Stage by the river. The second is the Crazy Horse Saloon, a cowboy-themed pop-up from the popular Kanata clubbing location with a mechanical bull, in another tent behind the LeBreton Stage. 

Outdoor performances are only stopped for significant weather-related events which attendees can expect to be notified of through onsite and social media announcements. 

More than 20 food and drink vendors are expected to be at the festival grounds with options including pub food and a Mexican Cantina Bar. This year, Ottawa’s Little Victories Coffee Roasters will be making an introduction serving up coffee and espresso martinis. 

Picnic tables provided by food vendors are often swarmed, so be ready to eat standing up or bring your own blanket and collapsible lawn chairs to set up in designated areas.

As the festival takes place on outdoor grounds, porta potties are available for use, often near food and drink vendors. Sinks, soap and paper towels are provided nearby to help with sanitation. 

What can I bring and what should I leave at home?

All bags will be searched by security at the entrance and must be no larger than 12 by 12 by 6 inches. 

Alcohol and drug paraphernalia are all prohibited, but vendors will sell beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages.

Any non-alcoholic drinks brought in must be in sealed, unopened plastic containers. Reusable water bottles are permitted but must be empty. The festival has water-filling stations spread out across the grounds. 

Food is allowed, but must not be in glass containers.

As most of the stages are surrounded by grass, lawn chairs and blankets are allowed, but chairs must be collapsible.

Bluesfest also does not permit professional video or photography equipment, cans, posters or noisemakers. 

Prohibited items can be checked for a fee at the bag check located outside the front gates. A full list of what’s allowed and what’s prohibited is available on the festival’s security page.

Featured photo by Greg Kolz via Bluesfest.