Bluesfest has come a long way from a few musicians in The Rainbow Bistro..
This year marks 20 Bluesfest performances, a big anniversary for the festival.
Bluesfest 2013 will take place at LeBreton Flats, the venue that has hosted Bluesfest since it became the multi-stage, multi-day festival that it is today.
While known as Bluesfest, blues music has been just a part of the dynamic musical acts featured at Bluesfest in previous years, and this year is no exception.
Genres of performing artists include pop, folk, rap, and, of course, blues, soul, and R&B.
Bluesfest brings families together because of the eclectic nature of the lineup,” Bluesfest media relations director AJ Sauve said.
“It’s really cool to see folks dropping their kids off and then heading over to see another act. Last year you saw parents taking kids to Carly Rae Jepson and then going to Norah Jones, SEAL, or John Mellencamp.”
Click here for a full size timeline of Bluesfest’s history.
Bluesfest is a registered non-profit organization.
Since 2000, Bluesfest organizers have co-ordinated the “Blues in Schools” program, dedicated to bringing artists and music educators to Ottawa for a two week residency teaching music in Ottawa schools.
“It has helped with career development for local musicians,” Sauve said, noting that 80 per cent of the Blues in Schools “faculty” are from the Ottawa area.
One of Billboard Magazine’s Top 10 most successful outdoor music festivals, Bluesfest has become an Ottawa summer staple.
According to the festival’s website, 55 per cent of the Ottawa population has attended Bluesfest within the past five years.
Sauve said the lineup at Bluesfest is a product of Ottawa itself.
The festival has a history of booking popular names, and some that might be lesser known, but according to Sauve are on the very cusp of promising careers.
“Nine times out of 10 most of the line-up you’ll see next year at awards shows,” he said.
Sauve said Bluesfest’s budget has grown to be “phenomenal,” allowing the organizers to book cutting edge bands.
The event was first held in 1994 with a budget of about $10,000.
Today, it spans two weeks with a budget of over $13 million, according to Sauve.
“Bluesfest has really improved living in Ottawa,” Sauve said. “It’s a source of pride for people living in Ottawa.”
“It’s something that everyone in Ottawa looks forward to.”
