26 Jul 2012

Kitchener Blues Festival

Posted in Kitchener-Waterloo Events | Leave a comment

Kitchener Blues Festival is Canada’s largest free Blues festival. Now in it’s 12th year, in addition to the Festival Main Stage, Downtown Kitchener BIA Tent, Boathouse Workshop, McCabe’s Workshop, Little Bean Workshop and Children’s Stage, the Blues Festival includes a spectacular ‘big-top’ tent (reputed as largest in Ontario!) in Victoria Park, the OLG “Clock Tower Stage. It just keeps on getting bigger and better every year.

The video screens helped to share and extend the experience of this family oriented festival. The festival is free from Friday to Sunday with one major fundraising kick-off concert, this year on: Thursday, August 9, 2012. As always the Kitchener Blues Festival follows the weekend of the Civic Holiday. This is becoming a world famous event with tourists coming from all over the world.

Seating is mixed though not reserved at the seven stages. There are four licensed festival beer gardens with some seating. There are family areas and free seating on King Street which is closed for three days. Folding chairs are arranged in various areas – anywhere from 200 – 800 chairs! All is first-come-first-served. Throughout downtown Kitchener you will find vibrant restaurants and clubs which support the TD Kitchener Blues Festival. Some people like to bring their own folding chairs.

This years line up includes:

ALAN GERBER BAND
BLUES PIANO-RAMA featuring Curley Bridges and Julian Fauth
BOBBY ‘BLUE’ BLAND
BRENDAN J. STEPHENS
CAFÉ R & B
CARLOS DEL JUNCO AND THE BLUES MONGRELS
CHERYL LESCOM
CHUCKEE AND THE CRAWDADDIES
COLIN JAMES
COLIN WHITE BAND
CONOR GAINS BAND
DAVID ROTUNDO BAND
DELTA MOON
DOUGLAS WATSON
ELLIS HOOKS
HARP DOG BROWN AND GRAHAM GUEST
HARRY MANX
IAN TAYLOR BAND
JAMES ANTHONY
JOE LOUIS WALKER
JOHN FINLEY & THE SANCTIFIED BLUES ALLSTARS
JON KNIGHT & THE SOULSTACK
KEN WHITELEY
KEN WHITELEY’S GOSPEL REVUE
LOS LOBOS
LUMBERJUNK
MARCIA BALL
MISS ANGEL & THE HOMEWRECKERS
MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS
PAPPY JOHNS
PAT TEMPLE & THE HI LO PLAYERS
PAUL OSCHER
RAY BONNEVILLE
ROBBEN FORD AND THE FORD BLUES BAND
SHANE MURPHY
SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK AND BNOIS KING
TAJ MAHAL
THE HARET
THE MANZAREK-ROGERS BAND featuring Ray Manzarek keyboardist for “THE DOORS”
THE TWISTERS
TOM GRAY / RAY BONNEVILLE
TOO SLIM AND THE TAIL DRAGGERS
TREASA LAVASSEUR
Tribute to RAY CHARLES