List of blues festivals in Canada
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This is a list of blues festivals in Canada. These festivals—which celebrate
Canadian blues Canadian blues is the blues and blues-related music (e.g., blues rock) performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. Canadian blues artists include singers, players of the main blues instruments: guitar ( acoustic and electric), harmonica ( ...
music, and often times roots music as well—range from small, community-based festivals that feature mostly local performers, to major corporate-sponsored festivals that draw nationally and internationally-prominent
blues musicians Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
. Some of the larger festivals in Canada include the
Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa Bluesfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While the festival's lineup historically focused on blues music at its inception, it has increasingly showcased mainstream pop, h ...
, Bluesfest Windsor, the
Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival is an annual music festival held each September in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick, that features blues, jazz and world music. The first festival in 1991 was held over four days in various existing venues ...
in Fredericton, Tremblant International Blues Festival in
Mont-Tremblant Mont-Tremblant () is a city in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, approximately northwest of Montreal and northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. The current municipality with city status was formed in 2000. Mont-Tremblant is most famous for i ...
, and the
Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival The Edmonton Blues Festival (formerly Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival) is an annual blues music festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which was first held in 1999. The festival runs for three days (a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) in mid-August a ...
. These festivals, which are usually organized by volunteer-based blues societies, are an important part of the Canadian blues scene.


List


British Columbia

* Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival — August in
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
* Harbour Blues 'N Roots Festival (formerly Vancouver Island Blues Bash) — Labour Day weekend in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
* Hornby Island Blues Workshop — May in
Hornby Island Hornby Island of British Columbia, Canada, is one of the two northernmost Gulf Islands, located near Vancouver Island's Comox Valley, the other being Denman Island. A small community of 1,016 residents (as of the 2016 census), Hornby is home to ...
* Pender Harbour Blues Festival — early June in
Pender Harbour Pender Harbour is a harbour community on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, on the east side of Malaspina Strait. The harbour itself is an intricate amalgam of bays and coves that encroach inland for five kilometres and provide over 60 kilometres ...
* Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival — August in
Salmon Arm Salmon Arm is a city in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District of the Southern Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia that has a population of 17,706 (2016). Salmon Arm was incorporated as a municipal district on May 15, 1905. The ...
, in B.C. Interior * Summertime Blues Festival — August in Nanaimo


Alberta

* Beaumont Blues & Roots Festival — June (previously Labour Day weekend) in
Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...
* Calgary International Blues Festival — summer in Calgary ** Calgary Midwinter Bluesfest — February in Calgary * Edmonton Blues Festival — August in
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...


Saskatchewan

* Regina Blues Association’s Mid-Winter Blues Festival — in Regina * Saskatoon Blues Festival — end of February in
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...


Manitoba

* Great Woods Music Festival — August in Beausejour * Winnipeg BBQ & Blues Festival — August in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...


Ontario

* Atomic Blues Fest — in Lindsay * Aurora Winter Blues Festival — in
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
* Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival — June (2nd weekend) in
Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...
** The February Blues — February in Barrie * Bluesfest International — July in
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
and
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
* Bluesfest Windsor — July in Windsor * Boon's House Blues & Roots Festival — July in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
* Burlington Jazz & Blues Festival — July in
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
* Calabogie Blues & Ribfest — August in
Calabogie Greater Madawaska is an Township (Canada)#Ontario, incorporated township in Renfrew County in Eastern Ontario, eastern Ontario, Canada, created on January 1, 2001, through the amalgamation of the Township of Bagot and Blythfield; the Township of B ...
* Canal Bank Shuffle — October in
Thorold Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The Welland Canal passes through the city, featuring lock 7 and the Twin Flight Locks. History The first s ...
* Capitol Centre's Bluesfest — in North Bay * Coal Flats Blues Festival — September in Port Burwell * Escarpment Blues Festival — mid-July in Milton * Kitchener Blues Festival — August in Kitchener * Limestone City Blues Festival — late August in Kingston * London Blues Festival — August in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
* Mudcat Blues Fest — August in
Dunnville Dunnville is an unincorporated community located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada near the historic Talbot Trail. It was formerly an incorporated town encompassing the surrounding area with a total populat ...
* Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival — first weekend of June in Orangeville * Orillia Spring Blues Festival —
Orillia Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of ...
* Oshawa Jazz and Blues Festival — August in Oshawa *
Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa Bluesfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While the festival's lineup historically focused on blues music at its inception, it has increasingly showcased mainstream pop, h ...
— July in Ottawa * Paisley Blues Fest — June (1st weekend) in
Paisley, Ontario Paisley is an unincorporated community and village in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie, Bruce County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Paisley is defined by its position at the confluence of the Saugeen River and the Teeswater River, and at t ...
* Porquis Blues Festival — early July in Porquis * Port Credit Blues and Jazz Festival (also called the "Southside Shuffle") — early September in
Port Credit Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road ...
, Mississauga * Stratford Blues and Ribfest — June in Stratford * Thunder Bay Blues Festival — July in
Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...
* Toronto BluesFest — June in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
* Twisted Pines Blues Festival — May in the Midland/
Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populati ...
area * Wasaga Beach Blues — September in Wasaga Beach * Winterfolk Blues & Roots Festival — in Toronto * Women in the Wilds Blues Festival — September in
Atikokan Atikokan (, Ojibwe for ' caribou bones') is a town in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population was 2,642 as of the 2021 census. The town is one of the main entry points into Quetico Provincial Park and promotes it ...
, Northwestern Ontario


Quebec

* — April in
Chicoutimi Chicoutimi () is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada. It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and com ...
* West Island Blues Festival — June in Pierrefonds/ Roxboro, Island of Montreal *
Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fes ...
(Blues Stage) — June in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
* Tremblant International Blues Festival — July in
Mont-Tremblant Mont-Tremblant () is a city in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, approximately northwest of Montreal and northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. The current municipality with city status was formed in 2000. Mont-Tremblant is most famous for i ...
* Sherblues & Folk — July in
Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...
* — August in
Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans () is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada, part of the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality. It is situated on the south side of Orléans Island. Prior to June 6, 1998 ...
* — August in
Saint-Sauveur Saint-Sauveur or St Sauveur (French for "Holy Savior") may refer to: Places Canada * Saint-Sauveur, New Brunswick * Saint-Sauveur, Quebec * Saint-Sauveur (electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Quebec * Saint-Sauveur, Queb ...
* Festival de Blues de Donnacona — August in
Donnacona Chief Donnacona (died 1539 in France) was the chief of the St. Lawrence Iroquois village of Stadacona, located at the present site of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. French explorer Jacques Cartier, concluding his second voyage to what is now Can ...
* Trois-Rivières en Blues — August in
Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...
* Festival de Blues de Joliette — October in Joliette


Atlantic Canada

* Dutch Mason Blues Festival — August in
Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Mi'kmaq: ''Wagobagitik''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Truru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth at ...
*
Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival is an annual music festival held each September in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick, that features blues, jazz and world music. The first festival in 1991 was held over four days in various existing venues ...
— September in Fredericton, New Brunswick * Wreckhouse International Jazz & Blues Festival — early July in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador * Blues d'la Baie — July (3rd weekend) in
Petit-Rocher, New Brunswick Petit-Rocher is a formerly incorporated Canadian village in Gloucester County, New Brunswick. Sitting on both Chaleur Bay and Nepisiguit Bay 20 km northwest of Bathurst, Petit-Rocher's residents are 89% Francophone. On 1 January 2023, Pe ...


References

{{Canada topic, List of festivals in
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Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
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