Ottawa Bluesfest

Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa's hottest summer music festival! July 9-19, 2026. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Ottawa Bluesfest has been ranked by Billboard Magazine as one of the top-10 most successful outdoor music festivals in the world. People travel from far and wide to attend the 'fest, and music fans in Ottawa look forward to opening night with mounting anticipation, year after year. This award winning, multi-staged music extravaganza is the biggest outdoor music festival in Canada and is considered

one of the most important music events in North America. Thousands of national and international performers are featured annually at LeBreton Flats Park, in downtown Ottawa.

Happy Friday! Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Sons Of Legion! 🎤🎶Sons of Legion will play on Wedne...
06/05/2026

Happy Friday! Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Sons Of Legion! 🎤🎶

Sons of Legion will play on Wednesday, July 15, on the LeBreton Stage at 8:30 PM.

Born from a chance encounter between two musicians from opposite coasts, Sons of Legion (SØL) is the embodiment of serendipity in sound. This dynamic duo chose to walk the same musical path, creating a unique blend that defies geographical boundaries and genre constraints.

At its core, Sons of Legion is a powerhouse of rock 'n' soul, seamlessly fusing the raw, unbridled energy of rock with the deep, emotive currents of blues and the timeless allure of soul. Their sound is a delicate balance of rugged grit and sophisticated class, evoking memories of rock's greatest legends while carving out a distinct identity all their own.

Known for their electrifying performances and thought-provoking lyrics, Sons of Legion has built a reputation that resonates far beyond their Nashville roots. Their music speaks to the heart and ignites the spirit, with tracks like "Brand New Day," "Power," and "Firestarter" serving as testaments to their songwriting prowess.

The band's impact extends well beyond the stage. With over 2 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, Sons of Legion has found its way into the mainstream consciousness. Their music has become the soundtrack to pivotal moments, featured on ESPN broadcasts, Dodge Ram commercials, Netflix productions, and NBC programming.

As Sons of Legion continues to evolve and push boundaries, they remain true to their ethos of authenticity and musical integrity. Each note, each lyric, each performance is a reflection of their journey - two paths converged, creating a musical force that continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide.

ARTIST UPDATE! 📣Due to a scheduling conflict, REV RUN will no longer be appearing at Ottawa Bluesfest on July 9th. We ar...
06/04/2026

ARTIST UPDATE! 📣Due to a scheduling conflict, REV RUN will no longer be appearing at Ottawa Bluesfest on July 9th. We are pleased to announce that DJ Champion will perform on Thursday, July 9 at 9:20 pm on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa Stage. 🎶

Stay up to date and download our FREE mobile app to easily navigate the schedule & get festival ready: 📲https://ottawabluesfest.ca/bluesfest-app/

Full schedule & info:
👉 https://ottawabluesfest.ca/schedule

Visiting Ottawa for Ottawa Bluesfest or looking for ideas this Summer? Paddling along the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World...
06/03/2026

Visiting Ottawa for Ottawa Bluesfest or looking for ideas this Summer? Paddling along the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the best ways to experience Ottawa on a summer afternoon. Rent a canoe, kayak, SUP, or paddle boat from Dows Lake Pavilion 🛶

And, did you know Ottawa has five sandy beaches along the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers? ⛱️ Perfect for swimming, picnics, BBQs, or just kicking back and soaking up a summer day 🌞
📍 Britannia Beach
📍 Westboro Beach
📍 Constance Bay
📍 Mooney’s Bay
📍 Petrie Island

A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Steve Earle quickly became a master storyteller in hi...
06/03/2026

A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Steve Earle quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others.

Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Steve Earle! 🎸🎶

Steve Earle will play on Friday, July 10, on the LeBreton Stage at 8:15 PM.

Steve is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. 1986 saw the release of his record, Guitar Town, which shot to number one on the country charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Most recently, Earle’s 1988 hit Copperhead Road was made an official state song of Tennessee in 2023.

Subsequent releases like The Revolution Starts...Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009) received consecutive GRAMMY® Awards. Jerry Jeff, released in 2022, consisted of Earle’s versions of songs written by Jerry Jeff Walker, one of his mentors. Earle has published both a novel I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011) and Dog House Roses, a collection of short stories (Houghton Mifflin 2003). Earle produced albums for other artists such as Joan Baez (Day After Tomorrow) and Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on A Gravel Road).

As an actor, Earle has appeared in several films and had recurring roles in the HBO series The Wire and Tremé. In 2009, Earle appeared in the off-Broadway play Samara, for which he also wrote a score that The New York Times described as “exquisitely subliminal.” Earle wrote music for and appeared in Coal Country, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Earle is the host of the weekly show Hard Core Troubadour on Sirius Radio’s Outlaw Country channel. In 2020, Earle was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. And in 2023, Steve was honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. Steve’s latest album, “Alone Again (Live)”, released on July 12, 2024. Most recently, Steve was honored with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry and was officially inducted on September 17, 2025.

Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Digable Planets! 🎤🎶Digable Planets will play on the Hard Rock Hot...
06/02/2026

Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Digable Planets! 🎤🎶

Digable Planets will play on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa Stage at 7:45 PM on Thursday, July 9.

Digable Planets burst onto the music scene in 1993 with their Grammy-winning single, “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” Made up of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, and Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira, the pioneering trio carved out a uniquely appealing style of jazz-informed hip hop that catapulted their first single to the 15th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Shortly after, Digable Planets followed up with their debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time And Space), an ambitious offering that Pitchfork praised as “a world within a world, complete with its own language and monuments.” Melding jazz samples, and complex rhymes that touched on everything from the nuances of city life ("Where I’m From") to abortion rights ("La Femme Fetal"), Reachin’ was a rich and vibrant artistic statement as well as a huge commercial success (RIAA certified gold). The group celebrated the 30th anniversary of Reachin’ in 2023.

Digable Planets quickly followed up in 1994 with Blowout Comb, a bold and colorful meditation on Black liberation. While the album did not initially attain the immediate commercial successes of Reachin’, the 13-track sophomore opus has gone on to age beautifully, influencing future generations of hip hop heads, young jazz musicians, and Afrofuturists. In celebration of the three decades passed since the release of the landmark second album, Digable Planets, once again, takes their full five-piece band on the road for the Blowout Comb 30th Anniversary Tour, now touching North American cities from coast to coast. "Together, we're able to take all of the music, which is, you know, a bunch of disparate samples from here and there, and really represent that era of music in an updated way with one foot in the past, but another foot firmly with a sneaker on sprinting into the future with a lot of new sounds and a lot of new concepts," said Digable Planets founder Butterfly.

Welcome back to another week, OBF Fans! Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... the Sheepdogs! 🎤🎶The Shee...
06/01/2026

Welcome back to another week, OBF Fans! Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... the Sheepdogs! 🎤🎶

The Sheepdogs will perform on the RBC Stage at 7:20 PM on Sunday, July 19.

The Sheepdogs are Canada’s leaders in rock ’n’ roll entertainment. Four-time JUNO Award winners from Saskatoon, with multiple Gold and Platinum records to their name, they blend killer harmonies, dual-guitar wizardry, and a stage presence that turns audiences into true believers.

The Sheepdogs deliver the real goods: rock music that’s loud, loose, and full of soul. They’ve taken their unmistakable sound from bars and roadhouses to festival fields and arenas around the world, earning a well-deserved reputation as one of the most electrifying live bands today.

With 13 releases — including the recent companion EPs Paradise Alone and Hell Together — the band continues to prove that the spirit of classic rock will never die. Now, thanks to their own label, Right On Records, they are masters of their own destiny. Their new single, “Nobody But You,” is the first taste of new music to come and proof that The Sheepdogs are charging full steam ahead into 2026 and beyond.

Happy Friday! Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Lloyd Spiegel Trio! 🎶🎸Lloyd Spiegel Music will play...
05/29/2026

Happy Friday! Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Lloyd Spiegel Trio! 🎶🎸

Lloyd Spiegel Music will play not once, but *twice on Thursday, July 9: 7:00 PM on the LeBreton Stage & 9:30 PM at the Barney Danson Theatre.

Lloyd Spiegel is a bluesman at his core, a guitarist by trade, a comedian by nature and a showman at heart. He blends powerful vocals and jaw-dropping guitar prowess with a knack for humour and storytelling to deliver a unique, captivating performance that crosses genres and generations.

With 10 albums to his name, the 14-time Australian Blues Award winner has dedicated his life to creating a signature style that honours the traditions of the music he loves, while creating a link in the chain of its evolution. Spiegel performs over one hundred shows a year on theatre stages and major festivals in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Highlights include the Montreal Jazz Festival (CAN), Ottawa Bluesfest (CAN), Kansas City Blues Festival (USA), Sapporo Blues Festival (Japan) and Groningen Rhythm and Blues Festival (NL).

Back home, Lloyd is a respected trailblazer for modern Blues and one of his country's most celebrated guitarists, being named in Australian Guitar Magazine’s list of the 50 greatest Australian guitarists of all time. He is the face of Cole Clark Guitars, a major Australian manufacturer and has been instrumental in making the brand a world leader in amplified acoustic guitar technology and sustainability. As a result, Cole Clark Guitars has a series of signature model guitars in his name.

Driven by a strong belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to make music, Lloyd is a highly active member of his community, creating a musical instrument donation program for local schools, volunteering weekly at a choir for people with disabilities and serving as ambassador to Blues Music Victoria and Make Music Australia.

Get ready for one of Canada’s most electrifying blues-soul bands, blending gospel, roots, and retro-soul with a voice th...
05/28/2026

Get ready for one of Canada’s most electrifying blues-soul bands, blending gospel, roots, and retro-soul with a voice that commands attention.

Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar! 🎤🎶

Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar will play not once, but *twice on Sunday, July 19: 7:00 PM on the LeBreton Stage & 9:30 PM at the Barney Danson Theatre.

While Samantha Martin’s musical journey took shape in Toronto, her sound has always defied easy categorization. A two-time JUNO nominee and seven-time Maple Blues Award nominee for Female Vocalist of the Year, Martin brings raw emotion, power, and authenticity to every performance.

Often called “the Daptone of Canada,” Samantha and her label Gypsy Soul Records have built a reputation for bold, genre-crossing music. Her latest work earned international acclaim, topping soul charts while also garnering a Rolling Stone “Pick of the Month” for Best Country Song, a rare moment that reflects the band’s fearless approach to genre and storytelling.

Since the release of their debut Send the Nightingale, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar have become a festival favourite and a must-see live act, known for their tight arrangements, soaring vocals, and infectious energy. With each album, including Run To Me and The Reckless One, the band continues to push the boundaries of modern blues, delivering music that is soulful, gritty, and unforgettable.

Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Aqyila! 🎤🎶Aqyila will play on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa...
05/27/2026

Your Ottawa Bluesfest Featured Artist of the Day is... Aqyila! 🎤🎶

Aqyila will play on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa Stage at 7:45 PM on Saturday, July 18.

In 2021, Toronto R&B artist Aqyila’s first single “Vibe for Me (Bob for Me)” landed her first JUNO Award nomination for ‘Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year.’ It was the start of a steady rise for the young songwriter. Her debut EP For the Better featured the hit single “Hello,” which won the 2024 JUNO Award for ‘Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.’ In 2024, Aqyila released “Bloom,” which was an instant viral success. Both “Bloom” and “Hello” have been certified Gold in South Africa and “Bloom” has charted on the Spotify Daily Viral 50 chart in 21 countries. Aqyila has over 100M worldwide streams, and since its February 2024 release, “Bloom” has racked up an impressive 44M streams. In 2025, Aqyila embarked on a North American tour supporting Pink Sweat$ and released her debut full-length album in the Spring of 2025.

Ottawa Bluesfest volunteer registration is now open! ✨ Join the Volunteer Team Behind Bluesfest ( ) and support Ottawa's...
05/26/2026

Ottawa Bluesfest volunteer registration is now open! ✨ Join the Volunteer Team Behind Bluesfest ( ) and support Ottawa's largest Summer music event!
🎶
You can volunteer solo or with a group - find all the details and register here: https://volunteers.ottawabluesfest.ca/ 🥳. Follow our Volunteer Team on Instagram

Why Volunteer ❓ Volunteering is a great way to connect with your community in a fun, exciting, and memorable way, while getting some great perks like access to free shows and meals!*
*See full details on our website

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LeBreton Flats
Ottawa, ON
K1R1C2

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+16132471188

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