After a scaled back event in 2021, the Kitchener Blues Festival is back in its traditional format this weekend.
Dozen of performers are hitting multiple stages in the city’s downtown core.
The festival kicked off Thursday night with a fundraising event featuring Whitehorse and Sam Roberts Band, but now every concert for the rest of the weekend is free.
“Last night we had a super show down at the park with our fundraising concert which was very well attended, maybe one of the better ones we’ve had,” said festival president Rob Barkshire. “So I think it speaks to the fact that people really want to come out and enjoy music, and a lot of people came up to me and said ‘this is what we’ve needed.’”
This year marks the Kitchener Blues Festival’s 20th anniversary and organizers hope to make this edition better than ever.
Among the more than 80 free acts there will be plenty of Canadian talent – including more than a dozen artists with connections to Waterloo region.
"We have so much talent her in the blues community in Kitchener-Waterloo and we're featuring many of them on stages and lots of the clubs," said Barkshire. "There's at least 15 local acts that bring top quality blues. We're known for that here and we feature it year after year."
Honorary festival board member Teresa Manning said the event attracts visitors from all over, including the United States, Australia and England.
“Everybody knows what weekend it is, what they’re going to get, because the quality is amazing,” Manning said.
In a new addition this year, a stage has been set up at the corner of King and Ontario streets, so anyone grabbing dinner at one of the many outdoor patios can also enjoy some live music.
