- Cincy Blues Fest
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Cincy Blues Fest Motto Keeping the Blues Alive Formation 1992 Type 501(c)3 Legal status Annual Event Purpose/focus Education/Entertainment Location Cincinnati, OH Region served Midwest Director Joy (Henderson) Dziech Parent organization Cincy Blues Society Affiliations The Blues Foundation Staff 40+ (volunteer) Volunteers 530+ Website Cincy Blues Fest Cincy Blues Fest is an annual Blues music festival held on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is believed to be the largest all-volunteer Blues Festival in the U.S. Over the years it has showcased such famous acts as Lonnie Mack, Otis Rush, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Lil ’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Bobby Rush, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Watermelon Slim & the Workers, Slick Ballinger, The Chicago Allstars, Bob Seeley, Big Joe Duskin[1], Ricky Nye, and Sonny Moorman.
The festival was originally called the Queen City Blues Fest, when the parent organization was called the Queen City Blues Society. These names changed in 1993 to Cincy Blues Fest and Cincy Blues Society, respectively. These changes were in name only, the organization remained the same. The festival is also often erroneously referred to as the Cincinnati Blues Festival, Cincinnati, Blues Fest, Cincy Blues Festival, and/or the Cincinnati Queen City Blues Festival.
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Festival details
Cincy Blues Fest is held every summer at Sawyer Point Park, on the banks of the Ohio River, in Cincinnati. On Friday the festival gates usually open at 5:00pm and the music starts at 5:30pm. On Saturday the doors open at 2:30pm, and the music starts at 3:15pm. Music continues until midnight, both nights.
The festival usually consists of three to four stages running simultaneously in different parts of the park. On Friday there is the Main Stage at the P&G Pavilion, the "themed" Stage (each year a different theme is chosen) under the arches of the Purple People Bridge, and the Local Stage in the lawn east of the I-471 ("Big Mac") Bridge. On Saturday there is the Main Stage, Arches Boogie Woogie Piano Stage, and the Local Stage.
The Main Stage is populated with national and regional blues acts, as well as two local acts that are the winners of that year's Cincy Blues Challege. The St. Vincent De Paul Local Stage is made up of the runners-up of that year's challenge, as well as a local all-star jam session at the end of the night on Saturday.
The Arches Boogie Woogie Piano Stage host boogie woogie piano players from around the world, and is also the venue for the International Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame awards, with a new member inducted each year on that stage.
On Friday the "Arches Stage" is a themed stage, with a different theme each festival. 2007 found that stage renamed the "King Records Tribute Stage," featuring many surviving artists that recorded on the Cincinnati-based King Records label. In 2008 the theme was the "AlternaBlues Stage," a showcase of regional and national Americana and blues-rock acts that were heavily influenced by the blues. And in 2009 the stage will be called "The 2009 International Blues Challenge Stage," as all the bands that will perform competed at the IBC in Memphis.
The latest festival
The 2009 Cincy Blues Fest was held on August 7-8,[2] in Cincinnati. The acts for this festival were listed on the Cincy Blues Fest website.
Recent festivals
The 2008 event "Sweet Sixteen" was held August 1-2, at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati.
The 2007 event "Once in a Blues Moon" was held August 3-4, at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati.
The 2006 event was held July 28-29, at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati.References
Media links
- 2008 Cincy Blues Fest Commercial (Quicktime)
- Cincy Blues Fest Video Trailer (YouTube), HQ Trailer (Quicktime)
- 2007 Cincy Blues Fest Commercial (YouTube), HQ Commercial (Quicktime)
- 2006 Cincy Blues Fest Commercial (Quicktime)
External links
Categories:- Festivals in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Blues festivals in the United States
- Festivals in Ohio
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