Full vaccinations will be required to attend, and attendance is limited to 5,000 people each night.
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Festival organizers are making up for time lost to COVID-19 with back-to-back, all-Canadian editions of CityFolk and RBC Bluesfest set to take place over two weekends at Lansdowne Park next month.
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CityFolk is booked for Sept. 16-18, while RBC Bluesfest is set for Sept. 23-25. Both festivals will take place outdoors at Lansdowne’s Great Lawn.
Full vaccinations will be required to attend, and attendance is limited to 5,000 people each night, which represents about one-third of the capacity of the site. Rapid testing will not be an option in lieu of vaccination.
Among the artists booked to appear are Jann Arden, Barenaked Ladies, Tom Cochrane, Half Moon Run and more.
Although Bluesfest’s executive director, Mark Monahan, said last month there wasn’t time to book a fall festival under Step 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan, a recent round of additional funding made it possible to revisit that decision.
“The province recently announced funding for folks who could pull off an event this year,” Monahan said in an interview. “So that minimized the risk and it made sense that we move ahead with something.”
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But they had to move fast. Fortunately, a terrific lineup came together at short notice as the Bluesfest team worked their contacts across the country.
“It was a very tight timeline,” Monahan said, “but we’re extremely happy with how it came together and honestly, it was just fun to be talking music, doing deals, and working on an event after more than a year of what-ifs. Everyone, from the agents and managers to the artists, is excited about this.”
The festivals will feature musical theme nights, with CityFolk launching Sept. 16 with a night of Canadian R&B featuring Charlotte Day Wilson, DVSN, Roy Woods and Töme. Nineties rock is in the spotlight on Sept. 17, with Our Lady Peace and Moist, while country music takes the stage on Sept. 18, starring Dean Brody, The Reklaws and Sacha.
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The Bluesfest weekend kicks off Sept. 23 with indie rock, courtesy of Half Moon Run, Tokyo Police Club, Aysanabee and Lauryn Macfarlane. Sept. 24 brings the pop stylings of Jann Arden, Barenaked Ladies and the Ryland James Band; and Sept. 25 presents classic Canadian rockers Tom Cochrane and April Wine, along with the Ottawa trio MonkeyJunk contributing some blues to the festivities.
The festivals will provide paid employment for up to 200 people in the battered live-event industry, Monahan said, with a “limited contingent” of volunteers also helping out. Corporate sponsors RBC and Casino Lac Leamy have jumped on board to support the initiative, too.
Tickets are priced around $50 each night, with weekend passes expected to be about $100. VIP passes are also available. You can buy tickets and passes at the CityFolk or Bluesfest websites, cityfolkfestival.com or ottawabluesfest.ca. A one-day presale starts Wednesday.
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As for the vaccine requirement, Monahan said it seems to be the “responsible move to make,” noting that it’s been adopted by governments in other jurisdictions.
“I think governments are realizing that we have to go on,” he said. “The community has to continue and the economy has to function within reason. And I do think that it is important that these events are regulated because we want to make sure people are doing things as safely as possible.”
He also points to the thirst for tickets to other events his team is producing as proof that people are keen to go out and do things after months of isolation.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Monahan said of the ticket demand for the ongoing Chef’s Table dinner-and-show series at the National Arts Centre’s 1 Elgin restaurant, and the immersive Van Gogh experience called Beyond Van Gogh. “We’re selling out almost every day.”
lsaxberg@postmedia.com
Bluesfest and CityFolk to return next month, with back-to-back festivals requiring vaccinations - Ottawa Citizen
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