Towards the end of the glorious 80′s, a genius came up with this amazing idea: to bring the blues to Portland. Although it initially didn’t create much of a spark throughout the state, it continued to grow throughout the 90′s and into the massive awesomeness that it is today. National Blues musicians come through Portland, known for its music scene, to celebrate the 4th of July festival on the Waterfront. There is no other festival in Portland that unites all music fans.
For those of you who have never been, let me describe it to you the best I can. The Waterfront Blues Festival takes place around the weekend of July 4th. Thousands of people gather on Tom McCall Waterfront park’s lawn to listen to the best blues artists in the nation. There are three main stages along the Waterfront with workshop stages and a freakin Blues Cruise. For those that enjoy fairesque food, you can never go wrong with the BBQ here. The beer/wine stands are almost everywhere if you want to stay properly dehydrated.
Now, don’t think that people go to get hammered to celebrate Blooze Fest. Never in my life have I seen someone get kicked out for fighting, puking or other general public drunkenness. The alcohol monitors have made it there mission to open the Blues Fest for all ages. This has always been a family friendly event, but I might advise against staying past 8 pm any given night.
Over the years I’ve met alot of people from almost every state visiting our Blues Fest. As Portlanders, we provide a unique festival that we can share with other communities. By inviting outsiders into our living room, we have the opportunity to promote our city and show everyone that we are a bunch of laid-back, music-lovin hippies.
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