Another successful year for Ottawa Bluesfest ended on Sunday night with a performance by Canadian rock royalty, The Guess Who.
Thousands upon thousands attended the festival to see a wide variety of acts from July 9 until July 19, but there was no bigger night than the triple bill of Ella Langley, Sheryl Crow and viral sensations Angine de Poitrine on July 17.
“I think it was definitely one of the biggest nights we’ve ever had,” Bluesfest CEO and co-founder Mark Monahan told the Ottawa Citizen’s Lynn Saxberg. “We’re not publishing specific numbers, but it was over 30,000 for sure.”
Other shows that likely went over the 30,000 mark included the nights headlined by The Lumineers, Limp Bizkit, Gwen Stefani, Cody Johnson and Hardy.
Here’s a look back at the 32nd edition of the city’s biggest festival of the year, from photos captured by Citizen photographers Ashley Fraser and Spencer Colby.
Day 1: Cody Johnson gets the party started
Cody Johnson gave a rousing performance at Ottawa Bluesfest’s RBC Main Stage on July 9, kicking off the 32nd edition of the festival with a generous helping of country music that was as American as apple pie.
Day 2: Some ’90s nostalgia
The chaotic energy of Limp Bizkit was building to a peak on July 10 when the rap-rock legends surprised the crowd by inviting an old friend, Tom Green, to join them on the RBC Main stage at Ottawa Bluesfest.
Day 3: Hardy and his killer band
In his first Bluesfest appearance, country-rocker Hardy and his killer band cruised through a set that ranged from solo acoustic singer-songwriter fare to thrashing rock explosions on July 11.
Day 4: The Lumineers and Ottawa-Gatineau talent
Bluesfest put the spotlight on The Lumineers, but it was the depth of Ottawa-Gatineau talent on the bill that really enriched the festivities at LeBreton Flats Park on July 12.
Folk duo summersets, featuring Kalle Mattson and Andrew Sowka, perform on the RBC Stage during Ottawa Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats on Sunday, July 12, 2026.
Day 5: It’s Conan Gray after the break
Bluesfest resumed July 15 after a two-day break, rising back to life with a slice of emotional pop fare headlined by Conan Gray, a 27-year-old musician who’s already an icon to his devoted following.
Day 6: The headlining dark horse
Of the nine headliners at this year’s Bluesfest, Lord Huron was the dark horse, the least-known act of the bunch to have top billing on the main stage at LeBreton Flats Park on July 16.
Day 7: Langley’s big night
Country’s current queen, Ella Langley, attracted the biggest crowd of this year’s Bluesfest on July 17, with an estimated 40,000 people filling every corner of the site at LeBreton Flats Park.
Day 8: Stefani joins the party
The audience at the RBC Main Stage was in a party mood for Bluesfest’s final Saturday night on July 18, and Gwen Stefani was there for it.
Day 9: All-Canadian musical buffet to end it
Ottawa Bluesfest closed out its 2026 edition on a high note on July 19 with an all-Canadian musical buffet, highlighted by a trio of inter-generational headliners in rabble-rousing Rebelle opening for throwback rockers The Sheepdogs, who formed a perfect pairing with the mighty Guess Who.
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