Gen Z pop icon Conan Gray, country-rock hitmaker Hardy and rodeo-rider-turned-singer Cody Johnson are among the younger generation of artists stepping up to headliner status at
this year’s edition of Ottawa Bluesfest
.
They join millennial faves like Limp Bizkit, Gwen Stefani and the Lumineers on the main stage of the
32nd edition of Ottawa’s biggest music festival
, which takes place July 9-19 at LeBreton Flats Park on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum.
Also bound for the big stage this summer are the moody rock soundscapes of Lord Huron and the country-soul swagger of Ella Langley, plus the previously announced final-day program of the
Guess Who
, Sheepdogs and Elisapie designed to celebrate Ottawa’s bicentennial.
It all adds up to a Bluesfest lineup that’s strong on new faces and fresh sounds, without abandoning the
something-for-everyone approach
.
Organizers say the programming journey began as usual more than a year ago, with a wish list of acts to pursue. However, they found it was an off year for some artists, who weren’t planning to tour.
“A few names that we shot for just weren’t available in general,” said Catherine Cote, the woman who assists director Mark Monahan in booking Bluesfest,
CityFolk
and the Ontario Festival of Small Halls.
“But it allowed us a chance to take the programming in a different direction. Seventy per cent of the headliners are acts who have never come through Ottawa.”
Thanks in part to a new multi-year sponsorship deal with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, there’s also more to offer on the other stages.
“When we increase our sponsorship, we’re able to put most of that money into increasing the artists’ budget,” Monahan explained. “We’re spending more money overall on the lineup this year, and we made a concerted effort also to increase the budget for the second-line artists.”
Under the deal, naming rights for the River stage — the one behind the museum — will go to Hard Rock, but it won’t be limited to presenting hard-rock bands.
Notable acts like Montreal’s Patrick Watson, punk stalwarts Social Distortion and Can-rock duo Death From Above 1979 are among the highlights of the Hard Rock stage program.
Deeper in the lineup is another slate of big names, ranging from singer-songwriters Sheryl Crow, Lucy Dacas, Steve Earle and Natasha Bedingfield to urban legends like Cypress Hill, Shaggy, Digable Planets and Rev. Run.
One act that was a fun discovery for the programming team was Hank Azaria and The EZ Street Band, featuring voice actor Azaria, who’s best known for his work on the animated sitcom, The Simpsons. When Cote saw Azaria using his vocal skills as the frontman of a Springsteen cover band, she knew festival-goers in Ottawa would be entertained.
As for the festival’s namesake genre, the blues will be represented throughout the nine days, with highlights expected to include the Texas groove of Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, the dextrous fretwork of Australian guitarist Lloyd Spiegel, the swampy sounds of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and the viral harmonies of Sons of Legion.
Local and regional bands are an integral part
of the festivities, too. Of the 700 or so that submitted applications to play, singer-rapper Aspects, singer-songwriter Mikhail Laxton, Wakefield rockers Rebelle, funksters Mecca of Stank and Afro-hip-hop hopeful Banggz are among those who made the cut.
A detailed schedule of who’s playing each of the four stages will be released next month.
These days, talent takes up the biggest chunk of the $25-million budget, Monahan said, and artists’ fees are rising faster than the infrastructure costs.
In the years since the pandemic, he said the cost to rent tents, gear and other staging equipment has levelled off, while artists’ fees increase every year.
At the same time, an ever-growing number of people are shelling out their hard-earned dollars to buy concert and festival tickets. “There’s never been more money spent on tickets,” Monahan said, pointing to Live Nation’s most recent annual report.
The world’s biggest live-entertainment company had another year of double-digit growth in 2025, selling tickets to Live Nation events to 67 million fans around the world. The momentum is expected to continue in 2026.
“The artists are selling a phenomenal amount of tickets these days,” Monahan said, “and they’re also wanting more money. So it’s a challenge to manage those expectations and also put a festival lineup together, and spend the money wisely.”
Now in its third decade of existence,
Bluesfest
has enjoyed some of its most successful editions in the last three years, consistently attracting more than 300,000 attendees.
A core group of supporters, more than 10,000 strong, buy full-festival passes every year. Those passes are “shareable,” Monahan pointed out, allowing passholders to share with family or friends on nights they can’t make it.
To encourage the purchase of full-fest passes and reward loyal fans, a 12-hour presale runs from 10 a.m. to midnight Wednesday (Feb. 25). The cost of a pass will be $279 during this window, a $50 discount off the regular price of $329.
VIP Club passes and Hard Rock Platinum passes will also be available. Go to
ottawabluesfest.frontgatetickets.com/
to purchase.
Single-day tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 26), while three-day passes are released at 10 a.m. Monday (March 2).
All tickets include OC Transpo service to the festival.
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