Nous parlons blues
This year’s BluesFest will have a bit of French flair as we welcome journalists from Blues & Co. magazine out of Thouars, France, coming to cover the event. Feel free to practice your language skills with them if you like. Et ne vous inquiétez pas, des journalistes françaises. Nous parlons blues.
Read MoreGreat Kids Activities!
Old Town BluesFest brings new activities to its “Kidz Beat” area this year, including the ever-popular “Harmonica for Kids” workshop and a performance by 15-year-old Taylor Fernandez. The Kidz Beat music tent has moved to the Clark Hill patio just to the west of the vendors and the MICA Stage. Open 4-7 pm Friday and 1-7 pm Saturday, it is designed to allow interactive music exploration for parents and children from toddlers to early teens. Activities available include face painting, chalk art, crafting your own musical instruments, an “instrument petting zoo” provided by...
Read MoreInterested in West Coast Blues?
Of course, we mean the West Coast of Michigan. This year’s Old Town BluesFest features three great west-side bands: The Vincent Hayes Project, The Hawktones, and Thirsty Perch. The Vincent Hayes Project features “inspired, persuasively pensive guitar work” that continues to impress blues lovers, recording artists, and industry professionals worldwide. The band is a 2011 Blues Music Award nominee. The Hawktones are a long-time fixture on the Midwest blues scene with their old-school sensibilities and modern-day energy. Whether they’re playing Chicago standards, Texas shuffles...
Read MoreJoin Us at Michigan Mosaic Music Festival
As we prepare for the amazing blues of Old Town BluesFest, we’re also producing Michigan Mosaic Music Festival over Labor Day weekend, a sister festival. Check it out for live bands, cultural performances, fireworks, car and motorcycle shows, the first annual Capital City Dragon Boat Race, the Mayor’s Labor Walk, Lansing Educators 0K 5K Run Back to School, ethnic food and a beverage tent.
Read MoreLooking for donations for “Kidz Beat” area
The Old Town BluesFest had a great response to last year’s Kidz Beat area, so we’re working on making this year’s Kidz Beat bigger and better than ever! In order to do that, we’re looking for donations of items for the children’s activities (making instruments and more). Here’s what we’re looking for: 100 postal tubes with caps, all sizes 300 plastic rings that hold 6-packs of cans together Bags of rice, beans, &/or peas 100 bracelets, carabiners, or other items to tie ribbon onto 100 small wooden rods Ribbon: 1″, 1/2″, or 1/4″...
Read MoreInterested in Volunteering?
We’re still looking for festival volunteers to join the fun. If you’re interested in sharing your time, please join our volunteer database.
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Welcome to BluesFest 2012
The Old Town BluesFest is a two-day FREE music festival that brings national, regional, and local acts to an audience of roughly 15,000 people from across Michigan and nearby states.
BluesFest’s music truly is living music, history in the making. Each artist at the festival is asked to play an original composition, something that hasn’t been played at any other festival.
