Downtown Blues is returning to Belleville for its second year.
During an event at the Belleville Club on Thursday, co-founder and producer Carol Feeney announced the festival’s return for two days in September, to raise money for Gleaners Food Bank. A series of blues performances and music workshops will take place over Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7.
Feeney says this year’s festival will be even bigger than last year’s.
“We’re the newest Blues Festival in Canada, and the only one happening now from Toronto to Ottawa,” said Feeney. “So we got a bit of a profile, and we’re invited to the National Blues Summit, where we’ve got some of the talent that’s coming for this year’s festival. It’s very exciting.”
The lineup of performers includes both local talent and renowned performers in the blues genre, such as Wild T who will be closing out the festival on Saturday.
Saturday’s events will not have an entry fee, but guests are expected to bring a donation for Gleaners Food Bank, in the form of cash or food. Matthew Brown, chairman of the board of directors for Gleaners Food Bank, said that the support the community shows them is vital.
“Food costs are still high, living costs are high, and that’s creating a lot of pressure,” said Brown. “Not just on what you might call our typical clientele, but we’re seeing more people who are accessing food banks for the first time ever coming to Gleaners as well. So that certainly doesn’t bode well for the future.”
A full event itinerary can be found at their website here.
Blues artist Patrick Fockler plays at the 2024 Downtown Blues kickoff event at the Belleville Club. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
