The sounds of the blues will reverberate through downtown Windsor this weekend.
Organizers are ready to unveil a new, expanded Bluesfest Windsor at Riverfront Festival Plaza. The four-day event begins Thursday night.
Mike McCann of the Canada South Blues Society says there are changes this year and more space to hear all the music.
"Through this area here it's called BluesTown now," says McCann gesturing through a large tented space set up. "We're going to bring in more acts and entertainment. Beyond that is the food court next door with all the food vendors set up. "
The BluesTown expansion is 10,000 sq ft to allow visitors a chance to hear the acts, get something to eat and chill with friends, according to McCann. This is in addition to the MainStage, set up at the plaza band shell, and will feature light and sound presentations all weekend to complement the music acts.
BluesFest Windsor begins the night with a variety of blues, blues-rock, blues folk, and rockabilly acts, with the Canadian band The Tea Party headlining. On Friday, international blues-rock star Kenny Wayne Shepherd takes the stage in support of his new album. Saturday night's headliners are The Sheepdogs, a Saskatoon-based blues and Southern rock band, while electric blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker helps close things out Sunday night.
The program features acts from Ontario and local bands such as South River Slim and the Skeletones, who played during a special media sneak preview Thursday.
BluesFest continues to be a huge draw for music lovers. McCann says the expanded area seems to be helping ticket sales.
"Advance ticket sales have gone very well, very well," says McCann. "In the first couple of weeks we've outsold the last few years in advance sales."
McCann says the buildup to this year's BluesFest took an entire year, beginning with the conclusion of last year's event, and organizers are grateful to the many people and volunteers who work to make the event a success. The event brings people in from all over, he says, and many downtown hotels are booked.
"We have people coming in from California, Washington, just following some of the main acts we've brought in," says McCann.
Thursday's hours are from 4pm to 11pm, Friday from 3pm to 1am, Saturday from 2pm to 1am and Sunday from 2pm to 11pm. The first three nights are for ages 19-and-up only, while Sunday kids 18 and under are free.
For a complete schedule and listing of all of the scheduled acts, click here.