Bluesfest 2025: Everything you need to know about Ottawa's biggest music festival
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Bluesfest is Ottawa's biggest summer music festival, a nine-day, multi-stage extravaganza that takes place on the grounds of (and inside) the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park.
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The site is located on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, not far from Parliament Hill and downtown Ottawa. This year marks its 31st anniversary. More than 300,000 people are expected to attend.
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It took place at Major's Hill Park on a weekend in July 1994, with a lineup that included Clarence Clemons, Randy Bachman and Buckwheat Zydeco. Monahan is still the festival's executive and artistic director.
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It brings a level of concert activity that takes over the city. A full-festival pass allows fans of all ages to see multiple concerts each night, not just the main-stage headliner, and there are always new artists to discover.
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Bluesfest performers are chosen specifically because they put on great live shows, and the whole thing takes place, rain or shine, in a picturesque location next to the majestic Ottawa River in the capital of Canada.
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No matter who's on stage, the main appeal of Bluesfest is that it's a party every night. Or, more accurately, it's a bunch of parties with different vibes and demographics at each stage. You will meet new people and discover new music.
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After over three decades, it's also a well-organized party, run by a core team of salaried staff members working out of an office at Festival House, a repurposed church on Churchill Street. At festival time, an army of volunteers springs into action to help things run smoothly.
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Over the years, Bluesfest has evolved into a multi-genre concert event. Here's the daily schedule for the main stage (also known as the RBC Stage) in 2025. The headliner is listed first.
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Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Bluesfest 2025: Everything you need to know about Ottawa's biggest music festival
Article content Bluesfest is Ottawa's biggest summer music festival, a nine-day, multi-stage extravaganza that takes place on the grounds of (and inside) the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park. Article content The site is located on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, not far from Parliament Hill and downtown Ottawa. This year marks its 31st anniversary. More than 300,000 people are expected to attend. Article content Article content Article content It took place at Major's Hill Park on a weekend in July 1994, with a lineup that included Clarence Clemons, Randy Bachman and Buckwheat Zydeco. Monahan is still the festival's executive and artistic director. Article content Article content It brings a level of concert activity that takes over the city. A full-festival pass allows fans of all ages to see multiple concerts each night, not just the main-stage headliner, and there are always new artists to discover. Article content Bluesfest performers are chosen specifically because they put on great live shows, and the whole thing takes place, rain or shine, in a picturesque location next to the majestic Ottawa River in the capital of Canada. Article content Article content No matter who's on stage, the main appeal of Bluesfest is that it's a party every night. Or, more accurately, it's a bunch of parties with different vibes and demographics at each stage. You will meet new people and discover new music. Article content After over three decades, it's also a well-organized party, run by a core team of salaried staff members working out of an office at Festival House, a repurposed church on Churchill Street. At festival time, an army of volunteers springs into action to help things run smoothly. Article content Over the years, Bluesfest has evolved into a multi-genre concert event. Here's the daily schedule for the main stage (also known as the RBC Stage) in 2025. The headliner is listed first.
The Province
6 days ago
- The Province
Vancouver band Mother Mother celebrates 20 years with new album Nostalgia
Riding a career high, Mother Mother releases its 10th album Mother Mother headlined the 30th edition of Bluesfest in 2024 in Ottawa at Lebreton Flats. Here, Ryan Guldemond plays with his sister, Molly Guldemond. Photo by Julie Oliver / Postmedia Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Mother Mother is celebrating 20 years as a band with the release of its 10th album. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Titled Nostalgia, the Vancouver quintet's latest release lives up to its name, through the inclusion of material dating back to the band's beginnings, as well as new songs looking toward its future. There have been ups and downs for vocalist and lead guitarist Ryan Guldemond, vocalist and synthesizer player Molly Guldemond, vocalist and keyboardist Jasmin Parkin, drummer Ali Siadat and bassist Mike Young. The band was in a low in 2021 when its 2008 single, Hayloft I, went viral on Tik Tok. Then things took off. Suddenly finding itself in the midst of a massive career resurgence with media outlets such as Rolling Stone describing the song as the 'niche band's breakout,' the group followed the old track with a sequel, titled Hayloft II. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. With expanded global interest in its music and more touring opportunities, Mother Mother cemented its new fan connection with sharp new songs such as I Got Love, with its accompanying video comprised of submitted clips. That track was included on 2021's Inside. Grief Chapter followed in 2024. This February, the song Make Believe previewed the arrival of Nostalgia. Mother Mother Nostalgia album cover Warner Records The song captures the group's mix of driving grooves and angular, off-kilter harmony choruses that have been a characteristic of the band since the days when it had its first residency at The Blarney Stone in Gastown in 2005. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'In creating Nostalgia, our goal was to embody a childlike creativity, which often becomes elusive as we age and gather too many tricks,' said Ryan Guldemond. 'We evaluated every creative choice by its emotional impact — whether that was a lyric, a reverb trail, or an EQ curve. If something didn't evoke a strong emotional reaction, we let it go.' One song on the album that has always evoked a reaction, dating back to Mother Mother's earliest days, is Finger. Long a favourite in live performances, the cheeky challenge to society's double standards about what is/isn't appropriate placement of everything from digits to dinner choices, was always seen as a bit too much for including on a record. It is the oldest material on Nostalgia, but still sounds fresh. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Ali has been bugging me to produce Finger for 20 years, and I always thought it was a little too audacious,' he said. 'But the theme of this record is to celebrate 20 years and that includes that instinct that only young people possess when they first discover a passion and craft, and the absurd things that can be a byproduct of that discovery. Finger fits that brief and, I think, it could become a new anthem for our fan base.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Daydreaming can be a powerful drug that can produce valuable insights into very real things in life. A case in point is the opening song Love to Death, which dates back to 2008's O My Heart sessions. A popular bootleg live version has been cropping up online for the past decade, so it made sense to get a legit version on record. 'I think 20 years is a weird number where your adult life has been going on for that long,' he said. 'During that time, we have had a lot more than 20 opportunities to break up, and songs like Love to Death are reminders of that historic continuity. 'It seemed a time to celebrate it with a positive spin.' A song that's certain to become a winner in concert is On And On (Song for Jasmin), an upbeat banger expressing the deeply held love Guldemond has for his bandmate Parkin. A girl, he notes in a lyric, who 'I want to play guitar for' who helps him find a new apartment, among other things. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Jasmin is my very best friend in the world, beginning with us being a couple 18 years ago, and moving through breaking up and staying bandmates, to this very deep friendship that has refined and reinforced itself over the years,' he said. 'In 2020, her dad died and I was the one who had to deliver that unexpected, sad news. That was very bonding and, in the grip of that grief and connection, I wrote this song as an ode to my friend, as an attempt to encapsulate her incredible personality.' As time has passed, Mother Mother has become all the more adept at sharing the lead vocals between its three singers, seamlessly transitioning into the band's signature harmonies. Blending them on the floating, psychedelic folk of Station Wagon, to the call-and-response grooves of Me & You, Nostalgia is a showcase for vocals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Mother Mother, at its best, is three personalities shining through vocally. And there have been times where that may have been inhibited for certain reasons,' he said 'Really listening back over nine albums, when we were our best and most authentic, were when the vocals were at their most democratic and colourful. So, we honed in on that with songs like Better Than Me, which is Jasmine's lead, or the closing song, To Regret, which is Molly's lead.' For Ryan and his sister Molly, music-making began growing up on Quadra Island,. That upbringing has direct influence on Nostalgia, which has many acoustic-forward songs. More than half of the new record could be strummed around a beachside campfire. 'There is a certain, unfortunate bastardization in the studio that happens with beautiful songs born on acoustic guitars,' he said. 'This time, we wanted to keep that intact, as the heart of a song so often begins on an acoustic guitar or a piano. We have been doing a campfire moment in the live set, which people celebrate.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The band is touring Europe and debuting in Istanbul, Turkey, over the summer. Canadian dates are likely in 2026. Mother Mother live: from left, Molly Guldemond, Ryan Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin. Julie Oliver/Postmedia Photo by JULIE OLIVER / Postmedia Top 5 Mother Mother set list songs When you have logged 20 years, 10 albums and a load of hit singles along the timeline, selecting a set list becomes a challenge for all musicians. For Mother Mother, it's no different. 'It's an infuriating ordeal that takes a long time to put together,' admits Guldemond. 'It's obvious on paper what you need to do over 90 minutes — hits, new songs, deep cuts, campfire moment, a Molly song, a Jasmine song, etc. — but I've been working on it for a few months now. Obviously, Hayloft I and II are going to be there.' Here are the top 10 Mother Mother songs, according to 1. Hayloft 1 2. Bit By Bit 3. The Stand 4. O My Heart 5. Wrecking Ball 6. Ghosting 7. Verbatim 8. Burning Pile 9. Body of Years 10. Hayloft II sderdeyn@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Sports Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Whitecaps Local News
CTV News
19-05-2025
- CTV News
Killdeer nest successfully moved
The Bluesfest killdeer is settling in to its new home. A painstaking process of slowly moving the plover's eggs was completed Wednesday morning. Environment Canada gave Bluesfest permission to move the killdeer nest at LeBreton Flats to a nearby 'suitable habitat.' The four eggs of a mother killdeer have not yet hatched. The birds chose to nest in the centre of what will be the main stage for Bluesfest, a ten day music festival that will see tens of thousands of people enjoying music from popular acts like Bryan Adams, Beck, Shawn Mendes and Foo Fighters. Monika Melichar, with the Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary in Minden, Ont., drove to Ottawa to help move the eggs. They were placed in a small, imitation nest and carefully moved one metre at a time, roughly every hour. Killdeers are a protected species under the Migratory Bird Act, meaning organizers of Bluesfest couldn't move the nest or the eggs without permission, which was granted Tuesday. The nest was moved about seven metres Tuesday evening. Movement was a bit quicker in the morning, with the eggs placed in their new home, about 25 metres away from where the main stage will go, by about 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. So far, it appears the mother bird has not abandoned the nest, which some experts feared was a possibility. The festival did have a back-up plan, should the adult killdeer choose to abandon the eggs. They would have been taken back to Minden with Melichar, where they would have been incubated until they hatched, with the chicks released into the wild shortly afterward. 'The thing is these birds have now been elevated to celebrity status, everybody knows about them', said Dr. David Bird, an Ornithologist.
