 |
Bluesfest went out on a high note last night with a disco reunion party featuring KC and the Sunshine Band, diva Gloria Gaynor, Sister Sledge and Tavares in front of 10,000 fans.
The sold-out event capped a remarkable 2006 Bluesfest.
While it wasn’t exactly a blues summit, the party atmosphere capped off what has been, as Bluesfest’s executive director Mark Monahan neatly summed up, “one of the best years ever for the festival.”
In a press release, organizers said the 10-day festival drew more than 250,000 paying customers, topping 2005’s then-record tally of 220,000. The festival’s total budget for 2006 topped $4 million.
Sales jump 25%
Monahan pointed to a beefed-up $1.8-million budget for talent that put headline-level talent on all four of the festival’s stages, including the new MBNA stage at Lisgar Collegiate. Sales of general admission passes alone jumped 25%.
While main stage concerts by Nelly Furtado, Blue Rodeo, Etta James and Wilco drew the largest crowds, strong houses for Dickey Betts, Luker Doucet, Junior Brown, Dave Alvin and The New Pornographers on the MBNA, Blues and Blacksheep stages also helped the festival set an attendance record.
“We were maxed out this year,” Monahan said. “We were able to offer a higher level of talent who would normally headline in the past, are now playing on our sidestages. It was like a festival within a festival.”
Despite this year’s success, Monahan expects changes in the festival’s format for 2007.
“It can always get better, we have to keep moving Bluesfest forward.”