News Archive

2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival raises funds to fights hunger
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Stellar musicians, enthusiastic volunteers, committed sponsors and thousands of blues fans helped make the 20th annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, a rousing success. Read more.

2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival goes green
PORTLAND, Ore. (July 2, 2007) --The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union is known for its stellar blues. But this year it’s adding more green to its palette. Read more.

POVA honors Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival with 2007 Rose City Award
PORTLAND, Ore. (July 2, 2007) --The Portland Oregon Visitors Association presented the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival with its Rose City Award, Thursday, June 28. The award honored the festival for making a significant, positive impact on the region's tourism industry. Read more.

Mayor proclaims Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival Week
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 27, 2007) -- Portland Mayor Tom Potter officially proclaimed  July 4 to 8, 2007, as The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival Week, at today’s Portland City Council meeting and encouraged all residents to observe the festival’s 20th anniversary. Read more.

FedEx Freight Workshop stage to offer rich learning experience
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 18, 2007) -- It’s intimate. It’s dynamic. It’s the FedEx Freight Workshop Stage, the little gem of the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, July 4 to 8, 2007.Read more.

2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival to feature 'feel-the-thunder' fireworks, July 4
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 18, 2007) -- It's a Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival tradition! The festival kicks off this year on Wednesday, July 4, with a spectacular display of fireworks at 10:05 p.m. after the evening's final performance. Read more.

Bring your mail to the 20th Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival for commemorative postmark
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 18, 2007) --Bring your letters, cards and postcards to the 2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, and mail them off with a special postmark authorized by the Postal Service just for this year's festival. The post mark will be available ...

International artist to make rainbow. Just bring sunshine
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 18, 2007) -- "Bring sunshine." You can't make rainbows without sunshine, and artist Fred Stern wants to make one.

Can't get enough of the blues? Stick around for after-concert events
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 18, 2007) -- After the concert ends, you'll still find lots to doing including ...

Louisiana Pavilion to feature celebrity chef, Gulf Coast Fish Shack, Loretta's New Orleans Authentic Pralines
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 18, 2007) -- The 2007 Waterfront Blues Festival will introduce the DME French Quarter Marketplace with celebrity Chef Cris Pasia, Loretta's New Orleans Authentic Pralines, Gulf Coast Fish Shack, Royalblues Art Gallery and more ...

What makes the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival so special?
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 14, 2007) -- It's an anomaly in the festival world.  Here's why ...

What's new?
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 14, 2007) -- This year's festival is packed with special features.

What's for kids?
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 14, 2007) --Bring the whole family. There's lots for kids to do.

'Where can I get one of those cool buttons?'
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 14, 2007) --“Where can I get one of those cool festival buttons?” That’s one of the most frequent questions at past Safeway Waterfront Blues Festivals.

Tickets now on sale for five-day festival pass, 9 DME Blues Cruises
PORTLAND, Ore. (Updated June 6, 2007) -- Tickets are now on sale for special five-day festival passes and an expanded schedule of nine DME Blues Cruises. Read more.

Festival etiquette and essentials
PORTLAND, Ore. (Updated June 25, 2007) -- What to bring, what to leave home, what's available on site and more. Read more.

Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, celebrating 20 years of blue, community and fighting hunger, July 4-8, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. (Updated June 6, 2007) -- Pack your bags for beautiful Portland, Ore., this July and celebrate 20 glorious years of blues, community and fighting hunger at the 2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union. The five-day festival will run Wednesday, July 4, to Sunday, July 8, 2007, on the grassy banks of the Willamette River in downtown Portland.

Festival artists win 2007 Blues Music Awards
PORTLAND, Ore. (May 10, 2007) -- The Blues Foundation announced winners of the 2007 Blues Music Award -- the blues industry's Grammy Awards -- May 10. Hear some of the winners at this year's festival.

Carey Bell died
CHICAGO, Ill. (May 7, 2007) -- We regret that blues harmonica master Carey Bell, who was scheduled to perform a duo with his son Lurrie Bell at the 2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, has died. He was 70 eyars old. Lurrie will perform at the festival.

Blues world loses harmonica master Paul deLay
PORTLAND, Ore. (March 8, 2007) -- The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival lost a big friend today. Paul deLay, "the larger-than-life Portland bluesman," was known throughout the world for his soulful harmonica playing and was a beloved tradition at the Waterfront Blues Festival.

Celebrate 20 years of fabulous blues and fighting hunger, July 4-8, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. (Feb. 20, 2007) -- Plan now to attend the 2007 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, July 4 to 8, 2007, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the banks of the beautiful Willamette River in downtown Portland.

Reel Blues films to celebrate blues legends and more
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 12, 2007) --After the musicians leave the stages, the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival continues into the night with two special outdoor screenings on the First Tech Blues Stage.

Waterfront Blues Festival to benefit Oregon Food Bank
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 12, 2007) --All Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival admission donations directly benefit Oregon Food Bank's work to eliminate hunger and its root causes. Admission is a donation of $8 and two cans of food per person per day.

BLUES for KATRINA raises $125,000 for Gulf Coast hurricane relief
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 27, 2005) -- Oregonians opened their hearts and their wallets and contributed $125,000 for Gulf Coast relief at BLUES for KATRINA, presented by the Waterfront Blues Festival, Sept. 25, 2005.

BLUES for KATRINA, a benefit Gulf Coast hurricane relief
BLUES for KATRINA, a benefit for Gulf Coast hurricane relief, presented by Waterfront Blues Festival, Sunday, Sept. 25, 1 to 7 p.m., at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon.

All-day benefit concert to raise funds for Gulf Coast Hurricane disaster relief
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 23, 2005) -- Help raise $100,000 for Gulf Coast disaster relief at BLUES for KATRINA, an all-day benefit concert, presented by the Waterfront Blues Festival, Sept. 25, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Oregon Food Bank thanks community for successful Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival
PORTLAND, Ore. (July 7, 2005) The annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, not only attracts the finest blues artists from throughout the world, it's also a major fund-raiser to sukpport OFB and its work to elimiante hunger and its root causes.

Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Shemekia Copela, Oliver Mtukudzi, the subdudes to highlight 2005 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, July 1-4, 2005
The 2005 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, includes some of the finest blues artists in the nation. read more >>

Find out who's performing on six different Blues Cruises
Cruise the Willamette River on the Portland Spirit with Charlie Musselwhite, Kenny Neal Band, Mark Lemhouse, Dufy Bishop, Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Guitar Shorty, the Campbell Brothers, Doyle Brahmhall, the Vipers and many, many more. Read more

HSBC Workshop Stage highlights The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival offers a full line-up of educational workshops, performances and children’s programming. Read more.

Northwest Film Center invites blues fans to two special outdoor screenings on the Oregonian A&E Front Porch Stage at the 2005 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival. Read more.

Handy Award Winners to perform at Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, Shemekia Copeland and Kenny Neal & Billy Branch all won 2005 Handy Awards at the prestigious 26th annual W.C. Handy Ceremony in May. And they all will perform at the 2005 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland in July. Read more.

Oregon Potters to create thousands of Empty Bowls
Blues fans will find more than music at the 18th annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, July 1 to 4. They'll also find thousands of beautiful, handcrafted bowls. read more >>

May 25, 2004--Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival 2004 announces performance schedule
May 25, 2004--2004 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival today announced the performance schedule for each of the four fabulous festival days. Headliners include Keb' Mo, Jonny Lang, Canned Heat and The Holmes Brothers and more.

Festival talent coordinator receives national Keeping the Blues Alive Award
The national Blues Foundation honored Peter Dammann, talent coordinator for the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, with the prestigious 2001 Keeping the blues Alive Award for Promoter of the Year. read more >>

June 21, 2004 --Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival to celebrate Howlin' Wolf

June 21, 2004 --Household Workshop Stage to offer more workshops for children, novices and experts

June 3, 2004 -- Northwest Film Center to present two late-night screenings: 'Hubert Sumlin: Living the Blues' and 'The Howlin'

March 10, 2004 -- Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival 2004 celebrates the blues, July 2 to July 5, 2004.

Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival and Portland Spirit to present five fabulous Blues Cruises

May 25, 2004 --Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival 2004 announces performance schedule

Portland's Genuine Blues to benefit Oregon Food Bank

June 21, 2004 --Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival to celebrate Howlin' Wolf

June 21, 2004 - Household Workshop Stage to offer more workshops for children, novices and experts

June 3, 2004 Northwest Film Center to present two late-night screenings: 'Hubert Sumlin: Living the Blues' and 'The Howlin'
Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival 2004 to feature Keb Mo and Jonny Lang