The inaugural Kitsap Blues Festival will kick off Labor Day weekend, with local and national acts coming to the Kitsap Fairgrounds for a three-day event organized in partnership with the Admiral Theater.
“We’re going to have so much live music at the fair the week before that it just created the opportunity. The stages will be set, the sound systems will be in place, so Labor Day weekend seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring artists of this caliber and this level.” Jamie Jensen, the entertainment director for the Kitsap Fair and Stampede Association said.
Specifically, there has been a demand for blues in the Kitsap region and all over the country, Jensen said.
“With the artists that we have, it just brings a whole new energy,” she said. “Blues is just exploding in the market and people are just chomping at the bit to get out and do things and so we have an opportunity to be outside in the summer and it’s just an amazing place, so the Kitsap Blues Festival was born out of that.”
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Locals are not the only expected guests at the festival.
With the event being on Labor Day weekend they are hoping for those on the western side of Washington to come enjoy the festival's activities and performances.
“It’s so easy to just get across the water, come up from Olympia, get out of Seattle or Bellevue and get to Kitsap County,” Jensen said.
Nate Murphy, operations director for Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre said, this festival will be a natural extension for the performances of the Admiral Theater, the Fair and Stampede Association.
“We expect to welcome music lovers from all over Kitsap and around the Northwest,” Murphy said.
Friday, Aug. 31, they will kick off the festival with some local music favorites like the Front Street Review, Rafael Tranquilino and Kara Hesse.
“Friday night is going to be three hours of just a ton of fun, high-energy music to launch the event,” Jensen said.
Saturday, Aug. 31, they will have stages and music all day long and will end at night with Joanne Shaw Taylor.
Jensen said that these are big names in blues, so they are excited to have them as part of the event. Then on Sunday, Sep. 1, they will end with Samantha Fish, who is currently tearing up the blues charts.
“There are many festival options this and every summer, but we specifically wanted to present an incredible lineup of world-class artists that our locals can enjoy without having to travel outside the county,” Murphy said.
Jensen said they had the opportunity with the location of the fairgrounds to open Washington State up to incredible music at a venue that seems perfectly made for outdoor music and camping.
The Kitsap Stampede Association and the Admiral Theater are committed to building this into an annual event.
“The fact is we live in one of the richest arts and live music regions in the Northwest, and especially for Kitsap locals, people want affordable, world-class live entertainment right here at home, and they want to get out and have some fun,” Murphy said.
There will be live music, great food, beverage options, R.V./ tent camping options and time outdoors to catch up with friends and family in a fun, safe environment. The Kitsap Blues Music Festival will have something for everyone, he said.
“We kind of went with what we could do this year, sharing all of the revenue and sharing all of the expenses, so that does help,” Jensen said.
If members of the public want to make donations to either organization to help cover festival costs, donations are welcome at admiraltheatre.org.
“We have an amazing lineup this year, and so [we] can’t wait to see how we can grow this for the future and just really make the Kitsap Fairgrounds and make Bremerton and the Kitsap Blues Fest a destination for years to come,” Jensen said.
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