Photos by Laura Carbone
The award-winning Tampa Bay Blues Festival celebrates its twenty-fifth year of bringing the very best blues music to the shores of Tampa Bay from April 12 to April 14, 2019. The festival is a nonprofit entity that raises funds for a local charity, PARC, an organization that assists developmentally challenged children and adults. Operating since 1995, the festival is set at the waterfront in Vinoy Park in the beautiful small city of St. Petersburg and over the decades has showcased some of the biggest names in blues music. It is also one of the largest blues music events in America and annually draws thousands of guests from around the world. The festival was honored in 2011 with a “Keeping the Blues Alive” Award for best U.S. Blues Festival.
This year, its silver anniversary promises to be the biggest one yet. In 2019, organizers have booked a stellar lineup of blues talent, including Boz Scaggs, Jonny Lang, Tab Benoit, Curtis Salgado, Samantha Fish, Kenny Neal, C.J. Chenier, Mr. Sipp, The Connection with Mike Welch and special guests, Vanessa Collier, Mike Zito and Rosie Ledet. International entries include the Blackburn Brothers from Canada and a Norwegian blues showcase featuring some of Norway’s best blues bands like JT Lauritsen and The Buckshot Hunters and Spoonful of Blues.
The four-day festival kicks off Thursday with a party at the historic Palladium Theater, followed by continuous music from noon until 10 PM, Friday through Sunday . People relax on lawn chairs, blankets and umbrellas on the palm-tree-lined grass festival grounds, cooled by a shore breeze. Around the periphery of the park vendors offer local foods as well as unique goods. For those seeking a bit of luxury, there’s also a first-class VIP program with front stage seating, beer, wine, lunch and dinner, with huge shade tents directly fronting Tampa Bay .
Friday and Saturday nights the music moves downtown to St . Petersburg with afterparty concerts in the downtown clubs, all within easy walking distance of great restaurants, shopping, hotels and nightclubs . The exceptional beaches of St. Pete Beach and Clearwater and the renowned Dali Art Museum are only a short drive away. This event offers a perfect blend of a Florida vacation and some of the best blues music in the world.
—Laura Carbone
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