The New York
State Blues Festival is excited to
announce its 2021 event! We are thrilled to share the news of a new location,
as this year's event will be held at Chevy Court inside the New York State
Fairgrounds! The fest is FREE to attend and it will run
Thursday, June 24 through Saturday, June 26 with a lineup that will once again
bring Central New York to its feet with three days of live music.
Moving the festival to a larger venue
allows for a greater capacity with vaccinated and unvaccinated sections. Even though a vaccination will not be required to attend this
event, proof of a vaccination must be shown upon entry to the festival grounds.
As per CDC and New
York State guidelines, non- vaccinated attendees will be required to
wear a mask and practice social distancing while navigating within the festival
parameters. The New York State Rhythm & Blues Festival, Inc. requires
non-vaccinated attendees to obtain a free ticket, available on EventBrite.
Parking will be available in the fairgrounds’ Brown Lot for
$10 per vehicle. Motorcycles can park in a designated area of the lot at $5 per
bike. ADA parking will be available in the Emerald Lot for $10 as well.
Sponsored by
T. J. Sheehan Distributing, the 2021VIP package will include a boxed meal from one of our
fantastic festival vendors, access to the Bud Light Blues Club VIP Area with
wine & beer, plus preferred seating in front of the stage. Proof of
vaccination is required to enter the VIP tent. Tickets are available through
the New York State Blues Festival’s website.
VIP ticket prices are as follows:
· Thursday - $75
· Friday - $100
· Saturday - $150
· Friday & Saturday two-day - $200
· Three-day - $275
The three day event kicks off on Thursday,
June 24 at 5:00 p.m. on the ProAct
Main Stage with Pennsylvania’s own Gabe
Stillman Band, Best Guitar Band
winner of the International Blues Challenge #35, presented by the Blues
Foundation. Capping off the first night will be Robert
Randolph & the Family Band! Celebrating their Grammy nominated 2019 release, Brighter
Days, the Family Band’s return to Syracuse will easily make the first
night a memorable experience.
On Friday, June 25, the headliner is no
stranger to blues enthusiasts. The
Fabulous Thunderbirds will indeed draw a
few dedicated fans to the fairgrounds for the evening. “These musicians are so
natural and effortless that it’s easy to see why no overdubs (referring to the
recording of Strong Like That) were required. Like Wilson, they live and
breathe the real deal blues.” – Glide
Magazine
Chevy Court will be rockin’ into the night as Larkin Poe closes out the 2021 New York State Blues
Festival on Saturday, June 26. This incredibly talented sister act was the
Thursday night headliner for the fest in 2018 and had Clinton Square bursting
with energy. “Larkin Poe are preachin’ the blues and convertin’ the masses.” – Guitar World
The complete lineup includes:
LARKIN POE
ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND
THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS
CAROLYN WONDERLAND
VANESSA COLLIER
GHOST TOWN BLUES BAND
RAY FULLER AND THE BLUESROCKERS
THE GABE STILLMAN BAND
THE RIPCORDS
MILLER AND THE OTHER SINNERS
DIANA JACOBS BLUES BAND
JANE ZELL & THE ZELLTONES
COLIN ABERDEEN & MAX EYLE
HOT DOGS & GIN
CHRIS MERKLEY
MARK NANNI
RYAN HOLWEGER
The full schedule is as follows:
Thursday, June 24
5pm -
6:15pm Gabe Stillman Band
7pm -
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Friday, June 25
4pm
- Hot Dogs & Gin
5pm -
Jane Zell and The Zelltones
6pm -
Ray Fuller & the Bluesrockers
7:10pm
- Chris Merkley
7:30pm
- Vanessa Collier Band
8:40pm
- Chris Merkley
9pm -
Fabulous Thunderbirds
Saturday, June 26
1:30pm
- Ryan Holweger
2pm -
2:45pm - Diana Jacobs Blues Band
2:45pm
- Ryan Holweger
3:05pm
- 4:05pm - Miller and The Other Sinners
4:10pm
- Mark Nanni
4:30pm
- The Ripcords
5:40pm
- Mark Nanni
6pm -
Ghost Town Blues Band
7:10pm
- Colin Aberdeen & Max Eyle
7:30pm
- Carolyn Wonderland
8:40pm
- Colin Aberdeen & Max Eyle
9pm -
Larkin Poe
Visit the website
and check out artist bios for this very talented lineup, then
make your plans to visit Chevy Court for the largest free blues festival in the Northeast!
Questions can be directed to Festival Director, Eric McElveen,
or Secretary, Babette
Puzey.