Blues festivals

6 festivals still to come with Blues on the bill, carrying 19 of the 25 Blues acts we track. Every act has a page: which festivals they play, what time they go on once the festival says, and what they sound like if the name is new to you.

Blues on a festival stage runs loud. A trio with cranked amps carries further outdoors than it has any right to, slide work and a shuffle beat doing the heavy lifting. Country blues acts work smaller: one voice, one resonator guitar, amplified just enough to reach the back of a tent.

These sets land in the afternoon more often than after dark, on side stages and under canvas where the sound holds together. Songs stretch, a four minute number turning into ten while the band trades solos. The crowd packs in close to the front and dances, then thins out onto the grass with a drink.

Blues festivals in 2026

Every bill still ahead of you with real Blues on it, deepest first. A festival needs at least 2 Blues acts to be here, so one stray booking on a bill about something else does not count.

Who carries Blues this season

All 25 acts we have tagged Blues, sorted six ways. The lists disagree with each other, and the names they disagree about are usually the ones worth hearing.

Booked the most in 2026

The Blues acts who spent 2026 on the road. Go to more than one festival and you have probably seen a few of them already.

  1. 1Nat Myers5Korean-American country-blues revivalist — National steel guitar and dust-bowl holler, prewar blues played like breaking news.
  2. 2Alabama Shakes3Brittany Howard's voice is the whole argument — southern soul-rock that sounds like it was recorded in a room too small for it.
  3. 3Jack White3The White Stripes' architect, still committed to analog friction — old amps, unrehearsed setlists, and a guitar tone like a blown speaker.
  4. 4Anders Osborne2New Orleans guitar poet — swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.
  5. 5Charley Crockett2Honky-tonk and Gulf Coast blues delivered by a genuine road-worn troubadour with a hat and a story to match — an album-a-year work rate straight from the old school.
  6. 6Highly Suspect2Bluesy, scuffed-up rock delivered with a chip on the shoulder and a genuine gift for a chorus — grit and hooks at festival scale.
  7. 7Larkin Poe2The Lovell sisters play slide guitar and harmony vocals with a Georgia blues fluency that took years to earn — roots-rock swagger, zero costume.

Most upcoming bookings

Everything still ahead of us, for anyone with festivals left on the calendar.

  1. 1Alabama Shakes2Brittany Howard's voice is the whole argument — southern soul-rock that sounds like it was recorded in a room too small for it.
  2. 2Anders Osborne2New Orleans guitar poet — swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.
  3. 3Charley Crockett2Honky-tonk and Gulf Coast blues delivered by a genuine road-worn troubadour with a hat and a story to match — an album-a-year work rate straight from the old school.
  4. 4Jack White2The White Stripes' architect, still committed to analog friction — old amps, unrehearsed setlists, and a guitar tone like a blown speaker.
  5. 5Nat Myers2Korean-American country-blues revivalist — National steel guitar and dust-bowl holler, prewar blues played like breaking news.

Most headline slots

The names printed in the biggest type, trusted to send everyone home.

  1. 1Jack White2The White Stripes' architect, still committed to analog friction — old amps, unrehearsed setlists, and a guitar tone like a blown speaker.

Most places played

Whose year reads like a world tour that happened to be made of festivals.

  1. 1Nat Myers5Korean-American country-blues revivalist — National steel guitar and dust-bowl holler, prewar blues played like breaking news.
  2. 2Alabama Shakes3Brittany Howard's voice is the whole argument — southern soul-rock that sounds like it was recorded in a room too small for it.
  3. 3Jack White3The White Stripes' architect, still committed to analog friction — old amps, unrehearsed setlists, and a guitar tone like a blown speaker.
  4. 4Anders Osborne2New Orleans guitar poet — swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.
  5. 5Charley Crockett2Honky-tonk and Gulf Coast blues delivered by a genuine road-worn troubadour with a hat and a story to match — an album-a-year work rate straight from the old school.
  6. 6Highly Suspect2Bluesy, scuffed-up rock delivered with a chip on the shoulder and a genuine gift for a chorus — grit and hooks at festival scale.

All 25 Blues acts

Nat MyersAlabama ShakesJack WhiteAnders OsborneCharley CrockettHighly SuspectLarkin PoeAbigail DowdAndrew ScotchieArtur MenezesBlackstratbluesDabeullEverlastGary Clark Jr.Hubby JenkinsJackie VensonJerron PaxtonJoan OsborneMarcus King BandRett MadisonSarah PotenzaSlothrustSolomon HicksTedeschi Trucks BandThe California Honeydrops

Blues festivals: common questions

What festivals have the most Blues in 2026?

Bourbon & Beyond 2026 (4 Blues acts), NC Folk Festival 2026 (4 Blues acts), Austin City Limits 2026 (2 Blues acts). We count the acts on each published lineup rather than going by how a festival bills itself, so this is the depth of the actual Blues booking.

Where can I see Blues live in 2026?

6 festivals still to come have Blues on the bill. The next is NC Folk Festival 2026, September 18–20, 2026 at Downtown Greensboro, NC, with 4 Blues acts playing.

Which Blues artists are playing the most festivals in 2026?

Nat Myers (5), Alabama Shakes (3), Jack White (3), Anders Osborne (2), Charley Crockett (2). Counted per festival across the whole season, finished bills included.

How many Blues acts are playing festivals in 2026?

25 Blues acts appear on the lineups we track, across 6 festivals still to come. Each one has a page with its dates, stages and set times wherever the festival has published them.

Other genres

Indie (370)EDM (347)Alternative (295)Punk (277)Rock (249)Pop (245)Hip-Hop (236)House (216)Metal (205)Folk and Americana (182)R&B and Soul (153)Country (138)Hardcore (120)Dubstep and Bass (119)Techno (109)Bluegrass (74)Emo (58)Latin (53)Shoegaze and Dream Pop (48)Trance (44)Psychedelic (34)Jazz (31)Drum & Bass (25)Hardstyle and Hard Dance (24)Reggae and Dancehall (23)

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