Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival is returning for 2025 (July 4 and 5) with a scaled-back format this year. Festival Artistic Director Peter Dammann told KBOO that this year's event will feature a smaller but more focused lineup, adapting to the challenging economic realities facing music festivals worldwide.
"The cost of producing these big festivals has gotten very expensive very quickly," Dammann explains. "To be brutally honest, festivals all over the world are facing similar challenges, and a lot have pulled the plug. We're trying to figure it out while keeping the festival accessible and maintaining what makes it special."
Despite the shorter run, the festival promises an impressive lineup that showcases both established artists and rising talent. Headliners include Allen Stone and Low Cut Connie, described by Dammann as "a hard rocking sort of modern version of Jerry Lee Lewis."
Southern Avenue also plays - the Memphis-based band’s lead singer Tierinii Jackson wrote and performed "Can't Win For Losing" in the hit movie “Sinners".
Singer-songwriter Son Little, whom Dammann calls “a neo-blues Americana artist,” is returning. Little produced a Grammy-winning song for Mavis Staples 2015 EP, "Your Good Fortune."
The festival will also feature special collaborations, including an Etta James tribute starring LaRhonda Steele ("The First Lady of Portland Blues”), Lady Cat, and Lisa Mann, with a seven piece horn section led by Chris Mercer, a British expatriate saxophonist and arranger who has played with John Mayall, Dr. John, Freddie King, Billy Ocean, and Bryan Ferry. Also up is Kris Deelane’s Psychedelic Soul Revue.
Friday climaxes with The Main Squeeze followed by downtown’s only patriotic fireworks, and Saturday with Allen Stone.
Local talent remains a cornerstone of the festival with Pacific Northwest blues artists like Tevis Hodge Jr., a Delta blues specialist, and Ben Rice, who leads a big horn band called The PDX Hustle. The festival will also feature The Motet, a Denver-based funk-soul band now fronted by Portland vocalist Sarah Clark.
The festival's physical layout is getting a makeover as well. Rather than the traditional four-stage setup, organizers are featuring two stages in “the bowl.”. One stage will be positioned down in the middle of the bowl along the waterline, while the second will be located “up in the trees,” creating what Dammann describes as a "tree house" atmosphere. Music will play non-stop in the bowl between these two stages.
The Front Porch Stage, which focused on Zydeco and Cajun music and had its own dancefloor, will not be there this year, although Cajun acts can still be found on the other stages, such as Portland’s Too Loose Cajun/Zydeco Band.
The festival is still committed to community access, offering free admission to kids 12 and younger, free admission to those with Oregon Trail (EBT) cards,and providing hundreds of complimentary passes to community organizations. The festival began in 1988 as a benefit for Oregon Food Share, which grew into the Oregon Food Bank which was a key festival organizer until they stepped away in 2018 due to costs. The days of tossing two jars of Skippy in a bin as the price of admission are long over, but price accessibility remains a priority despite budget constraints. Single-day tickets starting at $40. Dammann says that’s less than what concertgoers would pay to see headliner Allen Stone alone at venues around the region.
Dammann emphasizes that the festival continues to serve as "the major outdoor forum for blues and soul acts in the Northwest." No other concert series or festival in the region has showcased more regional talent over the years.
Potential developments to Waterfront Park could actually benefit the festival's future. Proposed improvements that would include permanent staging and infrastructure could reduce the substantial setup costs that currently challenge the event's economics.
"For 38 years, the Waterfront Blues Festival has brought out the best in Portland," Dammann reflects. "It reweaves the community together over the Fourth of July weekend and celebrates what's really great about this city."
The 2025 Waterfront Blues Festival takes place July 4-5 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, with fireworks capping off Friday night's performances. Complete lineup details are here.
The festival will be carried live on KBOO 90.7FM and KBOO.fm
Tickets are also available on the door, day-of, depending on availability.