Riverfront Blues Festival lineup touts local, national talent

Matt Moore

The News Journal

Headliner Kenny Neal takes the main stage during the Saturday edition of the 2017 Riverfront Blues Festival in Wilmington's Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park.

A hallmark of summer in the city, Wilmington's Riverfront Blues Festival is back with a newly announced lineup, boasting a wide range of renowned talent and local mainstays.

This year's blues festival will once again take place in Tubman-Garrett Park on Wilmington's Christiana Riverfront, and is set to from Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug 5.

Now in its 21st year, the blues festival has become a celebrated tradition, allowing locals and travelers a chance to sing, dance, eat and drink throughout the weekend, while some of the best talents in blues converge on the Riverfront.

The festival has drawn between 10-11,000 people in recent years, according to a 2017 estimate from Shefon Taylor, with marketing and special projects in the mayor’s office of cultural affairs.

Mayor Mike Purzycki and Acting City Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz joined with the Diamond State Blues Society Tuesday to announce this year's schedule of performances.

The music begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3, noon on Saturday, Aug. 4, and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5.

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