Blues festivals

2 festivals still to come with Blues on the bill, carrying 9 of the 26 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 26 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. 4The Marcus King Band3Greenville, South Carolina bandleader who sings and plays guitar with a weight well beyond his years — blues-rock rooted in Southern soul rather than revivalism.
  5. 5Anders 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.
  6. 6Charley 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.
  7. 7Highly Suspect2Bluesy, scuffed-up rock delivered with a chip on the shoulder and a genuine gift for a chorus — grit and hooks at festival scale.
  8. 8Larkin 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 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. 4The Marcus King Band3Greenville, South Carolina bandleader who sings and plays guitar with a weight well beyond his years — blues-rock rooted in Southern soul rather than revivalism.
  5. 5Anders 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.
  6. 6Charley 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.
  7. 7Highly 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 26 Blues acts

Nat MyersAlabama ShakesJack WhiteThe Marcus King BandAnders OsborneCharley CrockettHighly SuspectLarkin PoeAbigail DowdAndrew ScotchieArtur MenezesBlackstratbluesDabeullEverlastGary Clark Jr.Hubby JenkinsJackie VensonJerron PaxtonJoan OsborneRett MadisonRobert PlantSarah PotenzaSlothrustSolomon HicksTedeschi Trucks BandThe California Honeydrops

Blues festivals: common questions

What festivals have the most Blues in 2026?

Austin City Limits 2026 (2 Blues acts), Raleigh Wide Open 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?

2 festivals still to come have Blues on the bill. The next is Raleigh Wide Open 2026, October 1–3, 2026 at Downtown Raleigh, NC, with 2 Blues acts playing.

Which Blues artists are playing the most festivals in 2026?

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

How many Blues acts are playing festivals in 2026?

26 Blues acts appear on the lineups we track, across 2 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 (349)Alternative (295)Punk (277)Rock (249)Pop (245)Hip-Hop (236)House (216)Metal (205)Folk and Americana (183)R&B and Soul (153)Country (141)Hardcore (120)Dubstep and Bass (119)Techno (109)Bluegrass (74)Emo (58)Latin (53)Shoegaze and Dream Pop (47)Trance (44)Psychedelic (34)Jazz (31)Drum & Bass (25)Hardstyle and Hard Dance (24)Reggae and Dancehall (23)

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