Ottawa Bluesfest 2026 – Ottawa, ON

Ottawa Bluesfest 2026: Nine Nights, Six Stages

Gwen Stefani, Limp Bizkit, The Lumineers and more take over LeBreton Flats

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Cody Johnson opens, Limp Bizkit, HARDY, The Lumineers, Conan Gray, Lord Huron, Ella Langley and Gwen Stefani anchor the middle stretch, and The Guess Who close it out for Ottawa’s bicentennial — nine nights of genre-hopping headliners on the river at LeBreton Flats.

🎸 6 stages 🚊 Transit included 💚 CHEO Night Jul 12 🎉 Bicentennial finale

💡 Bluesfest isn’t one long weekend — it’s nine performance nights spread across eleven days, with a scheduled break on July 13 and 14. Buy single-day passes for the acts you actually want to see instead of committing to the whole run.

Why Go Schedule On-Site Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why Bluesfest Is Ottawa’s Biggest Summer Night Out

Bluesfest has grown well past its blues roots into Ottawa’s biggest music festival, pulling in an average of over 250,000 people across the run. The 2026 lineup leans hard into that genre-hopping reputation — Limp Bizkit and Cypress Hill share a bill with Steve Earle, Lucy Dacus and Social Distortion land on the same night, and a reunited Guess Who closes things out as part of Ottawa’s 200th anniversary celebrations.

The setting is a big part of the draw. LeBreton Flats Park sits right on the Ottawa River with sightlines to Parliament, next to the Canadian War Museum, and the six-stage layout means there’s almost always something happening within a short walk, from the RBC main stage out front to the DJ sets down by the water at the Sleepwell Big Chill.

Because it’s structured as single-day tickets rather than one flat festival pass, it’s easy to pick your nights: country with Cody Johnson or HARDY, pop with Gwen Stefani or Conan Gray, rock with Lord Huron or Social Distortion, or the free-admission daytime programming on the closing Sunday.

🎤 Night-by-Night Headliners

Nine performance nights over eleven days, with a break on July 13 and 14. Each night runs its own bill across the RBC Stage, the Hard Rock & Casino Ottawa Stage, the LeBreton Stage tent, and the Barney Danson Theatre inside the War Museum.

Monday, July 13 & Tuesday, July 14 — no shows, festival dark

🍹 Bars, Bites & Hangouts On Site

Beyond the stages, the grounds are dotted with bars, food, and activations worth building breaks around.

Casa Loco Cantina Crazy Horse Saloon The Motel Bar The Fort Sleepwell Big Chill + Spin Stage Little Victories Coffee Roasters Mary Brown’s Chicken Sunrise Records tent Germotte Poster Gallery Circle K pop-up SFR Whisky Chapel WaterAid free refill stations

📋 Essentials

🚗 Getting There & Parking

LeBreton Flats Park sits at the corner of Kichi Zībī Mīkan and Booth Street, right beside the Canadian War Museum and across the Chaudières Bridge from Gatineau.

Transit: OC Transpo and O-Train service is included with every ticket. The park is a short walk from Pimisi Station on Line 1 — plan your trip at octranspo.com.

Parking: Paid parking is available at the Canadian War Museum and on neighbouring streets. Space is limited, so transit or ride-share is the easier option most nights.

Taxi & rideshare: A taxi stand is located at the intersection of Lett and Wellington Street (eastbound). A Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa Platinum & VIP shuttle also runs at regular intervals for pass holders in those tiers.

By bike: Take the Ottawa River Pathway. A bike parking lot is available on the east side of Booth Street, open 3:30 PM–11:30 PM each festival day.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

📸 Leave the pro camera at home. Professional video and photography equipment isn’t allowed on site, along with outside cans, posters, and noisemakers.

🎒 Bags get checked. Expect a bag check and metal detector at the gates. Prohibited items can be checked for a fee, but it’s simpler to just leave them at home.

☀️ Rain or shine. The festival goes ahead in most weather. Check the festival’s social media and the city’s road/weather alerts before heading out on marginal days.

💧 Bring a refillable bottle. WaterAid runs free refill stations on the grounds, so there’s no need to buy bottled water all night.

🎟️ Book the nights you actually want. With single-day pricing varying by lineup, it’s usually cheaper to pick 2–3 headliners than to buy the full nine-night pass unless you’re planning to go most nights.

CHEO Night — July 12 💚

Ottawa Bluesfest partners with CHEO on The Lumineers’ night to support pediatric care in the region. Donations are accepted online and at point-of-sale locations across the grounds throughout the festival.

❓ Common Questions