It's hard to believe that a city as lame as Ottawa can attract such a huge lineup. The real upside of this festival is that because it's held in a town populated with cheap civil servants, the ticket prices are unbelievable. $195 for a full festival wristband that can be shared between everyone, or $99 for 3 days. If this festival were anywhere else, those prices would be at least doubled.
The wife and I are going, buying wristbands this morning. I've got family there, so accomodation is taken care of. She's had Bjork and Belle and Sebastian on her bucket list for a long time, and I've always wanted to see Weezer, so we're pretty pumped.
If anyone is contemplating going, I'd highly recommend it. The festival itself is very well organized, and while the crowds are big, it's a pretty diverse and easy going crowd (although that can sometimes change a bit dependent on the daily lineup). Think about 5,000 people more than Folk Fest, but with far less patchouli, female body hair and hula hoops.
As well, Bluesfast overlaps with Montreal Jazz (at the start) and Just for Laughs (at the end), both of which are also great festivals. Montreal is only 2 hours by car or train.
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