OTTAWA, Canada (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — RBC Bluesfest organizers announced that they will be enhancing their programming and offering a new and expanded selection of artists, thanks to $247,500 in funding from the Ontario Government’s Celebrate Ontario program. This funding will increase multiple-day pass sales and attract more out-of-province tourists to the event. The increased tourism will result in an additional $2 million dollars in economic impact, adding to Bluesfest’s current $30 million impact. This will also result in the creation of 50 new full-time equivalent jobs, in addition to the 280 full-time equivalent jobs the festival already creates each year.
The RBC Bluesfest was launched in Ottawa in 1994 and has grown from a one-stage, three-day event with a budget of $10,000 to a multi-staged, two-week music extravaganza with a budget of $12 million. The festival is the largest music festival in Ontario and one of the most respected events in Canada. It has also been rated as one of the most successful outdoor music festivals in North America by Billboard Magazine.
“This will go a long way to ensuring the RBC Bluesfest stays centre-stage in terms of major events in North America,” says RBC Bluesfest executive director, Mark Monahan. “We've established a reputation for world-class programming and production values. Thanks to Celebrate Ontario, we’ll not only maintain that footing, but enhance it.”
–by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
