To make the festival enjoyable for everyone!
Festival dates
The 26th annual Waterfront Blues Festival kicks off with the DME Hoodoo Moon Blues Cruise at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, before the main days of the festival begin. The festival runs Thursday, July 4, to Sunday, July 7, 2013.
Entry
For the first three days of the festival, July 4 through 6, 2013, entry is a suggested donation of $10 (or more) plus two cans (or more) of food per person per day (more if you are able) OR the special festival pass you purchase online – making this festival one of the great entertainment bargains of the summer. Those contributing $10 will receive a sticker.
Festival passes are required for all ages on Sensational Sunday, July 7, 2013. Learn more.
100 percent of pass sales and gate donations benefit Oregon Food Bank's mission to eliminate hunger and its root causes. So, please be generous. The need is at record-high levels.
The festival also offers four levels of special passes with fabulous perks:
• Blues Patron
• Blues Benefactor
• Blues Buddy
• Blues Basic
Blues Buddies and Blues Basic Pass holders must wear the issued wristband throughout all days of the festival. Patrons and Benefactors must wear the issued credential throughout all days of the festival. We've switched to wristbands, a standard among large festivals, to save cost and help OFB meet its fundraising goal for the festival this year.
To purchase passes, visit http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/Entry-and-Passes/Festival-Passes.
Delta Music Experience Blues Cruise tickets are available in advance at http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/Entry-and-Passes/DME-Blues-Cruises via Ticket Tomato or (if still available) onsite at the festival Ticket Booth.
Oregon Food Bank, a charitable, nonprofit, owns and operates the festival. The festival is OFB’s major fundraiser. Oregon Food Bank’s mission: to eliminate hunger and its root causes … because no one should be hungry.
Smoking in designated areas only.
Security staff will inspect all bags.
What to bring
- $10 donation plus two cans of food per person per day (or the special festival pass you purchased online). Passes required for Sensational Sunday, July 7, 2013.
- LOW “sand” or “beach” style chair – not more than 30-inches high. Higher chairs must sit in back to avoid obstructing the view for others.
- Maximum blanket size:
o For two people, 6’ x 8’
o For four people, 8’ x 12’
- Maximum cooler size: 22” long, 15” high, 15” wide
- Water
- Sunscreen
- Hat and sunglasses
- Rain poncho if it’s sprinkling
- Ear plugs for sensitive ears
Leave at home (not allowed)
- NO large tarps allowed into the bowl
- No animals. You won’t be allowed to enter the festival with dogs, cats, ferrets, snakes, elephants or any pet or animal.
- No alcoholic beverages (You can purchase beer or wine onsite)
- No glass
- No fireworks
- No weapons
- No beach balls or Frisbees
- No tents or shade canopies
- No sun umbrellas that obstruct seated guests’ view of stages
- No location flags/signs on sticks or poles that block view of seated guests
- No audio or video recording devices
Available on site
- ATM machine
- First-aid tent
- Bicycle parking
- A variety of food and beverages for purchase from vendors
- CDs, posters, clothing, buttons and other merchandise for purchase. All proceeds from merchandise sales at the festival benefit Oregon Food Bank.
- Bottled water for purchase, a portion of the proceeds benefit Oregon Food Bank
- Pottery at Oregon Potters Association Empty Bowls Booth
Parking
Street parking fills quickly. Here are a few alternatives:
- Park in downtown parking lots and garages. We recommend SmartPark or City Center Parking Garages.
- Park on the east bank of the river and walk across the Hawthorne Bridge.
- Or walk along the East Bank Esplanade.
- The festival provides two areas for parking bicycles: one on Naito near the main entrance and one at the north end of the festival near the Hawthorne Bridge entry.
- Ride TriMet, MAX light rail or the Portland Street Car
Accessibility
The festival site is a public park. The walkway is wheelchair accessible and there is a wheelchair seating area at the top of the bowl. But most of the park is a grassy hill. There is no special festival parking. Attendees park in public lots and on the street. The closest parking garage is at S.W. First and Jefferson, just a few blocks from the festival site.
Other common sense policies
- Keep passages free. Don’t block aisles, walkways, esplanade or other public areas.
- Dispose of trash in designated receptacles.
- Beer cups are compostable. Dispose of your empty beer cup in designated receptacles.
- No distribution of commercial advertisements.
- Waterfront Blues Festival staff will close entry to Waterfront Park when the audience reaches capacity, as directed by the City of Portland Fire Marshall.
- Obey all federal, state and City of Portland laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.
- Do not enter nonpublic areas, i.e. offices, storage, vendor booths, “performers only.”
- Respect property. Don’t take, deface, degrade, damage or destroy property.
- Don’t disrupt or interfere with festival operations.
- No physical or verbal harassment or abuse allowed.
- Obey directions of festival management team and its authorized contractors.
- No video or audio recording of concerts without permission from artist.
About Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Food Bank believes no one should be hungry. With sufficient public will and support of the entire community, we believe it is possible to eliminate hunger and its root causes.
Since 1982, Oregon Food Bank has been leading the fight against hunger in Oregon and southwest Washington by collecting and distributing food through a network of four OFB branches and 16 independent regional food banks.
The OFB Network helps nearly 1 in 5 households fend off hunger. OFB also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, garden education, and helping communities strengthen local food systems.
For more information
Visit www.waterfrontbluesfest.com
Subscribe to Blues E-News at www.waterfrontbluesfest.com
Like the festival at www.facebook.com/waterfrontbluesfest
Follow the festival at www.twitter.com/waterfrontblues.
Festival sponsors
The 2013 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is presented by First Tech Federal Credit Union.
Major sponsors include: The Oregonian, 101.9 KINK, iQ Credit Union, FedEx, KIA Motors, Schnitzer Steel, Pepsi, Miller Lite, Deschutes Brewery, Mission Foods.