News Release  

2009 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival
Etiquette and Essentials 

To make the festival enjoyable for everyone!

Festival hours

Thursday, July 2, 3 p.m to 10 p.m., followed by DME Hoodoo Moon Blues Cruise, Marriott Afterhours Allstars, and Encore! Festival Afterhours at University Place Hotel.

Friday, July 3, noon to 10 p.m., followed by DME Rock the Boat Blues Cruise, Wildhorse Resort and Casino Super Jam at Marriott Hotel, and Encore! Festival After Hours at University Place Hotel.

Saturday, July 4, noon to 10 p.m., followed by Wildhorse Resort and Casino Fireworks Show over the Willamette, Wildhorse Resort and Casino Super Jam, and Encore! Festival After Hours at University Place Hotel.

Sunday, July 5, noon to 10 p.m., followed by Marriott After Hours Allstars and Encore! Festival After Hours at University Place Hotel.

Gates open

Thursday, July 2, bowl area gates open at 2 p.m.

Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5, bowl area gates open at 11 a.m.

Entry and special passes

Daily entry is a suggested donation of $10 PLUS two cans of nonperishable food per person – making this festival one of the great entertainment bargains of the summer.

This year, the festival also offers four levels of great passes with fabulous perks and special access: Four-Day Festival Pass, Blues Buddy Pass, Blues Benefactor and Individual Sponsor Pass. Delta Music Experience Blues Cruise tickets are available in advance at www.waterfrontbluesfest.com via Tickets Oregon. Festival passes and any remaining Blues Cruise tickets will also available at the festival site at the Louisiana Pavilion.

$10 donation, enables OFB to collect and distribute enough food to fill an emergency food box. Donations benefit Oregon Food Bank’s mission to eliminate hunger and its root causes … because no one should be hungry. The festival is Oregon Food Bank’s major fund-raiser. Oregon Food Bank, a charitable, nonprofit, produces the festival.

What to bring

• $10 donation and two cans of nonperishable food per person per day (or the special festival pass you purchased online)
• Water
• Sunscreen
• Hat and sunglasses
• Rain poncho if it’s sprinkling
• LOW “sand” or “beach” style chairs – not more than six-inches off the ground.
• Higher chairs must sit in back to avoid obstructing the view for others.
• For two people, limit blanket size to 6’ x 8’.
• For four people, limit blanket size to 8’ x 12’.

Leave at home (not allowed) You won’t be allowed to enter the festival with
Dogs, cats, ferrets, snakes or any pet or animal

• Alcoholic beverages (wine and beer is available for purchase in designated areas onsite)
• Glass
• Fireworks
• Weapons
• Beach balls and Frisbees
• NO large tarps allowed into the bowl
• Tents
• Sun umbrellas that obstruct guests’ view of stages
• Location flags on sticks or poles that block stage view for others
• Audio or video recording devices
• Signs

Available on site

• ATM machine
• First-aid tent
• Bicycle parking (see belows)
• Lost and found booth (Oregon Food Bank Information Booth)
• A variety of food and beverages for purchase from vendors
• CDs, posters, clothing and other merchandise for purchase
• Pottery for purchase from 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 Garages.
• Park on the east bank of the river and walk across the Hawthorne Bridge. Or walk along the East Bank Esplanade.
• The festival will provide 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 Portland Street Car

Accessibility

The festival site is a public park. The walkway is wheelchair accessible. 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

• No distribution of commercial advertisements.
• Keep passages free. Don’t block aisles, walkways, esplanade or other public areas.
• Security staff will inspect all bags.
• Help us keep the park clean by disposing of trash in designated receptacles.
• Waterfront Blues Festival staff will close entry to Tom McCall Waterfront Park when the audience reaches the capacity of the area.
• 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.
• Need a smoke?  Multnomah County Health Department suggests that you step outside of the audience-bowl area to keep the festival a family-friendly place.
• For more information visit www.waterfrontbluesfest.com

About Oregon Food Bank: Oregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of a the Oregon Food Bank Network, a statewide network of 20 regional food banks and 915 hunger-relief agencies serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash

About festival sponsors: The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is presented by First Tech Credit Union.  Major sponsors include FedEx Corporation, iQ Credit Union, The Oregonian A&E, KINK.fm, Good Neighbor Pharmacy,Wildhorse Resort and Casino and Travel Portland. Supporting sponsors include Mission Foods, Deschutes Brewery, Henry’s, Beringer Wine, Snapple, Earth2o Water, Pepsi, Frito Lay Snacks, Yoshida Sauce, Dave’s Killer Bread, Eggland’s Best, Dreyer’s Ice Cream, Burt’s Bees, NW Natural, The Boeing Company, PacificSource Health Plans, OregonLive.com, Blues Revue, Music Millennium, True Tone Audio, Karolyn March, Lions Foundation, Cascade Blues Association, Winthrop Music Association, Oregon Potters Association, Cascade Zydeco Association, Delta Music Experience, University Place Hotel, Marriott Hotel, RiverPlace Hotel, Hotel Fifty, travelportland.com.

For more information, visit www.waterfrontbluesfest.com.