OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — This past Tuesday the Omaha City Council declared August 6th as ‘BluesDay’.
The proclamation is an acknowledgment of the work the Blues Society of Omaha does for the city through music, education for kids and its community presence.
With music, education for children, and community presence.
It just so happens the non-profit's next, and biggest, event is taking place on BluesDay.
It's the annual In the Market for Blues Festival, where you can catch some of the most talented blues performers at venues all around downtown Omaha.
The festival starts Saturday at noon and runs until 2 a.m.
14 hours of live music, from 40 different bands, performing at 12 different venues downtown.
"We started this Blues Festival eight years ago,” Blues Society of Omaha’s Chris Shouse said. “At that time there were just two venues down in the Old Market, and we just had eight musicians. We still have Harney Street Tavern; we still have the Dubliner. But we have grown."
If you buy a ticket online before the event it will cost $20, and you will get a wristband that will get you into all the venues.
Otherwise, you can buy it tomorrow in person for $30 at the box office located at Gene Leahy Mall.
The Gene Leahy Mall is also one of the venues on Saturday and is the only venue that will have free performances and activities for the public. There will also be several food trucks lined up on 13th Street between Farnam and Jackson.
To buy tickets, and to see the full schedule of who is playing where and when, click here.
Here is a list of all the participating venues:
In the Market for Blues Venues (12 p.m. - 2 a.m.)
Harney Street Tavern
- 1215 Harney St.
Dubliner Pub
- 1205 Harney St.
Throwback Arcade Lounge
- 1402 Howard St.
Mouth of the South
- 1111 Harney St.
Gate 10
- 414 S. 10th St.
Havana Garage
- 1008 Howard St.
Gene Leahy Mall
- Performance Pavilion
T. Henery's
- 318 S. 11th St.
The Jewell
- 1030 Capitol Ave.
Beer Can Alley
- 1022 Capitol Ave.
Annie's Irish Pub
- 1101 Davenport St.
Holland Center Mammel Courtyard
- 1200 Douglas St.
